Xia Dynasty

The Great Yu and the terrible Flood Legend has it that some four or five thousand years ago there occurred once in the Yellow River valley a terrible flood which washed away whole villages with their houses and inundated large areas of cropland. Many people lost their lives in the flood and those who were fortunate enough to survive were forced to abandon their homes and go and live on hillsides or migrate to places far, far away. At that time, the leader of the confederation of tribes was a man named Yao who at once summoned together the chieftains of all the tribes to discuss how to get the flood under control. At the meeting, a man named Gun was elected by unanimous vote to take charge of the fight against the flood. Under Gun's leadership, the people spent nine long years building dams and dykes to stop the flow of the rivers. All the efforts however ended only in more disastrous floods. It happened more than once that no sooner was a dam or dyke built than it was destroyed by flood which carried sands and mud downstream until the mouth of the Yellow River was choked up and the afflicted areas became larger and larger while the number of victims increased. By this time Yao himself was getting very old and so he yielded his place to one named Shun who attached great importance to flood control and went to the work sites for a personal inspection. When he found that Gun had failed in his mission, he first had him incarcerated on Feather Hill and then killed. After that he gave orders that Gun's son Yu should carry on the work of fighting the flood. There have been many mythical stories about Yu's birth. One is that three years after Gun was killed, his dead body still showed no signs of putrefaction and when someone cut it open, out bounded the boy Yu. Another has it that Yu's mother gave birth to him after eating a kind of wild fruit. Anyway, in ancient times everyone seemed to believe that Yu was the son of a god, an ingenious, capable and peerless hero. It was barely four days after he got married when Yu received Shun's order. Determined to have the flood under control and remove the menace to the people, he left his wife behind and set off for the work site. Yu first made a study of the causes that had led to his father's failure. Then he made a careful survey of the afflicted areas and asked for advice from experienced workers. Knowing that water tends to flow from higher to lower regions, he abandoned Gun's method of building dams and dykes to stop the flow of waters. Instead he led his men in digging ditches and canals to divert the flood and also in dredging the river channels so as to provide outlets for the floods into the sea. In those days there was a high mountain, Mount Longmen, in the upper reaches of the Yellow River that blocked the way of the river. When the turbulent waters reached the mountain, it overflowed the banks, causing floods in the vicinity. In order to cut a canal into the mountain, Yu turned himself into a bear and stole into the mountains to do the digging. He also enlisted the help of Ying Long, Huang Di's brave warrior. Eventually, he succeeded in cutting a canal through Mount Longmen and thus made it possible for the floods to flow by way of this canal and the dredged rivers into the sea. Rain or shine, Yu worked in the midst of his men, digging and taking earth away all through the four seasons of a year. His face became sun-burnt and his body spare and thin. Even the hair on his calves was worn away. But he was so dedicated that it was said that he had three times refrained from entering the door of his home when he was passing by. One story has it that he happened to be passing the door when his wife was giving birth to his son Qi. He heard the baby crying, but in order to get the flood under control as early as he could he turned away from his door. Thus after thirteen long years of continuous efforts, Yu and his men succeeded in dredging all the rivers, big and small, and in doing away with the evil of flood. Those who had gone to live on hillsides or had migrated to remote places now came back to their native places. Under Yu's leadership, they tilled the land and planted crops and developed agricultural production. As a result, people were beginning to lead a good life. Yu was held in great reverence by all the tribes who now addressed him as Yu the Great. Shun was convinced that Yu had both fine qualities and great competence and so recommended him as his successor. After the death of Shun, Yu became the head of the tribal confederation - the Xia Dynasty. Yu the Great Yu the Great, was a legendary ruler in ancient China famed for his introduction of flood control, inaugurating dynastic rule in China by founding the Xia Dynasty, and for his upright moral character. Few, if any, records exist from the period of Chinese history when Yu reigned. Because of this, the vast majority of information about his life and reign comes from collected pieces of oral tradition and stories that were passed down in various areas of China, many of which were collected in Sima Qian's famous Records of the Grand Historian. Yu and other "sage-kings" of Ancient China were lauded by Confucius and other Chinese teachers, who praised their virtues and morals. Yu is remembered as an example of perseverance and determination. He is revered as the perfect civil servant. Stories abound about his work in flood techniques taking such importance to him that he bypassed his house three times in thirteen years but never went in — reasoning that a family reunion would take his time and mind away from the flood control problem. ♦ Yu on Flood Control Yu was usually