Emperor Yao
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Emperor Yao was a legendary Chinese ruler. He is considered by some sources as one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
Song dynasty painting of Yao by Ma Lin
Emperor Yao as depicted in Wu Family Shrines in Jiaxiang, Shandong, from the mid 2nd century AD.
Painting of Yao by Kanō Sansetsu. Japan, Edo period, 1632.
A depiction of the system of the zhou, or "islands" (now reinterpreted as "provinces"), a system which Shun is credited with developing as a tool to allow political administration of a territory with ongoing flooding making normal communications impossible, although the number and locations of zhou have varied over time
Great Flood (China)
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The Great Flood of Gun-Yu, also known as the Gun-Yu myth, was a major flood in ancient China that allegedly continued for at least two generations, which resulted in great population displacements amo
Emperor Yao
…to Shun in his 73rd year of reign, and continued to live during Shun's reign for another 28 years. It was during the reign of Emperor Yao that the Great Flood began, a flood so vast that no part of Yao's territory was spared, and both the Yellow River and the Yangtze valleys flooded. The alleged nature of the…
Emperor Shun performs divination in the palace, with Yu present
Yu the Great and his human and chelonian associates, fighting the flood. Relief outside the Water Resources and Hydro Power Lab, Wuhan University (2005)