[Disestablishmentarian]

Yes, those sound like signs of impending economic collapse in China, the crash stage having already been reached and surpassed.

It’s long been expected because of the communism rot at the center of it, but I could not have predicted how it would play out, and certainly not this “Mandate of Heaven” stuff being involved.

[LonePalm]

The "Mandate of Heaven" (MoH)is simply the way the Chinese refer to the legitimacy of their rulers. It is similar to the "Divine Right of Kings" often cited by European kings as justification for absolute rule. "Fighting against me is fighting against God, ole chap, it's just not done." (Se battre contre moi, c'est se battre contre Dieu, ole chap, ce n'est tout simplement pas fait.)

The two are not exactly equal. Chinese Emperors could lose the MoH through immoral acts or otherwise harming the Chinese people under their care. Signs that an Emperor had lost the MoH included drought, flood, famine, earthquakes, pestilence, and hut-to-hut insurance salesmen. (I made the last one up but the Chinese would likely agree.) Once the MoH was lost in the minds of the people it was morally permissible to rebel against the Emperor and his officials.

The European kings generally lost the Divine Right to rule when they lost their heads or were conquered, not necessarily in that order. In the modern world this is when the voters get annoyed enough to vote you out.

WWG1WGA

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)