Shaohao (少昊), also known as
Shao Hao,
Jin Tian or
Xuanxiao, was a
ChineseChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
emperor in 2600 BC. According to some traditions (for example the
Classic of HistoryThe Classic of History is a compilation of documentary records related to events in ancient history of China. It is also commonly known as the Shàngshū , or simply Shū...
), he was one of the Five Emperors.
Legend says that his mother, a weaver goddess, was a beautiful fairy named Huange who fell in love with the planet
VenusVenus is the second-closest planet to the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6...
while drifting on the
Milky WayThe Milky Way, or simply the Galaxy, is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located. It is a barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Local Group of galaxies...
. The two enjoyed many intimate nights together on her raft and they created a son.
Shaohao (少昊), also known as
Shao Hao,
Jin Tian or
Xuanxiao, was a
ChineseChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
emperor in 2600 BC. According to some traditions (for example the
Classic of HistoryThe Classic of History is a compilation of documentary records related to events in ancient history of China. It is also commonly known as the Shàngshū , or simply Shū...
), he was one of the Five Emperors.
Legend says that his mother, a weaver goddess, was a beautiful fairy named Huange who fell in love with the planet
VenusVenus is the second-closest planet to the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6...
while drifting on the
Milky WayThe Milky Way, or simply the Galaxy, is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located. It is a barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Local Group of galaxies...
. The two enjoyed many intimate nights together on her raft and they created a son. She soon gave birth to Shaohao, who grew up to be a handsome young man with a lot of potential. His great uncle, Huang Di, was so impressed with him that he named him God of the Western Heavens.
The myth says that Shaohao created a kingdom in the five mountains of the Eastern Paradise that was inhabited by different types of birds. As the ruler of this bureaucratic land, he captured the identity of a vulture. Other birds worked below him, such as a phoenix as his Lord Chancellor, a hawk that delegated the law, and a pigeon that was in charge of education. He chose the four seasons of the year to watch over the remaining birds.
Although his kingdom was successful for many years, he moved back to the west and left his kingdom of birds to his son Chong. With a different son, Ru Shou, he made his home on Changliu Mountain, where he could rule over the Western Heavens. In union as father and son, they were responsible for the daily setting of the sun. In addition, Shaohao was thought to have introduced China to the twenty-five string lute.
Apart from legends, Shaohao is generally considered as the son of the
Yellow EmperorHuang-di, or the Yellow Emperor, is a legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero who is considered in Chinese mythology to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese. He was one of the legendary Five Emperors. He was mentioned in the Shiji by historian Sima Qian . Tradition holds that he reigned from...
Huang Di. He was the leader of the
Yi peopleThe Yi people are a modern ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand...
, where he shifted their capital to
QufuQufu is a city in Shandong Province, China. It is located at 35° 36′ northern latitude and 117°, 02′ east, about 130 km south of the provincial capital Jinan and 45 km northeast of the sub-provincial city Jining...
,
ShandongFor the people of Shandong, see Shandong people' is a coastal province of eastern People's Republic of China. Its abbreviation is Lǔ, after the state of Lu that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
. Ruling for eighty-four years, he was succeeded by his nephew
ZhuanxuZhuanxu , also known as Gaoyang is a monarch of ancient China.A grandson of the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu led the Shi clan in an eastward migration to present-day Shandong, where intermarriages with the Dongyi clan enlarged and augmented their tribal influences...
.
According to the
Shiji, there was no emperor (帝), between the Yellow Emperor and Zhuanxu however Shaohao is mentioned as a person living between the two who was fretting over a dishonest son. He is usually identified as Xuanxiao (玄囂), the oldest son of the Yellow Emperor found earlier in the text. That would identify the dishonest son as Jiaoji (蟜極), Xuanxiao's only known offspring, who was also passed over as emperor. Jiaoji's son,
KuKù , or Dì Kù , was an Emperor of China. He is the great grandson of the Yellow Emperor. According to speculative dates he ruled from c. 2436 BC – c. 2366 BC. He established schools and was the first emperor to practice polygamy.|-...
, and grandsons (
ZhiEmperor Zhì or simply Zhì was a Emperor of China. Also known as Qingyang-shi , he was born Jiang Kuang'er as the eldest son to Emperor Ku and Changyi , the 2nd consort of Emperor Ku. He ruled for nine years from c. 2366 BC – c. 2358 BC until he died and was succeeded by younger half-brother Yao...
and
YaoYao was a Chinese ruler, one of the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors. Also known as Taotang-shi , he was born Yi Fangxun or Yi Qi as the second son to Emperor Ku and Qingdu...
) did become emperors though.
Shaohao's tomb, most likely built during the
Song DynastyThe Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
in the form of a large pyramid, is traditionally located in present-day Jiuxian ("old prefecture") village, east of Qufu.