Zhurong
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas%2C_1597%2C_plate_XLIII.jpg/260px-Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas%2C_1597%2C_plate_XLIII.jpg)
Zhurong (Chinese:
The Classic of Mountains and Seas gives alternative genealogies for Zhurong, including descent from both the Yan Emperor and Yellow Emperor.[1] However, it is recorded in suspicious part Dahuangjing (
Zhurong was said to be the son of Gaoyang (also known as Zhuanxu), a sky god.[5] (Again, the more historicised versions of the mythology portray Zhuanxu as a historical person; in this case an "Emperor of China"). Gaoyang also had a son, Gun, who fathered Yu the Great. The imperial clan of the Qin dynasty also claimed descent through Gaoyang (but not Zhurong). Zhurong was also claimed to be an ancestor to the eight lineages of the royal families of the state of Chu.
Genealogy
[edit]Character genealogy
[edit]One aspect of the traditional Chinese characters used in the case of Zhurong's name is that the character
Mythical ancestry
[edit]The Classic of Mountains and Seas represents Zhurong as the son of a father whose name translates as "Play-with-Pots", who in turn is represented as the son of a father whose name translates as "Skillful Pot" (and is described as having a square top upon his head). In "General Introduction" to the Chu Ci anthology, Hawkes uses these observations to bolster his speculation of a significant relationship between the archeological evidence regarding ceramic technology and the cultural background of the Chu Ci material.[6]
Description
[edit]The Wu Liang Shrine inscriptions describe Zhurong as:
- 「
祝 誦〔融 〕氏 :無 所 造 為 ,未 有 嗜欲,刑罰 未 施 。」 - "[...]: He did nothing. He was addicted to nothing and desired nothing. And punishment were not in [his] practice."[7]
However, in one myth, Zhurong was interested in physical power and fought against Gonggong for days in a contest to see who was stronger.[8] According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Gonggong is a descendant of Zhurong.[9] This raises suspicions that Haineijing(
See also
[edit]- Chinese ritual bronzes
- Lady Zhurong
- Xirang
- Zhurong rover, 2021 Mars rover
Notes
[edit]- ^ Yang, An & Anderson Turner 2008, p. 248.
- ^ Yang, An & Anderson Turner 2008, p. 124.
- ^ Yang, An & Anderson Turner 2008, pp. 12–13.
- ^ Hawkes 2011, p. 81.
- ^ Hawkes 2011, pp. 21 and 79.
- ^ a b Hawkes 2011, p. 23.
- ^ Barbieri, Anthony (2019). Virtual Tour of Wuzhai Shan Site, 2nd Century CE (v. 2.0). University of California, Santa Barbara. The entry for Zhurong is located at "Wu Liang" > right wall > second row of reliefs > second relief from the right
- ^ Bellingham, David; Whittaker, Clio; Grant, John (1992). Myths and Legends. Secaucus, New Jersey: Wellfleet Press. p. 132. ISBN 1-55521-812-1. OCLC 27192394.
- ^
山海 經 >海 內經 >炎 帝 之 妻 ,赤水 之子 聽訞生 炎 居 ,炎 居 生節 竝 ,節 竝 生 戲 器 ,戲 器 生 祝融 ,祝融 降 處 於江水 ,生 共 工 。共 工 生 術 器 ,術 器 首 方 顚,是 復 土 穰 ,以處江 水 。共 工 生 后 土 ,后 土生 噎 鳴 ,噎 鳴 生 歳 十 有 二
References
[edit]- Hawkes, David, ed. (2011) [1985]. The Songs of the South: An Ancient Chinese Anthology of Poems by Qu Yuan and Other Poets. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-044375-2.
- Yang, Lihui; An, Deming; Anderson Turner, Jessica (2008). Handbook of Chinese Mythology. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533263-6.
External links
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