Yao (emperor)
Legendary sage king of early China, predecessor of Shun
- Traditional reign
- c. 2356–2255 BCE (traditional chronology)
- Clan
- Taotang; also called Tang Yao
- Known from
- Shujing ('Canon of Yao'); Shiji
- Successor
- Shun, chosen over his own son Danzhu
- In his reign
- The Great Flood; Gun appointed to control it
The legendary sage king in whose reign the Great Flood struck, who gave the flood work to Gun and the throne to Shun rather than his own son.
What is Yao known for?
Yao is one of the legendary sage kings of Chinese tradition, celebrated by Confucian writers as a ruler who governed by virtue. Traditional chronology places his reign around 2356 to 2255 BCE, but these dates were worked out long afterward and are not historical records.
The 'Canon of Yao' in the Shujing (Book of Documents) says he ordered officials to observe the heavens and set the calendar. During his reign a great flood covered the land. On his ministers' advice he appointed Gun to control it, and Gun failed after nine years. Instead of passing the throne to his son Danzhu, whom he judged unworthy, Yao tested a commoner named Shun, married him to his two daughters, and made him his successor.
Historians treat Yao as a figure of myth and political ideal. Some archaeologists have connected the large Late Neolithic site of Taosi in Shanxi, which has a possible observatory, with traditions about Yao, but no direct link has been proved.
The Chinese Great Flood that Yu the Great eventually tamed is set in the time of Yao and Shun.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeYu the Great
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Shun' (includes Yao's choice of Shun)Reference
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Three Emperors' (Yao, Shun and Yu)Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Emperor Yao'Reference
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