Yu the Great

Yu the Great

In Chinese mythology, Yu the Great is a very important figure. He is regarded for many different things that represent major themes throughout Chinese history. In modern times, his legends still garner widespread praise and recognition. It is important to note here that this post is treating Yu as a myth, while some treat Yu as actual historical fact.

The Great Flood

Perhaps Yu’s greatest feat was the control of the Great Flood.

Yu’s father, Gun, had attempted to control the flood with his own methods. Being unsuccessful at first, Gun resorted to stealing a deity’s magic soil to dam the flood waters. This soil (also called ‘Swelling Earth’) had special self-renewing properties, meaning it could regenerate itself once initially destroyed. With enough of it, one could stop the floods from ravaging the lands. Gun successfully stole the soil and started to control the flood. But, once the deity discovered this act of treachery, it ordered Gun’s death. This deity sent Zhurong, the ‘Spirit of Fire’, to kill Gun. After 9 years, Zhurong caught up to and slew Gun on top of a place named Feather Mountain. As Gun laid atop the mountain, succumbing to his wounds, Yu emerged from his stomach.

Yu wanted to finish the task that his father had started, and sought to obtain the Swelling Earth as well. However, Yu recognized his father’s mistake and set out to ask this deity for permission to use the soil. Yu was eventually granted the unlimited use of the Swelling Earth, as the deity saw Yu’s nobility and courage. Moreover, the deity sent two divine animal companions with Yu on his quest. One, a giant black tortoise, was tasked with carrying the Swelling Earth on its back. The other, the Winged Dragon, was sent to help Yu in creating dikes and ditches. Yu eventually stopped the flood after around a decade of work, and this feat of early hydraulic engineering is still revered today, even in the form of legend. But this was not the end of Yu’s epic journey. In fact, it was only the beginning.

The Xia Dynasty

Word spread about Yu’s noble efforts in controlling the flood, and eventually he was regarded as a legend. It is said that, while he did not initially want power over other people, he eventually took the role as emperor and began the first dynasty in Chinese history. This dynasty, the Xia dynasty, started off the dynastic ruling cycle that lasted for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Yu’s Family

Once Yu reached thirty years old, he began searching for a wife. During his travels through the land of the Tu Shan, he stumbled across a nine-tailed white fox. Yu remembered that, in the Tu Shan culture, seeing this fox symbolized sovereignty and power. So, taking this as an omen, Yu vowed to find and marry a Tu Shan woman. He did succeed at this as well, as he ended up marrying a Tu Shan woman named Nu Jiao.

One day, Yu was out doing work and needed to tunnel through a mountain. In human form, this obviously proved quite difficult. So, Yu took the form of a bear and continued on his mission. Now, in his marriage with Nu Jiao, they had agreed that whenever Yu would beat upon a drum, Nu Jiao would come and bring him food. As Yu tunneled through the mountain, he reached a particularly rough part and tripped, falling on a rock. This resulted in a sound that was very similar to a drum beat. Accordingly, Nu Jiao appeared, ready to serve her husband. But, seeing him in the form of a bear, she was horribly frightened and ran away. Yu tried to run after her and explain, but still never switched out of the bear form. Yu continued chasing his wife until she was exhausted. Out of terror, she morphed into a rock permanently. Yu, trying to release his wife, smashed open the rock. However, instead of Nu Jiao, their son actually emerged from the rock. Yu named his son Qi.

Yu vs. Xiangliu

In addition to all of his previous services, Yu was also a legendary warrior. There are many tales of his glory against monsters and men of all types, but his greatest victory was against the mythical Xiangliu. This creature was a poisonous, nine-headed serpent that was a servant of Gonggong. Xiangliu was corrupting the land and causing widespread crop failure. Yu, needing to preserve his people’s food supply and prevent famine, set out to defeat Xiangliu. The two ended up battling in a valley between nine mountains, and Yu was victorious. However, Xiangliu’s spilled blood spread across the land and corrupted the nearby pasturelands. Yu toiled, trying to build walls and dams to stop the blood from spreading. With these efforts all failing, Yu came up with a new idea: he created a lake where the poisonous blood was to be contained. This returned the pasturelands to normal.

Yu and the Nine Cauldrons

As Yu traveled the world accomplishing many feats, he traversed a great deal of land. He began keeping track of specific places and landmarks in the region. It is said that he created the first ‘world’ map (really just the region that is considered modern day China). It is also said that he transcribed this geographical information (as symbols and markings) onto Nine Cauldrons. Yu cast these tripod cauldrons while his Xia Dynasty was at the height of its power, and so the cauldrons became intertwined with dynastic authority, both figuratively and literally. Figuratively, these cauldrons were seen as vessels of divine power, and whoever held them was the rightful emperor. In effect, these cauldrons signified the mandate of heaven. In a literal sense, the weight of these cauldrons fluctuated depending on the power of the current emperor. So, if the emperor was powerful, the cauldrons were unmovable and therefore nobody could take over. However, if the emperor was weak, the cauldrons could be easily moved and stolen, and in rare cases the cauldrons even moved by themselves.

The cauldrons traveled from dynasty to dynasty, from the Shang to the Zhou, and eventually got to the Warring States period. During this time, the Qin took control of the cauldrons, but amidst the fighting, they were lost and never recovered.

Yu’s Legacy

After Yu died, there was an arrangement for one of his most trusted advisors, Boyi, to assume the role of emperor. However, Yu’s son Qi ended up as emperor instead. There are two different versions of the story of Qi gaining power. One of them explains how Qi had the popular support of the people and was thrust into power due to his ancestry. The other explains that Qi killed Boyi and assumed power for himself. Either way, Qi ended up as the next emperor of the Xia Dynasty and officially started the tradition of dynastic transfer of power.

Areas of Potential Future Research and Interest

• The Xia Dynasty
• The disappearance of the Nine Cauldrons
• The other flood myths present in Chinese mythology

References:

Birrell, Anne. An Introduction to Chinese Mythology. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.

Christie, Anthony. Chinese Mythology. Feltham, Middlesex: The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, 1968.