The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (Chinese: 三皇五帝; pinyin: Sānhuáng wǔdì) were mythological rulers of China during the period from c. 2852 B.C.E. to 2205 B.C.E., which is the time preceding the Xia Dynasty.

The Three Sovereigns, sometimes known as the Three August Ones, were said to be god-kings or demigods who introduced important aspects of Chinese culture, such as agriculture, fishing, herbal medicine, writing, and the drinking of tea, and in some cases created men and animals. They were known variously as The Heavenly Sovereign, The Earthly Sovereign, and The Human Sovereign; or Fuxi, Nüwa, and Shennong. Because of their lofty virtue they lived to a great age and ruled over a period of great peace.

The Five Emperors were legendary, morally perfect sage-kings. According to the Records of the Grand Historian they were: The Yellow Emperor (黄帝), Zhuanxu (顓頊), Emperor Ku (帝嚳), Emperor Yao (堯), and Emperor Shun (舜). Yao and Shun are also known as the "Two Emperors," and, along with Yu the Great (禹), founder of the Xia dynasty, were considered to be model rulers and moral exemplars by Confucians in later Chinese history.

The Three Sovereigns

The Three Sovereigns (三皇), sometimes known as the Three August Ones, were said to be god-kings, or demigods, who used their magical powers to improve the lives of their people. The character 帝(di4) is most often translated using its modern sense, which did not arise until after the advent of an imperial state under Qin Shi Huang. Its original meaning, and the most likely translation thereof, is "supreme being," rather than "emperor." The character 帝 originally represented a shaman wearing a liturgical mantel. Because of their lofty virtue, they lived to a great age and ruled over a period of great peace.

The Three Sovereigns are ascribed various identities in different Chinese historical texts. The Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian states that they were:

The Heavenly Sovereign (天皇) that ruled for 18,000 years
The Earthly Sovereign (地皇) that ruled for 11,000 years
The Human Sovereign (泰皇 or 人皇) that ruled for 45,600 years

The Yundou shu (運斗樞) and Yuanming bao (元命苞) identify them as:
Fuxi (伏羲)
Nüwa (女媧)
Shennong (神農)

The Five Emperors

The Five Emperors were legendary, morally perfect sage-kings. According to the Records of the Grand Historian they were:

The Yellow Emperor (黄帝)

Huangdi (Traditional Chinese: 黃帝; Simplified Chinese: 黄帝; pinyin: Huángdì), or the Yellow Emperor, is considered the ancestor of all Han Chinese in Chinese mythology. According to the historian Sima Qian (145 B.C.E.-90 B.C.E.), the Yellow Emperor reigned from 2697 B.C.E. to 2598 B.C.E. During the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E.-220 C.E.), he emerged as a chief deity of Taoism. His legendary victory in the war against Emperor Chi You at the Battle of Zhuolu is seen as the establishment of the Han Chinese nationality. Among his other accomplishments, the Yellow Emperor has been credited with the invention of the principles of Traditional Chinese medicine. The Huangdi Neijing (黄帝内經 Inner Canon of Huangdi) was supposedly composed in collaboration with his physician, Qibo. However, modern historiographers generally consider it to have been compiled from ancient sources by a scholar living between the Zhou and Han dynasties, more than 2,000 years later. He is said to have lived to the age of 100, and to have attained immortality after his physical death.

His wife, Lúo Zǔ, is said to to have taught the Chinese how to weave the silk from silkworms, and his historian, Cāng Jié, to have created the first Chinese characters. Legend also says that the Yellow Emperor invented a magical compass, played a part in the creation of the Guqin (seven-stringed musical instrument), together with Fuxi and Shennong, and to have invented the earliest form of the Chinese calendar, whose current sexagenary cycles are counted based on his reign. Atop Mount Dongwang, Huang Di captured the beast, Bai Ze, who described to him all the 11,520 types of monsters, shape-shifters, demons, and spirits in the world. Huang Di's retainer recorded this in pictures, which later became the book, Bai Ze Tu, which no longer exists.[6] Ling Lun is supposed to have given the emperor flutes tuned to the sounds of birds, which is said to be the foundation of Chinese traditional music.

Zhuanxu (顓頊)

Zhuanxu (Traditional Chinese: 顓頊; Simplified Chinese: 颛顼; pinyin: Zhuānxū), also known as Gaoyang (高陽), a grandson of the Yellow Emperor, led the Shi clan in an eastward migration to present-day Shandong, where intermarriages with the Dongyi clan enlarged and augmented their tribal influences. At age twenty, he became their sovereign, going on to rule for seventy-eight years until his death.

He made contributions to a unified calendar and astrology, instigated religious reforms to oppose shamanism, advocated the patriarchal (as opposed to the previous matriarchal) system, and forbade close-kin marriage.

