Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

History of China
ANCIENT
Neolithic c. 8500 – c. 2070 BC
Xia dynasty c. 2070 – c. 1600 BC
Shang dynasty c. 1600 – c. 1046 BC
Zhou dynasty c. 1046 – 256 BC
Western Zhou
Eastern Zhou
Spring and Autumn
Warring States
IMPERIAL
Qin dynasty 221–206 BC
Han dynasty 206 BC – 220 AD
Western Han
Xin dynasty
Eastern Han
Three Kingdoms 220–280
Wei, Shu and Wu
Jin dynasty 265–420
Western Jin
Eastern Jin	Sixteen Kingdoms
Northern and Southern dynasties 420–589
Sui dynasty 581–618
Tang dynasty 618–907
(Wu Zhou interregnum 690–705)
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 907–960	Liao dynasty 907–1125
Song dynasty 960–1279
Northern Song		W. Xia
Southern Song	Jin
Yuan dynasty 1271–1368
Ming dynasty 1368–1644
Qing dynasty 1644–1911
MODERN
Republic of China 1912–1949
People's Republic of China 1949–present	Republic of China on Taiwan 1949–present
Related articles  Chinese historiography Timeline of Chinese history Dynasties in Chinese history Linguistic history Art history Economic history Education history Science and technology history Legal history Media history Military history Naval history

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were a group of mythological rulers or deities in ancient northern China who in later history have been assigned dates in a period from circa 2852 BC to 2070 BC. Today they are considered culture heroes.^[1]

The dates of these mythological figures may be fictitious, but according to some accounts and reconstructions, they preceded the Xia Dynasty (which itself is prehistoric, without writing, and which is likewise also documented only in much later written sources).^[2]

Description

The Three Sovereigns, sometimes known as the Three August Ones, were said to be god-kings or demigods who used their abilities to improve the lives of their people and impart to them essential skills and knowledge. The Five Emperors are portrayed as exemplary sages who possessed great moral character and lived to a great age and ruled over a period of great peace. The Three Sovereigns are ascribed various identities in different Chinese historical texts.

These kings are said to have helped introduce the use of fire, taught people how to build houses and invented farming. The Yellow Emperor's wife is credited with the invention of silk culture. The discovery of medicine, the invention of the calendar and Chinese script are also credited to the kings. After their era, Yu the Great founded the Xia Dynasty.^[2]

According to a modern theory with roots in the late 19th century, the Yellow Emperor is supposedly the ancestor of the Huaxia people.^[3] The Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor was established in Shaanxi Province to commemorate the ancestry legend.^[3]

The Four/Five shi

A related concept appears in the legend of the Four shi (四氏) who took part in creating the world. The four members are Youchao-shi (有巢氏), Suiren-shi (燧人氏), Fuxi-shi (伏羲氏), and Shennong-shi (神農氏). The list sometimes extends to one more member being Nüwa-shi (女媧氏), making Five shi (五氏).^[4] Four of these five names appear in different lists of the Three Sovereigns.

Variations

Depending on the source, there are many variations of who classifies as the Three Sovereigns or the Five Emperors. There are at least six to seven known variations.^[5] Many of the sources listed below were written in much later periods, centuries and even millennia after the supposed existence of these figures, and instead of historical fact, they may reflect a desire in later time periods to create a fictitious ancestry traceable to ancient culture heroes (a common phenomenon in world history).

The following appear in different groupings of the Three Sovereigns: Fuxi (伏羲), Nüwa (女媧), Shennong (神農), Suiren (燧人), Zhurong (祝融), Gong Gong (共工), Heavenly Sovereign (天皇), Earthly Sovereign (地皇), Tai Sovereign (泰皇), Human Sovereign (人皇), and even the Yellow Emperor (黄帝).

The following appear in different groupings of the Five Emperors: Yellow Emperor (黃帝), Zhuanxu (顓頊), Emperor Ku (嚳), Emperor Yao (堯), Shun (舜), Shaohao (少昊), Taihao (太昊), and Yan Emperor (炎帝).

Family tree of ancient Five Emperors

Gallery

• 

  The Hall of the Three Sovereigns (三皇殿) in Changchun Si, a Taoist temple in Wuhan

• 

  Shennong tasting herbs to discover their qualities

• 

  Historian's depiction of the Yellow Emperor

• 

  Another depiction of the Yellow Emperor

• 

  Shaohao Tomb near Qufu, Shandong

See also

• List of Neolithic cultures of China
• Emperor of China

References

Further reading

• Allen, Herbert J. (translator) (1894). "Ssŭma Ch'ien's Historical Records, Introductory Chapter". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 26 (2): 269–295. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00143916. 
• Legge, James (translator) (1865). "The Annals of the Bamboo Books: The reigns of Huang-te, Che, Chuen-heuh and Hëen-Yuen; The reigns of Yaou and Shun". The Chinese Classics, volume 3, part 1. pp. 108–116. 

External links

• History of China

Chinese mythology Overview topics Creation myth Godly world concepts Astrology Dragons Shenmo fiction Deities Tian Pangu Ghosts Major entities Deities Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors Eight Immortals Shennong Yellow Emperor Creatures Bixie Black Tortoise Azure Dragon White Tiger Vermilion Bird Qilin Fenghuang Huli jing Chinese guardian lions Pixiu Nian Places Fusang Penglai Diyu Kunlun Mountain Youdu Popular literary works Classic of Mountains and Seas Shi Yi Ji The Peach Blossom Spring The Four Journeys Investiture of the Gods Legend of the White Snake The Sorcerer's Revolt Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio Journey to the West In Search of the Supernatural Tian Xian Pei What the Master Would Not Discuss