Yu was the son of Gun, also known as Wenming, with the courtesy name Gaomi. According to legend, he was born in Xiqiang (now Gansu, Ningxia, and southern Inner Mongolia), and later moved with his father to Chong (near today's Dengfeng, Henan). He was named Xia Bo during the Yao period, so he was also called Xia Yu or Bo. He was the founder of China's first dynasty, the Xia Dynasty, and the founder of slave society.
When Yao was in power, there were great floods in the Yellow River Basin. The crops were flooded and the houses were destroyed. The people had to move to higher ground. Yao held a tribal alliance meeting to discuss the issue of flood control. He asked the tribe leaders from all over the world for their opinions: Who should be sent to control the flood? The leaders all recommended Gun (sound gǔn).
Yao did not trust Gun very much. The leaders said: "There is no one stronger than Gun now. You can give it a try!" Yao reluctantly agreed.
Gun spent nine years controlling the flood, but could not control the flood. Because he only knew how to build embankments and dams when water came to cover them, but the floods destroyed the embankments and made the floods worse.
After Shun succeeded Yao as the leader of the tribal alliance, he personally went to inspect the flood control areas. He found that Gun was not doing his job well, so he killed Gun and asked Gun's son Yu to control the floods.
Yu changed his father's approach and used canals to drain water and dredge rivers to guide floods into the sea. He worked together with the common people, wearing a bamboo hat and a shovel, taking the lead in digging and picking soil, and was so tired that the hair on his calves was polished off.
After thirteen years of hard work, the floods were finally diverted into the sea, and the ground could once again be used to grow crops.
Not long after Yu got married, he was running around in order to control floods. He passed by his house three times but never entered. For the first time, my wife fell ill and did not go home to visit her. The second time, my wife was pregnant and I didn’t go home to visit. The third time, his wife Tushan gave birth to a son, Qi. The baby was crying. Yu passed by the door and heard the crying, but he could not bear to go in to visit.
At that time, there was a large mountain in the middle reaches of the Yellow River called Longmen Mountain (in the northwest of today's Hejin County, Shanxi). It blocked the way of the river and squeezed the river very narrowly. The river rushing eastward is blocked by Longmen Mountain and often overflows the river, causing floods. When Yu got there, he observed the terrain and led his people to dig Longmen, creating a large hole in the mountain. In this way, the river flows smoothly.
When Dayu governed the Yellow River, he had three treasures: the first was the river map; the second was the mountain-opening ax; and the third was the divine needle for fixing the sea. Legend has it that the River Map was given to Dayu by He Bo, the god of water in the Yellow River.
In ancient times, there was a man named Feng Yi in Tong Township, Huayin. He was restless in farming and wanted to become an immortal. He heard that people who drink the juice of daffodils for a hundred days can transform into immortal bodies, so he looked for daffodils everywhere.
Before Dayu regulated the Yellow River, the Yellow River had no fixed channel and flowed everywhere, often causing disasters. The ground is full of streams, ditches and forks, all filled with Yellow River water. Feng Yi ran around looking for daffodils, often crossing, crossing, and crossing the Yellow River, and often dealing with the Yellow River. Ninety-nine days later, he found a daffodil and sucked its juice for a day, and he became an immortal. Feng Yi was very proud and crossed the Yellow River to a small village to find daffodils. The water here was not deep, so Feng Yi waded across the river. When he reached the middle of the river, the water suddenly rose. He panicked, slipped, fell into the Yellow River, and drowned alive.
After Feng Yi's death, he was full of grievances and resentment. He hated the Yellow River with gnashing of teeth, and went to the Jade Emperor to complain about the Yellow River's condition. The Jade Emperor was also very angry when he heard that no one was controlling the Yellow River, and it was flowing wildly everywhere, endangering the people. Seeing that Feng Yi had sucked the juice of the ninety-nine-day narcissus flower and was about to become an immortal, he asked Feng Yi if he would like to become the Yellow River Water God and regulate the Yellow River. Feng Yi was overjoyed. Full of agreement. This will fulfill his wish to become an immortal, and secondly, he will be able to avenge his death by drowning.
Feng Yi became the water god of the Yellow River and was known as He Bo. He had never had to control floods before, so he suddenly took on the task of regulating the Yellow River. He was helpless and worried. What to do? Since I was not very knowledgeable and had no magical skills, I had no choice but to ask the Jade Emperor for advice. The Jade Emperor told him that in order to manage the Yellow River well, we must first understand the water conditions of the Yellow River and draw a river map based on the water conditions and river maps of the Yellow River. It will be much easier to manage the Yellow River.
