Mo Zi [Photo/sdwht.gov.cn]

Mo Zi, also named Micius (Mo Tzu), with its original name Mo Di, was a Chinese philosopher whose thought of indiscriminate love (or universal love) challenged Confucianism for several centuries and was known as Mohism.

Mo Zi was born in a poverty-stricken family of Lu State, in today’s Shandong province, during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). Being poor, to make a living, he even worked as a craftsman.

Mo Zi rejected and argued strongly against the philosophy of “Li” (used to describe the elaborate rituals and manners and customs of Chinese nobles) and founded the Mohism, which advocates the rich to share wealth with the poor, the strong to help the weak and the sages to educate the other people.

He also fought to persuade governors from extravagant life and help prevent the unjust wars in which powerful state invades the weak one. But the philosophy could not be put into practice in the feudal society.

The thoughts and sayings of Mo Zi as well as his disciples were all collected in the Mozi, which had 15 volumes, a total of 53 stories. It is an important reference to study the great thinker along with the Mohism philosophy.