Hsia
Hsia (shēä), semilegendary first dynasty of China, which ruled, according to traditional dates, from c.2205 B.C. to c.1766 B.C. or, according to some modern scholars, from c.1994 B.C. to c.1523 B.C. This dynasty is said to have been founded by Yu, the culture hero of China who built canals to control floods and then divided the reclaimed land. Scanty archaeological remains suggest that the people had domestic animals, wheat and millet, the potter's wheel, bronze weapons, and war chariots. The Hsia dynasty was succeeded by the Shang, the first historic dynasty of China.
Bibliography
See L. Chi, Beginnings of Chinese Civilization (1957); Chang Kwang-chi, Archaeology of Ancient China (rev. and enl. ed. 1968).
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The first Chinese dynasty (traditionally dated 2205?-1766? B.C.). No historical documents or archaeological evidence has been found to corroborate the legends about this dynasty.
[Chinese (Mandarin) Xià, ancient name for China.]
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The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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