Many historians debate whether the Yellow Emperor, and the later Xia Dynasty, ever existed. Some believe that their stories are legends that paint a picture of the perfect king, warn against corrupt leadership and explain the origins of the Chinese dynasties. Others believe that they actually existed and archaeological finds could provide the proof.
We explored these ancient legends together through drama.
Over 4700 years ago, a tribal system existed in prehistoric China. These tribes would often fight each other over land and resources. Legends say that Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, became the first emperor in Chinese history after he united many tribes in the Shandong region of China, near the Yellow River.
The Yellow Emperor did many great things.
As his reign came to an end, the Yellow Emperor rode to heaven on the back of a golden dragon.
After the Yellow Emperor came four more emperors, who founded the Xia tribe.
They were either courageous, strong , wise, or an excellent fighter.
The fourth emperor, Emperor Yao, was the first ruler of the Xia Dynasty. Even though he had built a magnificent kingdom, great floods kept ruining his empire.
His tribespeople were desperate.
Gun offered to help and for nine years, built a series of dykes in an attempt to block the path of the water, but they collapsed every time as the floods became stronger and stronger.
Emperor Yao felt that he had failed his people, so he decided to abdicate. 
Emperor Yao gave his throne to his successor, Shun.
Emperor Shun sent Gun to prison as he had failed miserably..
Emperor Shun then asked for Gun’s son, Yu to help. Yu had learned from his father’s mistakes. He asked for more help from others and they used their skills to construct canals to channel water from the river out to the sea.
After 13 years, Yu had solved the flooding problem, leading to better farming
conditions. The power of the Xia tribe grew. Emperor Shun made Yu commander of his army to lead his troops into battle against an enemy tribe who kept raiding their borders.
As a reward for defeating the enemy, Emperor Shun passed the crown to Yu.
King Yu was the first king of the Xia Dynasty, and was known as King Yu the Great.
After 45 years, King Yu decided to make his son, Prince Qi, the next king, It was the first time that the crown had been passed from father to son.
King Yu had begun a policy of dynastic succession, where power over a kingdom is
passed to a relative, usually from father to son. Dynasties would rule China for the
next 4000 years.
The last ruler of the Xia Dynasty was King Jie, a cruel and unpopular leader who was overthrown by Cheng Tang of the Shang clan, who beat him in battle and turned many of his people against him.
After nearly 500 years, the Xia Dynasty ended and the Shang Dynasty began.
Brilliant!
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