As one of the most important classics in ancient China, the Book of Changes is revered as "father of all classics and source of a hundred schools of thought". Completed approximately over 3000 years ago in China's Zhou dynasty, it is said to be authored by Emperor Wen of the Zhou Dynasty, but actually it could not have been accomplished in a short period by a single person. Such a book must have been attributed to many people with generations of efforts.

Originally a book for the divination and prediction of the loss or success in future wars, natural disasters and the changes of political situations, the book has a section called classic, which serves as the caption for the divination graphs. It is, however, not simply a book for the prediction of good luck or misfortune. Based on the combination of two basic symbols - yin and yang, the Eight Diagrams is created, through which thousands of diagram combinations are evolved to correspond to the various complicated changes occurring in nature and human society. Yin and Yang are fundamental concepts in the Book of Changes, and the ways of the changes of Yin and Yang are employed in the Book of Changes to grasp the complicated laws of changes in nature and human society. This thought of representing the complexities and changes of the outer world undoubtedly embodies the great wisdom of ancient saints.

The Book of Changes has had great impacts on almost all important thinkers and schools of thoughts in ancient China. It has had tremendous and far-reaching influences on the politics, economy and culture of succeeding dynasties. China's architecture, medicine, music, painting and people's daily life are all intricately linked to the Book of Changes. It even reaches far beneath to have a great bearing on the national character and spirit of the Chinese people.