Huangdi,
the Yellow Emporer'" the third of the mythical sovereigns
who are traditionally revered as the founders of Chinese culture
According
to tradional Chinese history, the first rulers of China were
the "Three Sovereigns."
Fuxi,
the "Ox Tamer." is said to have ruled from 2852 BC.
He domescicated animals, gave people nets for hunting and fishing,
music and musical instruments, the Eight Trigrams of divination,
and the means to calculate time and distance.
Shennong,
the "Divine Farmer" invented the plow and hoe, and
created the first markets.
Huangdi,
the "Yellow Emporer" is credited with introducing
warfare and defeating "barbarians" to establish the
Chinese homeland in the Yellow river plain, and he is also said
to have invented wooden houses, silk, cloth, boats, carts, ceramics,
and writing, as well as the state sacrificial cult and the 60-year
Chinese calendar cycle.
From China:
The Land of the Heavenly Dragon edited by Professor Edward
L. Shaughnessy
