Ancient sage kings Rule by VirtueVirtue or Morality Holds

the Central place in Chinese Culture

Three Ancient Sage Kings--Rule by Virtue

Emperor Yao/Shun/Yu

Review their accomplishments

How to pass the throne to the next generation?

世袭 【 shìxí 】hereditary succession.

禅让【 shànràng 】 abdication, abdicate and hand over the crown to another person based on virtue or merit

Ancient Worship: inclusive Fengshan Sacrificial Ceremonies

Heaven/Earth/Ancestors Feng and shan sacrificial ceremonies

at Mt. Tai Temple constructions For cultural legetimation 祭祀【 jìsì 】 offer sacrifices to

gods or ancestors. 祭 / 吉【 jí 】 lucky; auspicious;

propitious. This ritual holds the central status in

all rituals/rites Animals used: Color has to be pure,

body has to be complete; otherwise they are disqualified; go plowing in the field or play other functions;

色纯为“牺”，体全为“牲” Biblical reference

Legitimation is the act of providing legitimacy. Legitimation in the social sciences refers to the process whereby an act, process, or ideology becomes legitimate by its attachment to norms and values within a given society. It is the process of making something acceptable and normative to a group or audience.

From the King James Bible (1611)http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?

quicksearch=genesis&qs_version=NIV

Le’viticus: the third book of the Bible, containing laws relating to the priests and ‘Levites and to the forms of Jewish ceremonial observance. Abbreviation: Lev.

6: And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.

22: Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD,

Three Courts & Legitimacy

1. Legal Court—regulation by laws 2. Media—regulation by public opinion 3. Conscience—regulation by morality, ethics

• To be, or not to be: that is the question:  Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer  The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,  Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,  And by opposing end them?

• … conscience does make cowards of us all

• (Hamlet III.i, 56-60/83) to quote Shakespeare,

• Act number, scene number, line number

The Xia Dynasty华夏【 huáxià 】 an ancient name for China

2070 to 1600 BCE, the First Dynasty Yu the Great,; “Tribute to Yu” 禹贡 http://ctext.org/shang-s

hu/xia-shu 九州【 jiǔzhōu 】 a

poetic name of China, referring to the nine prefectures or provinces outlined by Yu after taming the flood;

16 rulers, starting with Qi, and ending with Jie.

Yu’s Birth

Possibly Serving as the First Case of a Caesarean section 剖腹产 , or nicknamed as the “Emperor’s Cut”

Different versions

The Erlitou culture二里头文化

The Erlitou culture is a name given by archaeologists to an Early Bronze Age urban society that existed in China from 2000 BCE to 1500 BCE. The culture was named after the site discovered at Erlitou (二里頭村 ) in Yanshi

偃师 , Henan Province 河南 . The culture was widely spread throughout Henan and Shanxi Province, and later appeared in Shaanxi and Hubei Province. Most Chinese archaeologists identify the Erlitou culture as the site of the Xia Dynasty.

Erlitou Historical SiteNear city of Luoyang, Henan province

黄河流域【 huánghé liúyù 】 the Yellow River Valley; river basin; drainage area.

Qi marked the turning point in historyfrom abdication based on virtue and merit

to hereditary succession

According to the historian Sima Qian, Yu did not want his son to become king and intended to give the throne to Boyi, the son of Gao Yao. But due to Yu's great influence, all the leaders of the Xia state came to admire Qi instead of Boyi, so Yu had no choice but to pass the throne to Qi. Qi then succeeded Yu.

According to the Bamboo Annals, however, Boyi took the throne and became the king of China, but later Qi assassinated him and abducted the throne.

Gao Yao 皋陶c. 2100 BCE?

Gao Yao 皋陶 was a political advisor of the Yu the Great in China during the Xia Dynasty. His son was Bo Yi ( 伯益 ).

He is cited admonishingly saying to his king: "[The] Heaven can see and hear, and does so through the eyes and ears of the people; Heaven rewards the virtuous and punishes the wicked, and does it through the people.”

Legal Code of Xia

五刑【 wǔxíng 】 the five forms of punishment in ancient China (tatooing the face, cutting off the nose, cutting off the feet, castration and decapitation).”

Palace Construction in the Xia Dynasty

Rammed Earth 夯土 (Ebrey 13) Post-and-Beam

Structure 【建筑学】梁柱式的，骨架式的 was used in Xia’s palace construction, which could reduce the pressure and weight on the wall and save lots of timber.

Status of Jade in ChinaIn Xia dynasty, jade was used

as ritual objects Jade craftworks were among

the most precious and luxurious ones; people wear and decorate rooms to indicate loyalty, elegance, beauty, and eternity. The most popular patterns were: peach (longevity/female fertility), mandarin duck (love), deer (high official ranks), bat (blessing), fish (affluence), double phoenixes (thriving), bottle (safety), lotus (holiness), bamboo (lofty conduct), and fan (benevolence), etc.

http://www.history-of-china.com/xia-dynasty/jade.htm

King Jie of XiaThe Last Ruler Who Ruined His Dynasty

the 17th and last ruler of the Xia Dynasty of China. He is traditionally regarded as a tyrant and oppressor who brought about the collapse of his dynasty.

《史记 · “律书》夸张地说他 手搏豺狼，足追四” 马 。 Combat/catch a jackal/wolf empty-

handed; or fast-footed to race neck to neck with four-horse chariot…

Record of the Grand Scribe/Historian by Sima Qian, Father of the Chinese history/histori'ography 历史编纂学 --Scholars discuss historiography topically

Mo Xi as a gift to Jie Jie entertained envoys from vassals 诸侯；封臣 and

neighbours. In his sixth year, he received an envoy from the Qizhong Barbarian ( 歧踵戎 ) people. In his 11th year, he summoned all his vassals to his court. Youmin ( 有缗氏 ) did not come, so he attacked and conquered that kingdom. Moxi was a tribute to the Xia Emperor.

According to her biography in the Lienü zhuan 烈女传or Biographies of Exemplary Women (written c.18 BC by Liu Xiang, the Western Han Dynasty), Jie was corrupted by his infatuation with his concubine Mo Xi ( 妺喜 ; Mo Hsi), who was beautiful, but completely lacking in virtue. Among other things, she liked to drink, enjoyed music, and also had a penchant for jugglers and sing-song girls 歌女 .

Jie of Xia riding on two women slaves

King Jie with a halberd, representing oppression, and sitting on two ladies, symbolizing his abuse of power. Rubbing of relief from a Wu family shrine, Jiaxiang, Shandong Province, 150 CE.

Alice in Wonderland (2010), the wicked queen enjoys resting her feet on the soft bosom of pigs.