Great Emperor of China
The ancient emperors of China are historically undetectable rulers of Chinese mythology who are considered to be the founders of Chinese culture . The three sovereigns (also: three sublime ones) and the five emperors belong to the original emperors of China.
The three sovereigns / the three exalted
The Shiji of Sīmǎ Qiān ( Chinese 司馬遷 / 司马迁 ), in the adaptation of Sīmǎ Zhēn ( 司馬 貞 / 司马 ca., approx. 656–720, Shǐjì Suǒ yǐnxù 史記 索隱 序 / 史记 索隐 序 ), reported by three sovereigns ( 三皇 , Sān Huáng ) of the prehistory of China:
- Heavenly sovereign ( 天皇 , Tiānhuáng ) who ruled for 18,000 years
- Earth sovereign ( 地 皇 , Dìhuáng ) who ruled for 11,000 years
- Human sovereignty ( 泰皇 , Tàihuáng or 人 皇 , Rénhuáng ) who ruled for 45,600 years
The books Chūnqiū Yùndǒushū ( 春秋 運 斗 樞 / 春秋 运 斗 枢 ) and Chūnqiū Yuánmìngbāo ( 春秋 元 命 苞 ) identify them as:
- Fúxī : God
- Nǚwā : Goddess, Fuxi's wife
- Shénnóng the human god who invented agriculture and was the first to use herbs as medicine
The five emperors
As the Five Emperors ( 五帝 , Wǔ Dì ), Chinese historiography names the mythical model rulers who are said to have ruled the country before the beginning of the dynasties. There are:
- Huáng Dì / Yellow Emperor (2674-2575 BC)
- Zhuānxù (2490–2413 BC)
- Kù (2412–2343 BC)
- Yáo (2333–2234 BC)
- Shùn (2233-2184 BC)
Yao and Shun are also known as the two emperors who, along with Yu , the founder of the Xia Dynasty , were the exemplary rulers and moral models of Confucianism .
The Chinese idea was that the oldest emperors lived like in paradise. Before more concrete reigns were invented, reigns between 18,000 and 11,000 years were thought of. After that it became more and more human. And from the Xia dynasty to the Shang dynasty to the Zhou dynasty , everything got worse and worse.
The reigns of the original emperors were considered the golden age of China.
literature
- Herbert Franke, Rolf Wedding slip: The Chinese Empire. Nikol, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86820-110-9 .
See also
- Empire of China (with list of all emperors)