The Classic of Filial Piety (Xiaojing) begins with a simple but profound truth: “Among all human conduct, nothing is greater than filial piety.” In Chinese culture, filial devotion — the care and respect for one’s parents — is seen not just as the foundation of family harmony, but as the root of all virtues.
History offers remarkable stories that affirm this belief. In times of catastrophe, when lives were swept away by floods or crushed by earthquakes, certain families managed to survive against all odds. In these stories, survival was often attributed not to luck, but to the invisible power of filial piety.
A miracle in the Shandong flood
In the 21st year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign (1682), Shandong province faced a devastating drought. For months, fields cracked, grass withered, and crops failed. Farmers waited anxiously until, finally, summer rains allowed them to sow millet and beans. Just as hope returned, disaster struck.
One evening, an old villager from Shimen village saw two oxen fighting on a hillside. Alarmed, he warned his neighbors that such an omen meant flooding was imminent. Most dismissed him as superstitious, but he and his family quietly moved away that very night. Days later, torrential rain poured down relentlessly, rivers swelled, and floodwaters surged through the village. Fields vanished under water, homes collapsed, and survival seemed impossible.
In one household, a farmer and his wife faced an agonizing decision. They had two small children and an elderly mother who could barely walk. As the flood rose, they realized they could not save everyone. Torn between heartache and duty, the couple chose to carry their mother to higher ground, leaving the children behind in the upper part of their house, praying for a miracle. When the waters finally receded, the farmer rushed back, fearing the worst.
To his astonishment, his home still stood while most of the village lay in ruins. Inside, he found his two children safe and smiling, untouched by the flood. The villagers were stunned. Whispers spread: “This couple’s devotion to their mother touched Heaven itself. Their filial piety protected their children.”
Spared by an earthquake
Three years later, in the winter of Kangxi’s 24th year (1686), disaster struck again — this time in Pingyang. Records in the Qing History Chronicles describe the earthquake: The ground split open, houses crumbled, and in moments, entire communities were reduced to rubble. Seven or eight out of ten people perished. Yet amidst the devastation, one house remained standing. It belonged to a family renowned in the village for their extraordinary devotion to their parents. While nearly every other home collapsed, theirs was the only one preserved. Survivors murmured in awe: “In a calamity that spared almost no one, only the home of the filial son remained. Can anyone still say Heaven does not see?”
The enduring lesson
These stories from the Kangxi era are more than folklore. They reflect a deeply rooted belief in Chinese culture: Filial piety is not only the highest human virtue, but also a force that moves the unseen laws of Heaven. Whether one interprets these miracles as divine intervention or as the moral compass of society, they remind us of the power of love, respect, and duty within families.
In times of disaster, courage saves lives. But history suggests that kindness and devotion — especially toward our parents — may carry blessings beyond what we can see.
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