Hebo followed the Jade Emperor's instructions and wanted to draw a picture of the river. He first went to his hometown and wanted to ask the villagers for help. The villagers all hated him for being indolent and no one paid any attention to him. He went to the old man in the village and told him about his ambition to control the Yellow River. Later, when the old man saw that he had become an immortal and wanted to do something good for the people, he agreed to help him. From then on, Hebo and Hou Laohan traveled through mountains and rivers in all weathers to observe the water conditions of the Yellow River. The two of them ran away for several years, which finally made the old man sick from exhaustion. Later, the old man had no choice but to go back, leaving He Bo to continue observing the water conditions along the Yellow River. When they parted, the old man Hou repeatedly told He Bo that he should work hard to the end and not give up halfway. He would start regulating the Yellow River after drawing the map. Since there were not enough manpower, he persuaded the villagers to help.
Checking water conditions and drawing river maps is a chore. By the time He Bo finished drawing the river, he was already old and weak. He Bo looked at the river map and clearly drew where the Yellow River is deep and where it is shallow; where it is easy to break the embankment and where it is easy to burst; where it should be dug and where it should be blocked; where the water can be cut off and where the flood can be drained. I can only lament that I don’t have the strength to regulate the Yellow River according to the plan, which is very sad. He Bo thought that one day there would be a capable person to manage the Yellow River. At that time, granting him the river map would mean that he had not worried in vain.
He Bo spent his remaining years peacefully under the Yellow River and never appeared again. Unexpectedly, the Yellow River continued to rise and flooded frequently. The people knew that the Jade Emperor sent He Bo to control the water, but they did not see his face. They all scolded He Bo for not fulfilling his duties and not caring about the lives of the people.
The old man looked forward to Hebo every day in his hospital bed, and they didn't see him for several years. He was worried about the management of the Yellow River and wanted to find He Bo. His son's name was Yi, and he was a master of archery. No matter what the old man said, Yi would not let him go to He Bo. Later, the old man refused to listen to his son's dissuasion. As a result, he encountered a burst in the Yellow River and was washed away and drowned. Even his body was not found. Hou Yi hated He Bo very much and said through gritted teeth that he would shoot He Bo to death sooner or later.
Later, when Dayu came out to control the floods, Hebo decided to give him the Yellow River map.
On this day, Hebo heard that Dayu came to the Yellow River with a mountain-opening ax and a water-avoiding sword, so he came out from the bottom of the water with the river map to look for Dayu. He Bo and Dayu had never met before, and they did not recognize each other. He Bo walked for a long time and was so tired that he wanted to take a rest when he saw a young man walking on the other side of the river. This young man was brave and majestic, he must be Dayu, so He Bo shouted and asked: "Hey, who are you?"
The young man on the other side was not Dayu, but Hou Yi. He looked up and saw an immortal old man shouting from the other side of the river, and asked: "Who are you?"
He Bo said loudly: "I am He Bo. You are Dayu." When Hou Yi heard that it was He Bo, he immediately became angry and sneered, saying, "I am Dayu." As he spoke, he drew his bow and drew an arrow, "whoosh". The arrow hit He Bo's left eye. He Bo pulled out the arrow and covered his eyes, sweating from the pain. He cursed in his heart: "Damn Dayu, you are so unreasonable!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he went to tear up the water map. At this moment, there was a sudden shout: "He Bo! Don't tear up the picture." He Bo reluctantly looked with his right eye and saw a man wearing a bamboo hat on the other side, stopping Hou Yi. This man was Dayu. He knew that He Bo had drawn a map of the Yellow River and was about to ask He Bo for advice. Hou Yi pushed Dayu away and stretched his bow again. Dayu grabbed him tightly and told He Bo about the difficulties of drawing pictures. Hou Yi regretted his rashness and shot He Bo out of his left eye.
Hou Yi waded across the river with Dayu. Hou Yi admitted his fault to He Bo. He Bo knew that Hou Yi was the son of Hou Laohan, so he didn't blame him much. Dayu said to He Bo: "I am Dayu, and I came to you specifically to ask for advice on how to regulate the Yellow River."
He Bo said: "My efforts and methods of regulating the river are all on this map. , I will grant it to you now."
When Dayu showed the picture, he saw that the picture was densely packed with circles, and the water conditions up and down, left and right of the Yellow River were clearly drawn. Dayu was very happy. He wanted to thank He Bo. When he raised his head, He Bo jumped into the Yellow River and disappeared.
