People believe the emperor was a direct representative of whom?

Answer 1

of God
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Position and power
Since the Qin Dynasty, the Emperor of China was formally styled the Son of Heaven (天子), and as the descendant and representative of Heaven on Earth, he legally had absolute power over all matters, big or small, under Heaven. In contrast to modern international relationship, the Emperor of China was seen not merely in East Asia as head of one nation-state among many, but rather as the overlord of the entire civilized world, as such there could only be one legitimate emperor in the world at any given time. In addition, because the Emperor was the head of the entire civilized world, the ethnicity of the Emperor was not considered important.

The emperor's words and directives were considered Sacred Edicts (聖旨). In theory, the emperor's orders were followed with immediate obedience. He was elevated above all commoners, nobility, and members of the imperial family. Addresses to the emperor were always to be formal and self-deprecatory, even by the closest of family members.

In practice, however, the power of the emperor varied between different emperors and different Chinese dynasties. Many emperors ruled as absolute monarchs, maintaining a tight grip on the country. A prominent example is Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor. Other emperors, however, had found the Empress Dowager, court officials, eunuchs, and nobility taking over actual power (e.g., Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty or Guangxu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty). In addition the effective area ruled by the Emperor of China varied from dynasty to dynasty. In some cases, such as during the Southern Song dynasty, political power in East Asia was effectively split among several governments, however the theory that the head of one of these states was the legitimate emperor to which the other states owned allegiance was kept.

Answer 2

God or the gods, depending on the culture. For example, the Pope is a direct representative of God, though technically not an Emperor, while the Roman Emperors, along with the Chinese Emperors of the past, were believed to be the direct representative of the gods who dominated those societies.

Answer 3

the emperor was supposed to work for the people well being, but in order to gain legitimacy, emperors claimed they work for a higher power, usually given to by the pope or religious head.

Answer 4

Whatever deity is/was running the show.