Emperor Ku (帝嚳)

Kù (Traditional Chinese: 帝嚳) was the great grandson of the Yellow Emperor. According to speculative dates (from after 100 B.C.E.) he ruled from c. 2436 B.C.E.–c. 2366 B.C.E.

Emperor Yao (堯)
 
Chinese Emperor Yao. Silk painting, Ming Dynasty.Yao (Traditional Chinese: 堯, Simplified Chinese: 尧) (2358-2258 B.C.E.), also known as Yaotang-shi (陶唐氏), was born Yi Fangxun (伊放勳) or Yi Qi (伊祈), the second son of Emperor Ku and Qingdu (慶都). He is also known as Tang Yao (唐堯).

Often extolled as the morally perfect sage-king, Yao's benevolence and diligence served as a model for future Chinese monarchs and emperors. Early Chinese often speak of Yao, Shun, and Yu as historical figures, and contemporary historians believe they may represent leader-chiefs of allied tribes who established a unified and hierarchical system of government during a transition period to patriarchal feudal society.

According to legend, Yao became the ruler at 20, and died at the age of 119, when he passed his throne to Great Shun, to whom he gave his two daughters in marriage.

Of his many contributions, Yao is said to have invented the game of weiqi (go), reportedly as an amusement for his slow-witted son.

Emperor Shun (舜)

Shun (Traditional Chinese: 舜) was a legendary leader of ancient China during the 23rd - 22nd century B.C.E., whose half-century of rule was one of the longest in Chinese history. Born Yao Chonghua (姚重華), he was also known as Youyu-shi (有虞氏), the Great Shun (大舜) or Yu Shun (虞舜). The name of Shun's mother was Wudeng (握登), and his birthplace was Yaoxu (姚墟). He received the mantle of leadership from Emperor Yao at the age of 53 and died at 100, after relinquishing the seat of power to Yu, who founded the legendary Xia Dynasty. Shun's capital was at Puban (蒲阪) (presently in Shanxi).

In later centuries, Yao and Shun were glorified for their virtue by Confucian philosophers. Shun was particularly renowned for his modesty and filial piety (xiao, 孝). According to legend, he was treated with hostility and jealousy by his parents and younger brother, yet he remained loving and free of resentment towards them. Emperor Yao chose Shun as his successor and put him on the throne in the year of Jiwei (己未). Yao's capital was in Ji (冀) which, presently, is also in Shanxi province. Shun is also renowned as the originator of the music called Daoshao (大韶), a symphony of nine Chinese music instruments.

In February of the seventeenth year of his reign, dancing was first taught at schools. In the twenty-fifth year of his regime, he received the bow and arrowas gifts from an envoy of the Xishen (息慎) tribe. In January of the thirty-third year of his regime, nine provinces were re-established in China.

Yao and Shun are also known as the Two Emperors, and, along with Yu the Great (禹), founder of the Xia dynasty, were considered to be model rulers and moral exemplars by Confucians in later Chinese history. The Shangshu Xu (尚書序) and Diwang shiji include Shaohao (少昊) instead of the Yellow Emperor.

The Song of Chu (楚辭) identifies the Five Emperors as directional gods:

Shaohao (east)
The son of the Yellow Emperor Huang Di, Shaohao was the leader of the Yi people, and shifted their capital to Shandong Qufu. After ruling for eighty-four years, he was succeeded by his nephew Zhuanxu. Shaohao's tomb, which is in the form of a large pyramid, is in present-day Jiuxian ("old prefecture") village, east of Qufu, Shandong province.

Zhuanxu (north)
Zhuanxu (Traditional Chinese: 顓頊; Simplified Chinese: 颛顼; pinyin: Zhuānxū), also known as Gaoyang (高陽) was a grandson of the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu led the Shi clan in an eastward migration to present-day Shandong, where intermarriages with the Dongyi clan enlarged and augmented their tribal influences. At age twenty, he became their sovereign, ruling for seventy-eight years until his death. He made contributions to a unified calendar and to astrology; initiated religion reforms to oppose shamanism; upheld the patriarchal (as opposed to the previous matriarchal) system; and forbade close-kin marriage.

Yellow Emperor (center)
Shennong (west)
Fuxi (south)
The Book of Rites (禮記) equates the Five Emperors with the Five Lineages (五氏), which comprise:

Youchao-shi (有巢氏)
Suiren-shi (燧人氏)
Fuxi (伏羲氏)
Nüwa (女媧氏)
Shennong (神農氏)
The first historical Emperor of China was Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇), who coined a new term for "Emperor" (huangdi 皇帝) by combining the titles of "sovereign" (huang, 皇) and "god-king" (di, 帝).