Dayu obtained the map of the water conditions of the Yellow River. He worked day and night and based on the instructions on the map, he finally controlled the Yellow River.
Situated on the bank of the Yellow River 5 kilometers southeast of Ruicheng County, Shanxi Province, Shenbai Valley is said to be the place where Dayu surveyed the water conditions and tied his horse to rest on the cypress trees by the river. Later generations built a Yuwang temple by the river here to commemorate it.
[Edit this paragraph] Great efforts
At the foot of Kuaiji Mountain in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, people also built Yu’s mausoleum, Yuling, to commemorate his great achievements.
In the process of flood control, Dayu left many touching deeds. It is said that with the help of the primitive measuring tools he invented - the yardstick and the rules, he traveled up and down the river, split the Longmen and Yixi with the magic ax, and dug through Jishi Mountain and Qingtong Gorge, so that the river could flow unimpeded. He lived away from home for 13 years to control floods. He visited the house three times without even entering, and he didn't even have time to caress his newborn child. He was not afraid of hardships and took the lead, and the hair on his legs was worn away by labor. He is the first flood control hero in Chinese history who successfully controlled floods in the Yellow River.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were continuous economic and cultural exchanges between countries, various treatises and writings were produced, and records of river affairs gradually increased. The book "Yu Gong", written during the Warring States Period, is a book specifically describing geographical conditions. The book is based on the story of Dayu's flood control, and gives a relatively detailed description of China's mountains, rivers, borders, tributes, etc. according to the geographical area of ??"Jiuzhou".
People of later generations praised Yu's achievements in controlling floods and respectfully called him Yu the Great.
When Shun got old, he also looked for a successor just like Yao. Because of Yu's achievements in controlling floods, everyone recommended Yu. When Shun died, Yu succeeded him as the leader of the tribal alliance.
At this time, we have reached the late stage of the clan commune. With the development of productivity, what a person produces not only sustains his own life, but also has a surplus. The leaders of clans and tribes took advantage of their status to use the surplus products as their own private property and became the nobles of the clan. With the remaining products, wars broke out between tribes, and prisoners were captured. They were no longer killed, but turned into slaves to work for the nobles. In this way, two classes, slaves and slave owners, gradually formed, and clan communes began to disintegrate.
Due to Yu's achievements in water control, the prestige and power of the leaders of the tribal alliance were enhanced. Legend has it that when Yu was old, he inspected the East and summoned many tribal leaders in Kuaiji Mountain (in today's Shaoxing, Zhejiang). Everyone who went to see Yu held jade silk in their hands, and the ceremony was very solemn. There was a tribal leader named Fangfeng who did not attend the meeting. Yu thought he had neglected his orders and had Fangfeng killed. This shows that at that time, Yu had transformed from the leader of the tribal alliance into a veritable king.
Yu originally had an assistant named Gaotao (sound gāoyáo), who used to help Yu manage political affairs. After Gaotao's death, Gaotao's son Boyi also served as Yu's assistant. According to the system of abdication, Boyi should have been made Yu's successor. However, after Yu's death, the nobles of the Xia tribe where Yu lived supported Yu's son Qi to succeed Yu.
As a result, the electoral system of tribal alliances during the clan commune period was officially abolished and became a hereditary system for the throne. The Xia Dynasty, the first slavery dynasty in Chinese history, appeared.
[Edit this paragraph] Merits last forever
There are relics and rumors about Dayu everywhere in our country. There are Yuxu and Yuwang Palace in Huaiyuan County, Anhui; Yumen in Hancheng County, Shaanxi; Yumenkou in Hejin County, Shanxi; Yuwang City Site at the foothills of Zhongtiao Mountain in Xia County, Shanxi; Yuwang Terrace in the suburbs of Kaifeng, Henan; Yuwangtai in Yuxian City Wangsuo Jiaojing; there is Yu Gongji at the east end of Guishan Mountain in Wuhan, Hubei; there is a Monument of King Yu on the top of Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, Hunan; there is even a palace of King Yu in Nanjiang County, Sichuan in the southwest; and in Luoyang, Henan, there is a legend that Dayu dug the Dragon Gate. These relics of Dayu all over China bear witness to Dayu's great achievements and people's thoughts. Dayu is the most revered among the great men in ancient my country.