identified by how he was able to control the floods along the lakes and rivers in China. He did it by means of channeling and dredging. Learning from the mistakes of his father Gun who was executed by Emperor Shun because of his unsuccessful methods, he abandoned the techniques of using large blockades and dams. With the help and support of the locals he dug canals on the usually flooded areas and dredged the rivers with outlets leading to the sea. For 13 years, he dedicated his time and strength to this project without going home even when his wife gave birth to their son Qi. For this, he was admired and became the epitome determination and perseverance among the future Chinese leaders. To further avoid casualties among the inhabitants; he divided the Han Chinese territory into nine provinces, and the people into nine groups, then designated each group to live in one of the nine provinces. ♦ The Nine Provinces King Shun, who reigned after his father Yao, was so impressed by Yu's engineering work and diligence that he passed the throne to Yu instead of to his own son. Yu is said to have initially declined the throne, but was so popular with other local lords and chiefs that he agreed to become the new emperor, at the age of 53. He established a capital at Anyi (Chinese: 安邑) - the ruins of which are in modern Xia County, in southern Shanxi Province - and founded what would be called the Xia Dynasty, traditionally considered China's first dynasty.[ Yu's flood control work is said to have made him intimately familiar with all regions of what was then Han Chinese territory. According to the Book of History, Yu divided the Chinese "world" into nine zhou or provinces. These were Jizhou (冀州), Yanzhou (兗州), Qingzhou (青州), Xuzhou (徐州), Yangzhou (揚州), Jingzhou (荊州), Yuzhou (豫州), Liangzhou (梁州) and Yongzhou (雍州).[ According to the Rites of Zhou there was no Xuzhou or Liangzhou, instead there was Youzhou (幽州) and Bingzhou (并州), but according to the Erya there was no Qingzhou or Liangzhou, instead there was Youzhou (幽州) and Yingzhou (營州). Either way there were nine divisions. Once he had received bronze from these nine territories, he created ding vessels called the Nine Tripod Cauldrons. Yu then established his capital at Yang City (陽城). According to the Bamboo Annals, Yu killed one of the northern leaders, Fangfeng (防風氏) to reinforce his hold on the throne.[ ♦ Death According to the Bamboo Annals, Yu ruled the Xia Dynasty for 45 years, and according to Yue Jueshu (越絕書), he died of an illness. It is said that he died at Kuaiji Mountain (會稽山), south of present day Shaoxing, while on a hunting tour to the eastern frontier of his empire, and was buried there. The Yu mausoleum (大禹陵) known today was first built in the 6th century CE during the Southern dynasty in his honor. It is located four kilometers southeast of Shaoxing city. Most of the structure was rebuilt many times in later periods. The three main parts of the mausoleum are the Yu tomb (禹陵), temple (禹廟) and memorial (禹祠). In many statues he is seen carrying an ancient plow (耒耜). A number of emperors in imperial times have travelled there to perform ceremonies in his honor, notably Qin Shi Huang. Xia Dynasty The realm of China has been well renowned for its sundry and unique culture – that is why a lot of researchers, students, and tourists became very much fascinated with the historical background and roots of this culture. For decades, Chinese history and culture have undergone huge tons of changes – from the places, food, clothing, political beliefs, spiritual choices, attitude of people, structure of buildings and residences, government types, arts, and others alike. All of the alleged factors have undergone change and innovation throughout the point in time, living massive impact on its people. To better acquire an understanding of the up-to-date transformation in the ethnicity and traditions of China, it is better to be aware of the roots of modernization where innovation and colossal amendment took place. According to unswerving sources, there are proof and substantiation that the immense variations on the Chinese history and culture was distinguished and took consign during the Xia Dynasty, roughly around 2100 B.C. to 1600 B.C. The Xia Dynasty lasted for nearly 500 years and during those long years, a lot of modification has been made doable under diverse leaders from one generation to another. All through those years, the nation of China has been under the leadership of 17 different emperors that has left a lot of remarkable changes in the country’s culture. The Origins and Development of the Xia Dynasty First, it is important to go through the origin of the Xia Dynasty – where did it all start? There are a lot of different versions and story lines on the subject of the roots of the Xia Dynasty but regardless of those speculations, lone factor will remain the same, and that is Xia was the very first established dynasty system in China. Long before, the Xia Dynasty had been established through battles between two tribes that had long existed – the two battling tribes are the Xia tribe and Chiyou’s tribe. The Patriarch of the Xia Tribe The Xia tribe was noted to progressively develop and took place during the time of Zhuanxu, who is well acknowledged as one of the five great emperors of China. According to classical research, reviews and historical texts, a lot of evidences have proved that Yu the Great, which is the first leader of China during the Xia Dynasty was the grandson of Zhuanxu. Other classical facts and historical rites profess that Xia is a member of the fifth generation of Zhuanxu. Whether of the alleged facts are true or not, the