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|p=Xià cháo

|p=Xià cháo

|w=Hsia⁴ ch'ao²

|w=Hsia⁴ ch'ao²

}}The '''Xia dynasty''' is an era of Chinese history that preceded the [[Shang dynasty]]. The first of the traditional sequence of Chinese dynasties, and it is dated as c. 2070 BC – c. 1600 BC. The Chinese press describes the Xia as historical, although Western scholars generally classify it as legendary.<ref>Chen Ning, "[http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/topic/31689-the-controversy-of-the-xia-shang-zhou-chronology-p/ The Controversy of the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project]" (2009). For China to have 5,000 years of history, the Xia must be treated as historical. The 5,000-year claim is one the Chinese government is much attached to.</ref>   The rulers of the [[Zhou dynasty]] (c. 1046–256 BC) used the supposed Shang overthrow of the Xia to justify their own overthrow of the Shang.<ref name=Arthur>The legend of the the Xia can be compared to the legend of the King Arthur, which was created by Norman writers to justify the Norman Conquest.</ref>

}}The '''Xia dynasty''' is an era of Chinese history that preceded the [[Shang dynasty]]. The first of the traditional sequence of Chinese dynasties, and it is dated as c. 2070 BC – c. 1600 BC. Shun, the last of the legendary Three Sovereigns, picked Yu the Great (c. 2200 - 2100 BC) as his successor. Yu was able to control a worldwide flood by building embankments. Yu's son succeeded him, making Yu the founder of a dynasty. There were sixteen Xia rulers. The last was Jie, who fell in love with a woman who was both beautiful and cruel. Outraged rebels led by Zi Lü overthrew the Xia and established the Shang dynasty.<ref>"[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/273749/Xia-dynasty Xia dynasty]," ''Britannica''</ref> The rulers of the [[Zhou dynasty]] (c. 1046–256 BC) used the supposed Shang overthrow of the Xia to justify their own overthrow of the Shang.<ref name=Arthur>The legend of the the Xia can be compared to the legend of the King Arthur, which was created by Norman writers to justify the Norman Conquest.</ref>

Shun, the last of the legendary three sovereigns, picked Yu the Great (c. 2200 - 2100 BC) as his successor. Yu was able to control a worldwide flood by building embankments. Yu's son succeeded him, making Yu the founder of a dynasty. There were sixteen Xia rulers. The last was Jie, who fell in love with a woman who was both beautiful and cruel. Outraged rebels led by Zi Lü overthrew the Xia and established the Shang dynasty.<ref>"[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/273749/Xia-dynasty Xia dynasty]," ''Britannica''</ref>

The Chinese press describes the Xia as historical, although Western scholars generally classify it as legendary.<ref>Chen Ning, "[http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/topic/31689-the-controversy-of-the-xia-shang-zhou-chronology-p/ The Controversy of the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project]" (2009). For China to have 5,000 years of history, the Xia must be treated as historical. The 5,000-year claim is one the Chinese government is much attached to.</ref> In 1920s, Gu Jiegang and other scholars of the Doubting Antiquity School pointed out that the stories concerning the end of the Xia were suspiciously similar to those concerning the end of Shang.<ref>Lee, Yun Kuen, "[http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/17161 Building the Chronology of Early Chinese History]", University of Hawai'i Press (Honolulu) 2002.</ref>

{{Template:History of China}}

{{Template:History of China}}

Archaeological sites from the Xia period show mixed copper and stone use, a transition between the earlier neolithic culture and the bronze age culture of the Shang. The most notable of these sites is Erlitou in Henan Province.<ref>"[http://www.china.org.cn/english/2003/Nov/79635.htm./ Stunning Capital of Xia Dynasty Unearthed]", ''China Daily'', Nov. 11, 2003.</ref> This site is very large for the period and can be thought of as a major city.

Archaeological sites from the Xia period show mixed copper and stone use, a transition between the earlier neolithic culture and the bronze age culture of the Shang. The most notable of these sites is Erlitou in Henan Province.<ref>"[http://www.china.org.cn/english/2003/Nov/79635.htm./ Stunning Capital of Xia Dynasty Unearthed]", ''China Daily'', Nov. 11, 2003.</ref> This site is very large for the period and can be thought of as a major city.