Han Zhuo was a mythical Chinese hero who usurped Houyi as leader of a people near the Xia in prehistoric China. He and his sons appear in a number of Chinese legends, and there are various conflicting accounts of how he died.

Legends

The legendary tomb of Han Zhuo, location in Hanting Subdistrict, Shandong. Houyi was said to have saved the world from destruction by destroying nine of the ten suns which once shone over the world. Under the

Shang The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou dyn ...

, the Chinese

week A week is a unit of time equal to seven days. It is the standard time period used for short cycles of days in most parts of the world. The days are often used to indicate common work days and rest days, as well as days of worship. Weeks are ofte ...

was divided into ten days, each honoring particular royal ancestors and each regarded as having a separate sun shining in turn. He was said to have become a tyrant after his wife

Chang'e Chang'e ( ; ), originally known as Heng'e (), is the goddess of the Moon and wife of Hou Yi, the great archer. Renowned for her beauty, Chang'e is also known for her ascending to the Moon with her pet Yu Tu, the Moon Rabbit and living in the Mo ...

stole his

elixir of immortality The elixir of life (Medieval Latin: ' ), also known as elixir of immortality, is a potion that supposedly grants the drinker eternal life and/or eternal youth. This elixir was also said to cure all diseases. Alchemists in various ages and cu ...

and ascended to the

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

. Separately, he appeared as a historical figure in records such as the ''

Bamboo Annals The ''Bamboo Annals'' ( zh, t=竹書紀年, p=Zhúshū Jìnián), also known as the ''Ji Tomb Annals'' ( zh, t=汲冢紀年, p=Jí Zhǒng Jìnián), is a chronicle of ancient China. It begins in the earliest legendary time (the age of the Yellow E ...

'', where he conquered the Xia capital Zhenxun during the early years of the reign of . Han Zhuo was originally from the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

of Hai. He was a relative. & or "minor functionary" of Bo Ming (), lord of Han, but was dismissed. He joined Houyi's court and ingratiated himself to its ladies. Liberal in his gifts and unwilling to do the daily drudgework of rule, Houyi entrusted him with greater and greater responsibility while he focused on his archery. Ultimately, Han Zhuo became Houyi's "

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

" and performed most of the duties of government. He is said to have usurped Houyi during the 8th year of the reign of Taikang's nephew ''

''. at the instigation of Houyi's wife.. In one account, the pair waylaid him as he was returning from a hunt; in another, Han Zhuo bludgeoned him to death with help from Xuan Qi; in another, he was waylaid by his own retainers led by his closest pupil Pangmeng (); in a fourth, he talked the palace staff into turning on the king and killing him.. Houyi's body was prepared as a meal for his son or sons, who refused to eat it and were killed. Their bodies were displayed at the gates of Qiong (). Houyi's wife Chun Hu (純狐 lit. "Sable/Pure Fox"; aka Xuan Qi 眩妻 "Dark Lady"), Han Zhuo's co-conspirator, then became Han Zhuo's consort and bore him two sons, Ao (, ''Ào'') or Jiao (, ''Jiāo'') and Yi (). As ruler, Han Zhuo conquered two other states but their refugees gathered with the Ge (, ''Gé'') under a man named Mi who fought for the cause of

Shao Kang Shao Kang (, his surname was Sì 姒) was the sixth king of the Xia dynasty of ancient China. He was the son of Xiang. His father was killed in a battle against Han Zhuo's two sons, Han Jiao and Han Yi; Shao Kang's mother Ji managed to escape ...

. Mi who claimed to be the long-lost son of the deposed king Xiang and his escaped wife Min. In some accounts, Han Zhuo was killed by a Kuei minister. while in battle with the Xia refugees. In other accounts, he committed suicide, after which Shao Kang restored the Xia dynasty. In others, he was first succeeded by his son Ao, remembered as a strongman and revered as the "Arrogant King", a

culture hero A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group (Culture, cultural, Ethnic group, ethnic, Religion, religious, etc.) who changes the world through invention or Discovery (observation), discovery. Although many culture heroes help with ...

credited with the invention of ships and numbered among the Kings of the Water Immortals. Han Jiao was killed by Xiang's son .

References

Citations

Bibliography

* . * . * . * . * . * {{citation , last=Selby , first=Stephen , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wY3sAQAAQBAJ , title=Chinese Archery , location=Hong Kong , publisher=Hong Kong University Press , date=2000 , isbn=9789622095014 . Xia dynasty people