种花家的故事 Chronicles of Huaxia
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Taikang

Tàikāng

Historical personEarly civilizations
Dates
Early Xia after Qi
Story era
Early civilizations
Identity
Historical person
Names and titles
King Taikang of Xia; son of Qi
Evidence conclusion
Figure of early dynastic tradition without contemporary written confirmation
Earliest source
Traditions around the Songs of the Five Sons, Zuozhuan and Shiji
Formative period
Narratives of lost rule and political admonition formed from pre-imperial through Han times
Timeline

Overview

Taikang is the Xia king after Qi, remembered through prolonged hunting, popular alienation and loss of the realm.

The preface to the Songs of the Five Sons, Xia traditions cited in Zuozhuan and Shiji preserve different sequences.

This page keeps the narrative sequence, the date of the written witness and the archaeological sequence separate. The figure remains important even where individual deeds cannot be independently verified.

Source composition (cross-referenced)

Tagged sources
ARCArchaeologyNot usedHISHistorical recordsUsedFOLMyth & folkloreUsedPERDrama & romanceNot usedMEDLiterature & mediaUsedWEBInternet remixNot used
3/6sources

Textual evidence

Traditions around the Songs of the Five Sons, Zuozhuan and Shiji

These witnesses differ in genre and date and must be compared statement by statement.

Narrative evolution

Narratives of lost rule and political admonition formed from pre-imperial through Han times

Later commentary, popular history, drama and digital media continue to select and combine different layers.

Popular tradition

Taikang is the Xia king after Qi, remembered through prolonged hunting, popular alienation and loss of the realm.

The preface to the Songs of the Five Sons, Xia traditions cited in Zuozhuan and Shiji preserve different sequences.

Reading the sources

  • Archaeology: tests settlement, craft and regional change without identifying every named ruler.
  • Historical texts: preserve royal lines and episodes that require textual dating.
  • Folklore: expands exile, conflict and moral causation.
  • Literature and media: often merge versions into a seamless biography.

References

  1. Shangshu, relevant Xia documents.
  2. Shiji, Annals of Xia and Yin.
  3. Relevant passages in Zuozhuan and the Bamboo Annals tradition.
  4. Archaeological research on Erlitou, Erligang and early states.