In the eighth century AD, the Tang Empire and the Arab Empire stood as the world’s two great powers, alongside more than a hundred other nations large and small. A butterfly flapped its wings in the flow of time, changing everything...
Was it Zhuang Zhou dreaming he was a butterfly, or a butterfly transformed into Zhuang Zhou? People are lost in a mystery, and life itself is a mystery. Welcome to the eighth century AD.
When the Great Way prevails, the world belongs to all. The worthy and capable are chosen, trust is valued, and harmony is cultivated.
People do not cherish only their own parents, nor care only for their own children. The elderly are able to live out their years, adults are able to put their talents to use, and children are able to grow. Widowers, widows, orphans, the childless, and the disabled are all cared for. Men have their roles, and women have their homes.
People hate to see goods thrown away on the ground, but they do not hoard them for themselves. They dislike letting their strength go unused, but they do not use it only for their own benefit.
Thus schemes and deceit do not arise, and theft, rebellion, and violence do not occur. People can leave their outer doors unlocked. This is called the Great Harmony.
