Xia dynasty

The Xia dynasty (夏, lit. "summer dynasty"), was the first dynasty in Chinese history. According to Chinese chronicles, it would have lasted between the 20th and 16th centuries BC. C., although there are still debates regarding its historicity. The historical memoirs of the historian Sima Qian (c. 145– c. 90 BC) collect the names of the 17 kings of this dynasty. It was followed by the Shang dynasty and, according to Sima Qian, preceded by the legendary period of the three gods and five emperors. The character that names this dynasty is part of the name of the current Chinese region of Ningxia, and also appears in the poetic name of China.

According to the traditional chronology of the scholar Liu Xin (c. 46-23 BC), the Xia existed between the years 2205 and 1766 BC According to the Bamboo Annals (c. 300 BC), they ruled between the years 1989 and 1558 BC (dates little used). According to the results of the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronological Project carried out by the People's Republic of China in the year 2000, the Xia must have existed approximately between the years 2070 and 1700 before our era.

Verisimilitude of the Xia dynasty

Prior to excavations in 1928 at stone age sites in Anyang, Henan province, there was no archaeological evidence of the existence of the Xia. Since then, numerous excavations confirm the existence of a bronze culture that can be identified with the Xia. In 1959, a site was excavated in Erlitou, in the city of Yanshi (Henan), in which two great palaces were found and which is thought to have been the capital of the dynasty. According to carbon-14 dating they may belong to the year 2100 or 1800 BC. C. The territory controlled by the Xia would include approximately the present province of Henan and part of the west of Shandong and the south of Hebei.

Regardless of the credibility of the legendary stories about the Xia kings that appear written in much later chronicles, such as that of Sima Qian, the Xia civilization can be considered as a transition period between the Neolithic cultures, such as that of Longshan, and the Shang urban society. During this period, the first Chinese "civilization" flourished, characterized by fortified villages, wheeled pottery, bronze tools, and diversified burial sites.

History of the Xia dynasty

Origin and development

Before the Xia dynasty was established, battles were frequent between the Xia tribe and Chi You. The Xia tribe slowly developed around the time of Zhuanxu, one of the legendary Five Emperors. Historical Memories and the Classic of Rites say that Yu the Great is Zhuanxu's grandson, but there are also other records, such as Ban Gu, that Yu is Zhuanxu's fifth generation. Based on this, it is possible that the people of the Xia clan are descendants of Zhuanxu.

Gun's attempt to stop the flood

Gun, the father of Yu the Great, is the oldest recorded member of the Xia clan. When the Yellow River overflowed its banks, many tribes joined together to work to control and stop the flood. Gun was appointed by Yao to stop the flood. He ordered the construction of large dams to block the path of the water. Gun's attempt to stop the flood lasted nine years, but was unsuccessful as the floods grew stronger. After nine years, Yao had already given his throne to Shun. Gun was ordered to be executed by Shun at Yushan (Chinese: 羽山), a mountain located between modern Donghai County in Jiangsu Province and Linshu County in Shandong Province.

Yu the Great's attempt to stop the floods

Yu enjoyed Shun's greatest trust, so Shun appointed him to finish his father's job, which was to stop the flood. Yu's method was different from his father's: he organized people from different tribes and ordered them to help him build canals in all the big rivers that flood and lead the water to the sea. Yu was very dedicated to his work. People praised his perseverance and were inspired. So much so that other tribes joined in the work. Legend has it that in the 13 years it took for him to successfully complete the work to stop the floods, he never returned to his hometown to stop and rest, even though he passed by his house three times..

Establishment

Yu's success in stopping the floods increased agricultural production (since the floods were destructive). The power of the Xia tribe increased, and Yu became the leader of the surrounding tribes. Soon after, Shun sent Yu to lead an army to suppress the Sanmiao tribe, which continually abused the border tribes. After defeating them, he banished them to the southern Han River area. This victory strengthened the Xia tribe's power even more. As Shun grew old, he thought of a successor and gave the throne to Yu, whom he considered worthy. Yu's succession marks the beginning of the Xia dynasty. As Yu neared death he passed the throne to his son Qǐ instead of passing it to the most capable candidate, thus establishing the precedent of dynastic rule or hereditary system.

Jie, the last king, was said to be corrupt. He was overthrown by Tang, the first king of the Shang dynasty.

Qi state

Following the defeat of the Xia by Shang, Tang is said to have handed over the small state of Qi as a fiefdom so that scattered imperial descendants were absorbed into nearby clans, and other members of the royal family of the Xia dynasty survived as the Qi State (Henan) until 445 BC

Sovereigns of the Xia dynasty

According to Sima Qian's Historical Memoirs, the 17 rulers of the Xia dynasty were as follows:

Order de reinado	Years ofreign	Name in Chinese	Pinyin	Grades
01	45	Yu	Y	Also called Yu the Great (大禹, Dà Yǔ)
02	10	start	Qǐ
03	29	Taikang	Tai Kang
04	13	Zhongkang	Zhòng Kāng
05	28	Mutually	Xiāng
06	21	Shaokang	Shao Kāng
07	17	shovel	Zhu
08	26	Sophora japonica	Huái
09	18	mango	troughs
10	16	vent	Xiè
11	59	do not drop	Bu Jiang
12	21	shut	Jiōng
13	21	Jin of Xia	Jǐn
14	31	Kong Jia	Kǒng Jiǎ
15	11	Gao	Gāo
16	11	send	Four
17	52	Jie	Jié	Also called Lu Gui (履癸, Lǚ Guǐ)

The name of the reign is sometimes preceded by that of the dynasty. For example: Xia Yu (夏禹).