Xia dynasty

Xia dynasty
Chinese	夏朝
Transcriptions Mandarin - Pinyin Xià cháo - Wade-Giles Hsia4 ch'ao2

The Xia dynasty is an era of Chinese history that began in 2070 BC and continued until 1600 BC. It was followed by the Shang dynasty. Many of the stories concerning this dynasty are distorted by the agendas of later rulers, and the traditional list of rulers is almost certainly mythical. However, an archeological site in Henan Province is identified with the Xia capital. The Chinese press describes the Xia as historical, although some Western scholars remain skeptical.

Archaeological sites from the Xia period show mixed copper and stone use, a transition between the earlier neolithic culture and Bronze Age culture. China entered the Bronze Age around 1700 BC, toward the end of the dynasty. Erlitou in northern Henan Province, identified with the Xia capital Zhenxun, is a very large site for the period and can be thought of as a major city.

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, according to legend.

History of China
Xia c. 2070–c. 1600 BC
Shang c. 1600 – 1046 BC
Zhou 1045–256 BC
Qin 221–206 BC
Han 206 BC – 220 AD
Three Kingdoms 220–280
Jin 265–420
Northern and Southern Dynasties 420–589
Sui 581–618
Tang 618–907
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 907–960
Song 960–1279
Yuan 1271–1368
Ming 1368–1644
Qing 1644–1911
Republic 1912–1949
People's Republic 1949–present

Jie was the last Xia ruler. He 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. In 1920s, Gu Jiegang and other scholars of the Doubting Antiquity School pointed out that this story is suspiciously similar to a story concerning the last Shang ruler, who is also said to have been an immoral tyrant. 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.

Oracle bones found at Anyang allow modern scholars to piece together Shang mythology concerning the Xia. The Shang described the Xia as dark and watery. They associated the Xia with the time of the flood. After the waters receded, the Xia grew weak. They were 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.

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. Zhou religion, including this myth, is the basis of Chinese Native Religion.

The following is the list of rulers of Xia dynasty as given by Sima Qian.

Table of Rulers
Order	Reign (years)	Chinese	Pinyin
01	45	禹	Yu (the Great)
02	10	啟	Qi
03	29	太康	Tai Kang
04	13	仲康	Zhong Kang
05	28	相	Xiang
06	21	少康	Shao Kang
07	17	杼	Zhu
08	26	槐	Huai
09	18	芒	Mang
10	16	泄	Xie
11	59	不降	Bu Jiang
12	21	扃	Jiong
13	21	廑	Jin
14	31	孔甲	Kong Jia
15	11	皋	Gao
16	11	發	Fa
17	52	桀	Jie