China: Sovereign Shennong, Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors Period (c .3500-2000 BCE). Illustration, c. 17th-18th century. Shennong (Vietnamese: Than Nong), also known as the Emperor of the Five Grains (Wugu xiandì), was a ruler of China and cultural hero who lived some 5,000 years ago and who taught the ancient Chinese the practice of agriculture. Appropriately, his name means ' Divine Farmer', and he is worshipped as a deity in Chinese folk religion. He is also believed to have discovered tea.
Shennong (Vietnamese: Than Nong), also known as the Emperor of the Five Grains (Wugu xiandì), was a ruler of China and cultural hero who lived some 5,000 years ago and who taught the ancient Chinese the practice of agriculture. Appropriately, his name means ' Divine Farmer'. He is also believed to have discovered tea. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (Sanhuang wudi; Wade–Giles: San-huang wu-ti) are a blend of mythological rulers and cultural heroes from ancient China dating loosely from the period from BCE. This represents the earliest period of recorded Chinese history and is regarded as largely mythological. In chronological terms it precedes the Xia Dynasty ( BCE). There are several variations as to who constitute the various Three Sovereigns and Seven Emperors. According to the Diwang Xishi or Record of Imperial Lineages, also called the 'Sovereign Series' in English, the Three Sovereigns were, in chronological sequence: Fuxi, Shennong and Huangdi. The same source lists the Five Emperors, again chronologically, as: Shaohao, Zhuanxu, Gaoxin, Yao and Shun.
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