The Xia dynasty is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, it was established by the legendary figure Yu the Great, after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors, gave the throne to him. In traditional historiography, the Xia was succeeded by the Shang dynasty.
Han dynasty stone relief rendering of Yu the Great
Gu Jiegang, founder of the Doubting Antiquity School
Erlitou jue vessel
Yu the Great or Yu the Engineer was a legendary king in ancient China who was famed for "the first successful state efforts at flood control," his establishment of the Xia dynasty which inaugurated dynastic rule in China, and his upright moral character. He figures prominently in the Chinese legend titled "Great Yu Controls the Waters". Yu and other "sage-kings" of ancient China were lauded for their virtues and morals by Confucius and other Chinese teachers. He is one of the few Chinese monarchs who is posthumously honored with the epithet "the Great".
Song-era depiction of Yu
Han dynasty depiction of Yu from the Wu Liang shrine
Yu as depicted in the album Portraits of Famous Men c. 1900, housed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Yu mausoleum in Shaoxing