According to research, the areas where Dayu controlled floods at that time were approximately present-day eastern Hebei, eastern Henan, western and southern Shandong, and northern Huaihe River. Once, they came to the southern suburbs of Luoyang, Henan. There is a high mountain here, which is the remnant of the Qinling Mountains and extends to Zhongyue Songshan Mountain. The peaks are unique and majestic, like a natural barrier running east-west. There is a natural gap in the middle of the mountain, and a trickle of water flows gently through the gap. However, when a severe flood breaks out, the river is blocked by mountains, forming a vortex in the gap. The rushing river water endangers the safety of the surrounding people. Dayu decided to concentrate his manpower on flood control and clear a path through the mountains. The hard work damaged every stone, wood, and bone tool. The human losses were even greater. Some were injured by rocks, some fell to death while going up the mountain, and some were swept away by floods. However, they remained unwavering and insisted on splitting the mountain. During these hard days and nights, Dayu's face was tanned, he became thinner due to fatigue, even the hair on his calves was worn away, and his toenails fell off due to long-term soaking in water, but he was still there. Operating and directing. Under his leadership, the water control progressed rapidly, and the mountains finally opened up, forming a confrontation between two walls. The floods poured thousands of miles downstream, and the rivers became smooth from then on.
Dayu was elected as Shun's assistant because of his merits in controlling floods. Seventeen years later, after Shun's death, he succeeded as the leader of the tribal alliance. Later, Dayu's son Qi founded my country's first slave state, the Xia Dynasty. Therefore, later generations also called him Xia Yu. After Xia Yu's death, he was buried in Maoshan. Later generations changed Maoshan's name to Kuaiji Mountain because Yu once gathered the princes here and planned rewards for their merits. This is the origin of Dayu Mausoleum in Shaoxing. Today, Yuling has Mount Kuaiji on its back, faces Tingshan Mountain, and faces Yuchi in front. In 1979, a stele pavilion of Dayu Mausoleum was rebuilt, with cornices and raised corners, standing at the end of the corridor. Inside, there is a huge monument called "Dayu Mausoleum" written by Nan Daji, a native of the Ming Dynasty. The pavilion is surrounded by lush ancient locust trees and green pines and bamboos, making it quiet and elegant. There are Yuxue Bianting Pavilion and Yuxue Pavilion in the south of the pavilion, which are where the tomb of Yu was examined by predecessors.
Dayu benefited the people and will always be praised by descendants of China. Dayu’s hard-working spirit will always be remembered by descendants of Yan and Huang. When people come to Shaoxing, they never forget to visit the Mausoleum of Dayu in the southeast of the city.
As for which "water" Dayu controlled when he controlled floods, and how to control it? The traditional view seems to be exaggerated. The legendary Dragon Gate is located between Hancheng, Shaanxi and Hejin, Shanxi. The Yellow River reaches this point. The steep cliffs on both sides of the bank are very dangerous. According to legend, the Dragon Gate was dug by Dayu, so the Dragon Gate is also called Yu's Gate. But according to the construction technology level of the Xia Dynasty, such a large project could never be completed. It is also said that Dayu divided the world (the whole country) into Kyushu based on different water systems. In fact, the territory in the early Xia Dynasty was never so large. Many legends are inevitably contradictory and difficult to justify.
The new theory is: Dayu's flood control was not to control the surging waters of the Yangtze River and Yellow River. The floods at that time were actually transgression, that is, the sea level rose and the sea water poured back into the land. This is worldwide, so many peoples have legends of being flooded. After the floods receded, the ground became muddy, making it difficult to farm without treatment. It was this kind of management of field canals that Dayu managed. This is roughly consistent with what Confucius said: "Try your best to drain the ditch." "Mencius. "Teng Wengong" said: "In the time of Yao, floods flowed across the world and spread across the world." "In the time of Yao, water went retrograde and flooded China." Most of the rivers in China originate in the west and flow eastward. No matter how big or small the water is, it will never be a "cross current" or a "retrograde flow." Only during sea transgression, when sea water pours in from east to west, will the phenomenon of "cross flow" or "retrograde flow" occur.
The traditional saying is: Shun ordered Gun to control the flood, but Gun only knew the methods of digging and filling. After his failure, he was killed by Shun. Gun's son Yu accepted the lesson of his father's failure to control floods and switched to diversion methods, which finally succeeded. The historical facts are not so simple, and Gun would not be so stupid. Failure or success is always caused by a variety of factors. Ancient books such as "Guoyu" say that Dayu also used the method of digging and filling to control floods.