Asian Millenarianism: An Interdisciplinary Study of the Taiping a ...

Nine wells are related to the I-jing. A “well” produces water from the earth. According to the I-jing, water produces life and power, and most Korean founders and states are related to water. There are also many stories about water in East Asia that relate to ancient Korean rule over China. “The other eight wells activated” means eight Tung-i states worked to help one Tung-i state, which had been attacked by non-Tung-i people. Sima Qian's Shiji also states that the leader of the nine states is Chi-u (Heavenly Emperor of ancient Han'ung Chosn Korea). Although the Chinese knew Chi-u as the Korean emperor, he was worshipped as a god for victory and luck, even by the Chinese in China. As indicated in the above examples, it is impossible to understand what metaphoric words mean and to know Asian history and millenarian civilization truly, without understanding ancient Korean characters, culture, the I-jing, and the true Korean history of the ancient Chosn Korean millenarian era, which has greatly influenced Asia. The lack of understanding of the different cultures including the I-jing could have easily caused misinterpretations of facts. Unfortunately much Asian scholarship is still under a colonial legacy and a unicultural approach, which hinders the discovery of historical truth.

Colonial Legacy and the I-jing

In historical records and accountings in Asia, historians and writers have used the terms of the I-jing doctrine, which has a relationship with Asian millenarianism. Without the I-jing, we cannot understand what I-jing-related terms mean. Scholars and historians such as Sima Qian in China and Imanishi Ryu in Japan have distorted history for their own nationalistic purposes. Many scholars, including Asian and American Asian experts, have been influenced by a colonial legacy. Without knowing the I-jing, we may not understand some historical and millenarian accounts. For example, the Chinese source, Gangmu () writes: … (“As Fuhsi governed the state with virtue of wood, ….according to the I-jing, the Emperor Fuhsi came from , or zhen). In the I-jing, “wood” indicates the “East.” Zhen () is one of