Changes

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.

In Shang mythology, the Xia are described as dark and watery. They are associated with the time of the flood. After the waters receded, the Xia grew weak. They were then vanquished by the Shang sun-kings and eventually departed. There is no suggestion of dynastic handover in this version of the myth. The Shang rulers must have already viewed themselves as sovereign when the two peoples were living side by side. Shang records suggest that the Xia had a complex system of laws, as well as an unusual religion.<ref>Allan, Sarah, "[http://www.jstor.org/pss/25211710 The myth of the Xia dynasty]," ''The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society'', No. 2, 1984.</ref>

In Shang mythology, the Xia are described as dark and watery. They are associated with the time of the flood. After the waters receded, the Xia grew weak. They were then vanquished by the Shang sun-kings and eventually departed. There is no issue of dynastic handover in this version of the myth. The Shang rulers must have already viewed themselves as sovereign when the two peoples were living side by side. Shang records suggest that the Xia had a complex system of laws, as well as an unusual religion.<ref>Allan, Sarah, "[http://www.jstor.org/pss/25211710 The myth of the Xia dynasty]," ''The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society'', No. 2, 1984.</ref>

The Xia myth was reworked during the Zhou dynasty. The Zhou version of the myth emphasizes the shift of the "mandate of heaven" from the Xia to the Shang. This introduces a doctrine that legitimizes the overthrow of a dynasty. The last Xia ruler was said to be an immoral tyrant, much like the last Shang ruler. Zhou religion, including this myth, is the basis of Chinese Native Religion.

The Xia myth was reworked during the Zhou dynasty. The Zhou version of the myth emphasizes the shift of the "mandate of heaven" from the Xia to the Shang. This introduces a doctrine that legitimizes the overthrow of a dynasty. The last Xia ruler was said to be an immoral tyrant, much like the last Shang ruler. Zhou religion, including this myth, is the basis of Chinese Native Religion.