On September 2, 1679, a strong earthquake estimated at Richter scale magnitude 8 took place at noon near Beijing. The epicenter was near the regions of Pinggu and Sanhe thus it was called the “Sanhe Pinggu Earthquake.” The earthquake impacted Beijing and six other provinces (Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Liaoning, Shandong, and Henan), totaling over 200 counties. Numerous city walls, government office buildings, and houses collapsed. There were many deaths and injuries.
 
Facing this unexpected disaster, Emperor Kangxi took immediate action. On one hand he designated financial support of a hundred thousand liang of silver pieces for disaster relief, then he called upon government officers and the wealthy to donate. Most importantly, he led his officers, from high to low, to look with deep introspection into the various government agencies. First, he humbly examined himself for shortcomings and areas in which to improve. Then he asked his officers to dispense with bureaucracy, conscientiously correct any previous shortcomings, and work hard for the people and the nation from the heart.
 
Within four hours after the earthquake, Emperor Kangxi summoned various officials--including internal affairs officers, all his ministers, royal family officers, procuratorial officers, as well as prime ministers Ming Zhu and Li Wei, to a meeting at the royal palace. He reprimanded some of them for accumulating personal fortunes rather than working hard for the nation. He said they did not remain honest and upright and instead had let greed and corruption become the norm. Emperor Kangxi said if these “evil” officers did not correct themselves, they would be punished according to the law with no exceptions.
 
Two days later, Emperor Kangxi once again gathered his major officials and described six shortcomings he had observed: 1) Officials at all levels accumulated fortunes by extorting wealth from the common people. Such corruption had exacerbated the people's already marginal existence. 2) Many officials even collaborated in order to amass more personal wealth. 3) During military missions, soldiers recklessly robbed and killed. 4) Local officials did not report to higher officials the misery that the people endured. In cases of flood and drought, local officials fabricated numbers to get relief but never funneled the benefits to the people in need. 5) The justice department did not handle lawsuits fairly, and many cases remained unresolved for long periods of time. 6) Families of high officials took advantage of ordinary people and unduly influenced how the law was carried out.
 
Emperor Kangxi told his officials to provide concrete plans for how to remedy the six shortcomings. He specifically emphasized that all their corrective acts would depend on the high officials setting a correct example. This is because when high officials are no longer corrupt, their subordinates will be intimidated and not dare to act otherwise.
 
Obeying Emperor Kangxi's order, within 10 days the ministers submitted a proposal to eliminate the six shortcomings. Their proposal recommended steps that included replacing and questioning corrupt officials, banning corrupt officials from government agencies for life, to the death penalty. Emperor Kangxi approved this proposal.
 
Emperor Kangxi took such action after the earthquake because he respected the heavens and natural law. Divine power was well accepted in ancient China, and people believed there was a universal law behind everything in nature. Therefore, natural disasters were often considered a warning from heaven. Today we experience many “natural” disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, bird flu, and many more. How many people can examine themselves, just like Emperor Kangx did, and take corrective action to comply with heavenly law?
 

康熙对地震成因的认识
 
清康熙十八年七月二十八日（公元1679年9月2日）中午，京师地区发生了一场强烈地震。这次地震的震级达8级，震中在平谷、三河一带，地震波及范围除京城外，还包括周围的河北、山西、陕西、辽宁、山东、河南六省，共计两百余州县。京城震毁城堞、衙署、民房、死伤人民甚众。
 
面对突如其来的灾难，康熙皇帝迅速作出了反应。他一方面“发内帑银十万两”，赈恤灾民；一方面号召“官绅富民”捐资助赈。但他最著力进行的，则是亲自带领大小臣工，对朝政得失认真的作一次全面的政治检讨和反思。他自己首先“兢惕悚惶”，“力图修省”；同时要求臣工们“务期尽除积弊”，“各宜洗涤肺肠，公忠自矢，痛改前非，存心爱民为国。”
 
地震发生后不到四个小时，康熙立即把“内阁、九卿、詹事、科、道满汉各官”召集在一起，并把大学士明珠、李霨等数人召到干清宫，当面训谕，严厉批评了某些官员“自被任用以来，家计颇已饶裕，乃全无为国报效之心”，不仅不清廉勤政，反而“愈加贪酷，习以为常”的恶劣行径，并且表明了对这种“奸恶”之人如“不加省改”，一经查出，“国法俱在，决不饶恕”的决心。
 
两天后，康熙帝再一次将“满汉学士以下，副都御史以上各官”召集到左翼门，著人口传谕旨，宣布了他所思虑的施政上的六方面弊端：一是各级官吏“苛派百姓”，民间易尽之脂膏，尽归贪吏私囊，使“民生困苦已极”；二是“大臣朋比徇私者甚多”；三是用兵之时，任意烧杀抢掠；四是地方官“于民生疾苦，不使上闻”，遇到水旱灾荒，对赈济诸事，“苟且侵渔，捏报虚数，以致百姓不沾实惠”；五是刑狱不公，积案不办；六是王公大臣之家人奴仆，“侵占小民生理”，“干预词讼，肆行非法”。康熙要求大臣们对如何严禁这六种弊政提出具体办法。他特别强调，革除弊政，关键在于高官的率先垂范，因为“大臣廉，则总督、巡抚有所畏惮，不敢枉法以行私；总督、巡抚清正，则属下官吏操守自洁，虽有一二不肖有司，亦必改心易虑，不致大为民害。”
 
大臣们根据康熙皇帝的旨意，在10天之内拟出了革除上述六种弊政的办法，包括对责任者从“革职拿问”、“永不叙用”到按律“正法”的严厉处罚措施，康熙批准了这个处分办法。
 
康熙皇帝这样做，主要是基于“敬天知命”和遵从宇宙中规律的基础上而为的。这里的“天”，即所谓的自然，即是指那无时不在，无处不有的衡定一切的宇宙特性。“天象示警”并非仅仅是指人类对于自然生态环境破坏的行为作出的警告。中国自古就有天人合一的认识。今天的当权者中，面对地震、海啸、禽流感以及许许多多已经发生和正在发生的所谓“自然灾害”，有几人能够像康熙皇帝一样向内找自己失政的原因、纠正自己的错误从而顺天应命重归天人合一的呢？