China: Sovereign Fuxi (mid 29th century BCE), cultural hero and creator deity. Illustration, c. 1498. Fu Xi or Fu Hsi was the first of the Three Sovereigns (sanhuang) of ancient China. He is a cultural hero reputed to be the inventor of writing, music, fishing and trapping. Alongside his sister-wife Nuwa, he was also credited with the creation of humanity from clay figures. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are a blend of mythological rulers and cultural heroes from ancient China dating loosely from the period from c. 3500-2000 BC.
Fu Xi or Fu Hsi (mid 29th century BCE) was the first of the Three Sovereigns (sanhuang) of ancient China. He is a cultural hero reputed to be the inventor of writing, fishing, and trapping. Note, however, that Cangjie is also said to have invented writing. 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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Keywords: &, 1498, 15th, art, arts, asia, asian, black, bw, century, china, chinese, deity, east, emperors, fu, fuxi, god, heaven, historical, history, hsi, illustration, image, images, imperial, king, legend, legendary, mandate, monarch, monarchy, myth, mythological, pictures, royal, royalty, ruler, sanhuang, sovereign, sovereigns, white, wudi, xi