only fact that will remain the same is that the first conqueror and leader of China’s Xia Dynasty originated from the Zhuanxu, evidently making it possible that the Xia clan was mainly the descendants of the great emperor. Areas of Habitation and the Abdication System The development of the Xia Dynasty served as a very significant part of the Chinese history and culture since during those periods the development has marked the end of the Primitive civilization and highlighted the beginning of the class and more modernized society. Most people during the Xia Dynasty period localized in the western area of the province of Henan and some also inhabited the northern and southern part of the province of Shanxi. During the earlier times of Xia Dynasty, the approach in selecting the right leader was first set up by Yu the Great, who made the Abdication System the way of choosing the right leader. The Abdication System is an approach where a leader is chosen according to their advanced ability and competence. Gun’s Mission to Stop the Flooding at the Yellow River Throughout the Xia Dynasty, the main problem that Yu the Great had to deal with was the flooding of the Yellow River. Long before the time of Gun, known as the earliest member of the Xia clan and also the father of Yu the Great, Gun and other tribe members attempted to solve the problems of flooding. Gun was appointed by Yao to stop the flooding of the Yellow river; Yao ordered the establishment and construction of large line of defense and blockade that would stop the flooding and destruction of their farm or field crops. The attempt of Yu’s father to build a defense and effective barrier to prevent and control the flood lasted for nine long years, but in the end they still failed to attain their goal since the flood became stronger and more uncontrollable. That failure has lead to the order of execution of Yu the Great’s father Gun, who was ordered by Shun the succeeding leader of the throne. Gun’s Execution and Yu’s Mission Gun was ordered to be executed on the mountain located between the Donghai countries – because of his father’s failure to solve the flooding, Yu the Great was motivated to continue his father’s attempt to stop the flooding of the Yellow River. Since Yu the Great was highly trusted by Shun, he was then assigned to continue his father’s work – the method and technique of Yu greatly differ from his father’s approach. As you can recall, the method used by Gun was to build a blockade that will redirect the path of the water to stop the flood but since it is a failure, Yu the Great tried a whole lot of different approach. The first step that Yu considered was to acquire help from other tribes. What he did was unite people coming from the different tribes and ordered them to lend him a hand in solving their flooding problems by effectively building canals in all the major rivers around China, which will redirect the water into its way to the sea, consequently preventing it from flooding their farms. Yu’s Dedication to Stopping the Yellow River Floods Yu the great has dedicated 13 years of his life in order to complete his mission and during those 13 years, he did not go home to see his family. It was said that throughout that 13 years he only passed by looking at his house without going inside and talking to his family. He was very much dedicated and highly motivated, he was an epitome of strength and intelligence may be that is the reason why all his hard work eventually paid off, and his technique was successful in leading the water directly into the sea, thus preventing the flood. Mission Accomplished: Prosperity Ensues The prevention of the flood eventually lead to the affluence and growth of the farm crops that was usually destroyed by the flood and this growth has lead to the strengthening of the Xia tribe, making Yu the leader of other surrounding tribes. Then eventually after several years, Shun abdicated his throne to Yu since Shun himself is getting old and needs to pass the throne and authority to a competent leader – he then chose Yu to succeed on his position. And that was noted as the first year of Yu’s leadership and also the birth of the Xia Dynasty. After several years of leadership, Yu was ought to pass the throne to a worthy leader but instead of choosing according to the competence and ability Yu chose to give the throne to his son Qi; that act marked the start of the Hereditary System in selecting a leader and began the era of clan leadership style of governing. The throne was continuously passed to sons of the kings, from generation to generation until the time of Jie took place. Jie was the last ruler of the Xia dynasty he was perceived as a corrupt leader, which lead to the rebellion of the people against his leadership that eventually lead him to be overthrown by Tang who started the Shang Dynasty. Xia Dynasty Technology & Innovation Other changes that were noted from the period of Xia Dynasty was subsequent, the use of stone tools like the hand axe, they also made use of fire in perfecting the stone tools that they created. Agriculture was also improved during the Xia period and pasturing was started. Irrigation technology was also greatly improved, the production of dried and earthen goods also took place, the use of ships and vehicles arose, the use of varnish became common practice. Silk production and weaving also took place during the Xia dynasty as well as drilling and carving technology. But the most recognized innovation during this period was the creation of the calendar based on two different patterns, the use of jade, bronze vessels, and bronze casting also became popular at this era