Xia (夏), established in approximately 2180 BC by Yu (禹), is the first Chinese dynasty. Before the Xia Dynasty, China was occupied by several tribes and people selected a person who possessed overwhelming morality and ability such as Yao (堯) and Shun (舜) as sovereigns of all tribes. This kind of politics is called “shanrang” (禪讓) in Chinese, which means the sovereign passes the throne to the next one in view of the heir’s charisma rather than his own descendant.
The First Chinese Dynasty — Shanrang
Though the “shanrang” system is highly admired for the disinterestedness and generosity shown, it was extinct by the establishment of the Xia Dynasty. Yu accepted the throne passed on by Shun, and eight years later his son Qi (啟) inherited the throne after the death of Yu. From then on, the hereditary emperors played the major roles in Chinese history. Consequently, Xia considered to be the first Chinese dynasty.
The First Chinese Dynasty — Why Yu Took the Throne
Yu was chosen to take the throne after Shun for the following two contributions.
- Successfully harnessed the Yellow River:
This is the most well-known and significant contribution of Yu. Disasters caused by the flooding Yellow River were chronic problems in ancient China. Initially, Yao appointed Gun (鯀), Yu’s father, to harness the Yellow River. Gun built dikes to block the water and finally failed. Afterwards, Shun asked Yu proceed with the construction. Yu adopted a totally different resolution. He dredged the river, thereby leading the floods along the courses toward the sea. This method successfully stopped the Yellow River from flooding. Yu devoted himself to this construction and never went home during those thirteen years, even though he passed by his own house three times in this period.
- Successfully squashed the rebellious tribe:
San Miao (三苗) was an ancient tribe living in southern China (around Anhui Province and Jiangsu Province). This tribe had a harsh relationship with the Chinese tribes and rebelled against the sovereigns. It was for this reason that Shun sent a punitive expedition to San Miao but failed. Yu led his army, attacking San Miao again and eventually won the fierce seventy-day war. Afterwards, this tribe gave up their riots and gradually merged into the Chinese people.
Based on these tremendous contributions, Yu was highly praised by the tribes and elected to lead the Chinese people after Shun, continuing the first Chinese Dynasty.