 A parallel process occurred in Asia.Whereas in the West the title of Emperor had by the 19th century largely been stripped of religious connotations and had come to be seen purely in political terms, the title in eastern Asia is almost entirely a religious one, commonly stated as "the son of heaven".Here the title denotes a higher, "heavenly" rule ("celestial empire"), in contrast to kings who rule between heaven and earth, and by extension today to presidents who are mere base earthly rulers.