The Xia Dynasty
Xia dynasty quick facts:
- Due to a lack of written, primary sources from this period, the Xia dynasty is often thought to have not existed.
- The first king of the Xia dynasty Yu the Great (A.K.A. Yu the Engineer, and Da Yu), was the first leader in China to break from the abdication system of succession, and introduce hereditary rule. Thus beginning the first Chinese Dynasty.
- In some tales of Yu the Great and how he tamed the Huang He river he is said to have turned into a bear!
- The history we have on the Xia dynasty has been passed down through generations, similar to how a fairy tale or a myth is told by word of mouth, as such many of the details are suspected to have been changed.
- The stories of Yu the Great and the manner in which he held himself set the tone for Chinese culture and behavior.
- Yu the Great is said to have brought irrigation to China.
The tale of Yu the Great Legend has it that some four or five thousand years ago in China, in the Yellow River valley, a terrible flood washed away whole villages destroying houses and cropland. Many people lost their lives in the flood, and those who were fortunate enough to survive were forced to abandon their homes and live on hillsides or migrate to places far, far away.
During this time China wasn't a large kingdom or empire, but instead was a collection of small tribes along the banks of the Huang He River. Each one of these tribes had its own chieftain, but in charge of all these chieftains was a great leader named Yao. After the floods had hit, Yao immediately summoned together the chieftains of the other tribes to discuss how to get the flood under control. At this meeting, a well-respected, and intellectual 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 river. All of their efforts however caused more disastrous flooding! No sooner was a dam or buffer built than it was destroyed by the flood which carried sand and mud downstream until the mouth of the Yellow River became blocked, causing the flood to spread, and the number of victims to grow. |
After 9 years Yao was getting very old, so he passed his leadership to a man named Shun. Shun had been chosen because he was the smartest, and most reliable of all the citizens among the tribes. Shun understood how important it was that the floods be bought under control, and he went to the work sites for a personal inspection immediately. When he found that Gun had not been successful after 9 years, and that the flooding had in fact gotten worse, he was furious. Shun had Gun arrested, and executed straight away. Afterwards 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 rotting, and, when someone cut it open, out came the boy: Yu. Another story says that that Yu's mother gave birth to him after eating a kind of wild fruit. Regardless, in ancient times everyone seemed to believe that Yu was the son of a god, an ingenious, capable and peerless hero.
By the time Yu received word from Shun that he was to carry on his father’s work, Yu was a fully grown man, and had just been married. Determined to have the flood under control however, 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. 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, dredging the river channels to provide outlets for the floods into the sea.
In those days there was also a giant 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 onto the banks, causing more floods.
Yu realised that in order to control the floods, he would have to cut a canal through the mountain. One legend tells how Yu turned himself into a bear and headed into the mountains to do the digging. Whether this is true or not, Yu eventually succeeded in cutting a canal through Mount Longmen, making it possible for the floods to flow out into the sea.
Rain or shine, Yu worked with his men, digging and taking earth away all year. His face became sun-burnt and his body spare and thin. The hair on his body and head began to wear away. But he was so dedicated that he never returned back home! Even when, three times he walked right past his front door. It is even said that Yu passed right by his house as his wife gave birth to his son Qi. He heard the baby crying, but because of his dedication to China, and getting the flood under control, he turned away and went on to work.
Thus, after thirteen long years of continuous efforts, Yu and his men succeeded in dredging all the rivers, big and small, and in doing so bought the flood under control. Those who had gone to live on hillsides or had migrated to remote places now came back to their tribes.
Shun and the people of China were so grateful for what Yu had done, that they named him Yu the great, and, when the time came for Shun to abdicate, he named Yu as his successor. Under Yu's leadership, China began to grow. They worked the land, planted crops and developed agricultural production, and the Chinese people began to live a good life. When Yu died he made his son, Qi, his successor, thus establishing the first dynasty in Chinese history – The Xia Dynasty.
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 rotting, and, when someone cut it open, out came the boy: Yu. Another story says that that Yu's mother gave birth to him after eating a kind of wild fruit. Regardless, in ancient times everyone seemed to believe that Yu was the son of a god, an ingenious, capable and peerless hero.
By the time Yu received word from Shun that he was to carry on his father’s work, Yu was a fully grown man, and had just been married. Determined to have the flood under control however, 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. 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, dredging the river channels to provide outlets for the floods into the sea.
In those days there was also a giant 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 onto the banks, causing more floods.
Yu realised that in order to control the floods, he would have to cut a canal through the mountain. One legend tells how Yu turned himself into a bear and headed into the mountains to do the digging. Whether this is true or not, Yu eventually succeeded in cutting a canal through Mount Longmen, making it possible for the floods to flow out into the sea.
Rain or shine, Yu worked with his men, digging and taking earth away all year. His face became sun-burnt and his body spare and thin. The hair on his body and head began to wear away. But he was so dedicated that he never returned back home! Even when, three times he walked right past his front door. It is even said that Yu passed right by his house as his wife gave birth to his son Qi. He heard the baby crying, but because of his dedication to China, and getting the flood under control, he turned away and went on to work.
Thus, after thirteen long years of continuous efforts, Yu and his men succeeded in dredging all the rivers, big and small, and in doing so bought the flood under control. Those who had gone to live on hillsides or had migrated to remote places now came back to their tribes.
Shun and the people of China were so grateful for what Yu had done, that they named him Yu the great, and, when the time came for Shun to abdicate, he named Yu as his successor. Under Yu's leadership, China began to grow. They worked the land, planted crops and developed agricultural production, and the Chinese people began to live a good life. When Yu died he made his son, Qi, his successor, thus establishing the first dynasty in Chinese history – The Xia Dynasty.
Xia dynasty's influence on China
Although the Xia Dynasty's existence may be debatable, its influence on China's history is undeniable. As with many fables and legends in a society, the story of Yu the Great established a mentality that helped form China as a nation. Yu's willingness to put his country, and its people before himself helped to strengthen the Chinese sense of patriotism, and helped unify them under a common goal: A strong and powerful nation. Yu's dedication also served as an exemple of the sacrifices that a great leader should be willing to make, and was later used by the first Zhou king Wu Ding to illustrate how a leader with the Mandate of Heaven should act.
Another important development that occurred during the Xia period, was the shift from tribal or nomadic style settlements, to a unified collection of citizens, marking the advent of China.
However, the most important thing to come out of the Xia Dynasty was the knowledge of irrigation: The ability to redirect and relocate water artificially to areas that would otherwise not have access. This knowledge not only allowed the people of Ancient China to control the floods which had caused so much devastation, but they were able to turn this water into a useful resource. With irrigation the population of China boomed; settlements were able to be established further ]from direct access to water, crop size increased, and the constant flow of water ensured that it was constantly fresh, reducing illness and disease. More than 4,000 years later, Yu the Great is still remembered and honored in Chinese culture with movies, art, statues, and events still being created and held in his name. Regardless of whether he was real, he was a driving force behind the creation of the China we know today. |