Xia Dynasty
History of China | |||||||
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ANCIENT | |||||||
3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors | |||||||
Xia Dynasty 2070–1600 B.C.E. | |||||||
Shang Dynasty 1600–1046 B.C.E. | |||||||
Zhou Dynasty 1122–256 B.C.E. | |||||||
Western Zhou | |||||||
Eastern Zhou | |||||||
Spring and Autumn Period | |||||||
Warring States Period | |||||||
IMPERIAL | |||||||
Qin Dynasty 221 B.C.E.–206 B.C.E. | |||||||
Han Dynasty 206 B.C.E.–220 C.E. | |||||||
Western Han | |||||||
Xin Dynasty | |||||||
Eastern Han | |||||||
Three Kingdoms 220–280 C.E. | |||||||
Wu, Shu & Wei | |||||||
Jin Dynasty 265–420 C.E. | |||||||
Western Jin | |||||||
Eastern Jin | 16 Kingdoms 304–439 C.E. | ||||||
Southern & Northern Dynasties 420–589 C.E. | |||||||
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Tang Dynasty 618–907 C.E. | |||||||
5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms 907–960 C.E. |
Liao Dynasty 907–1125 C.E. | ||||||
Song Dynasty 960–1279 C.E. |
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Northern Song | W. Xia Dyn. | ||||||
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Yuan Dynasty 1271–1368 C.E. | |||||||
Ming Dynasty 1368–1644 C.E. | |||||||
Qing Dynasty 1644–1911 C.E. | |||||||
MODERN | |||||||
Republic of China 1911–present | |||||||
People's Republic of China 1949–present |
Republic of China | ||||||
Timeline of Chinese history Dynasties in Chinese history Military history of China History of Chinese art History of science and technology in China History of Education in China | |||||||
The Xia Dynasty (Chinese: 夏朝; pinyin: xià cháo; Wade-Giles: hsia-ch'ao), ca. 2070 B.C.E.–1600 B.C.E.[1], is the first dynasty to be described independently in both the official Records of the Grand Historian and unofficial Bamboo Annals, which record the names of seventeen kings over fourteen generations lasted 471 years (another theory 431 years). The legendary Three August Ones and Five Emperors are said to have preceded this dynasty, which was followed by the Shang Dynasty.
Legendary history
Chinese mythology starts with Pangu, the creator of the universe and a succession of legendary sage-emperors and cultural hero's HuangDi, Yao and Shun, who taught the ancient Chinese to communicate and to find substance, clothing and shelter. The Xia dynasty is said to be a prehistoric dynasty dating from 21st century through the 16th century B.C.E. thus marking the end of a primitive society to a class society. Legend also speaks of a great flood that occured in the Yellow River Valley. This flood assumedly washed away entire villages as well as valuable crop land. Survivors of this flood where forced to relocate. Some fled to the hillsides others to far off places. Yao, who was reportedly to be the leader of the confederation, called together the chieftains of all the tribes to discuss how to best to control the flooding. Gun was eleceted to take charge of the fight against the flood. Nine years where spent under Gun's leadership building dams and dykes. However, these efforts would prove fruitless. As more disastrous floods occurred, additional sand and mud where deposited downstream destroying all they had built and eventually botttled up the mouth of the Yellow River casuing the flood waters to engulf what pecious little land was left. Yao was now getting old and yeilded control to Shun. Shun placed great importance on flood control and personally inspected work sties. Gun was incarcerated and killed for failing his mission. Yu, Gun's son was to carry out his father's mission. There have been many mythical stories about the birth of Yu. One states that at three years old, after Gun's death his body showed no signs of decay and when someone cut open his body out sprang Yu. Another is that Yu's mother gave birth to him after eating sone sorto f wild fruit. It was believed Yu was the son of a god. The Xia Dynasty was said to have been founded when Shun abdicated the throne in favor of his minister Yu, whom Shun viewed as the perfect civil servant. Instead of passing power to the person deemed most capable of rulership, Yu passed power to his son, Qi, setting the precedence for dynastic rule. The Xia Dynasty thus began a period of family or clan control.
It was during this period that Chinese civilization developed a ruling structure that employed both a benign civilian government and harsh punishment for legal transgressions. From this the earliest forms of Chinese legal codes came into being.
The end of the Xia Dynasty saw an increase in conflict, abuse of power and opression. Resources where exhausted from the building of places and pavilions, causing the masses to flee in an attempt to escape the opressive rule. Jie, the last ruler, was said to be a corrupt king. He was overthrown by Tang, the leader of Shang people from the east.
Archaeological records
In 1928 excavators at early Bronze-age sites at Anyang, Henan Province found it difficult to spearate myth from fact in regard to the Xia Dynasty. In the 1960's and 1970's archaeologists uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs that point to the possible existence of the Xia Dynasty at locations cited in ancient Chinese historical texts. In 1959, a site located in the city of Yanshi was excavated containing large palaces that some Chinese archaeologists have attributed as capital of the Xia Dynasty; though Western archaeologists were reluctant to make this claim on the grounds that no written records exist to confirm the name of the dynasty and its sovereigns. Most archaeologists now identify the Erlitou culture as the site of the Xia Dynasty[1]. Modern scholars had dismissed the Xia dynasty as a legend invented by Zhou dynasty historians until the discovery of the Erlitou culture. Radiocarbon dating places the site at ca. 2100 to 1800 B.C.E., providing physical evidence of the existence of a state contemporaneous with the Xia Dynasty as described in Chinese historical works. [2]
Sovereigns of the Xia dynasty
Posthumous Names (Shi Hao 諡號)1 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Order | Reign2 | Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Notes |
01 | 45 | 禹 | Yǔ | also Yu the Great (大禹; dà yǔ) |
02 | 10 | 啟 | Qǐ | |
03 | 29 | 太康 | Tai Kang | |
04 | 13 | 仲康 | Zhòng Kāng | |
05 | 28 | 相 | Xiāng | |
06 | 21 | 少康 | Shǎo Kāng | |
07 | 17 | 杼 | Zhù | |
08 | 26 | 槐 | Huái | |
09 | 18 | 芒 | Máng | |
10 | 16 | 泄 | Xiè | |
11 | 59 | 不降 | Bù Jiàng | |
12 | 21 | 扃 | Jiōng | |
13 | 21 | 廑 | Jǐn | Guoyu: jìn, putonghua: jǐn |
14 | 31 | 孔甲 | Kǒng Jiǎ | |
15 | 11 | 皋 | Gāo | |
16 | 11 | 發 | Fā | |
17 | 52 | 桀 | Jié | also Lu Gui (履癸 lǚ guǐ) |
1 The reign name is sometimes preceded by the name of the dynasty, Xia (夏), for example Xia Yu (夏禹). | ||||
2 Possible length of reign, in years. |
See also
- List of Neolithic cultures of China
- Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project
Notes:
- ↑ Bronze Age China at National Gallery of Art
- ↑ Fairbank, John K. China: A New History. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992, page 35.
Reference
- Deady, Kathleen W. and Dubois, Muriel L., Ancient China. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2004.
External links
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