Xia Dynasty - Definition and Overview

The Xia Dynasty (Hanyu Pinyin: Xia, Wade-Giles: Hsia, Chinese: 夏朝), ca. 2070 BC–1600 BC, is the first dynasty to be described in Chinese historical records, which record the names of seventeen kings over fourteen generations. The legends of the Three August Ones and the Five Emperors precede this dynasty, and it is followed by the Shang dynasty.

Until scientific excavations were made at early bronze-age sites at Anyang, Henan Province, in 1928, it was difficult to separate myth from reality in regard to the Xia. But since then, and especially in the 1960s and 1970s, archaeologists have uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs that point to the existence of Xia civilization in the same locations cited in ancient Chinese historical texts. At a minimum, the Xia period marked an evolutionary stage between the late neolithic cultures and the typical Chinese urban civilization of the Shang dynasty. In the Marxist histography common in mainland China, Xia society is considered a slave society (奴隸社會).

Jie, the last ruler, was said to be a corrupt king. He was overthrown by T'ang, the leader of Shang people from the east.

Sovereigns of the Xia dynasty

See also

• History of China
• Chinese sovereign
• Chinese mythology
• Sanhuangwudi
• Shang Dynasty