Xi Menbao legendXi Menbao legend

Key Characters Analysis

  1. Hebo (Feng Yi): The Yellow River deity, originally a mortal who drowned and became a god according to Shanhaijing. Depicted as a white-bearded figure riding a dragon-drawn water chariot.
  2. Xi Menbao: A renowned official of Wei State during the Warring States period. His deeds of exposing superstitions and constructing water conservancy projects are recorded in Shiji’s “Biographies of the Wits”.
  3. Village Elders & Shamans: Local leaders who exploited the “River God’s Bride” ritual for profit, eventually punished by Xi Menbao.

Mythological Origins & Development

The story first appeared in Shiji, later expanded in Shuyuan and other Han Dynasty texts. It reflects ancient flood-prone Yellow River regions’ deification of natural disasters and the early seeds of atheistic thinking.

Complete Narrative

  1. Annual sacrifice of virgins to the river in Ye City
  2. Xi Menbao feigned participation, casting shamans into the river under pretext of “unworthy brides”
  3. Exposed the fraud, abolished the ritual, and built the Zhanghe Irrigation System
  4. Transformed Ye into a prosperous agricultural region through infrastructure development

Cultural Significance & Influence

  1. Literary references: Detailed in chapter 89 of Dongzhou Lieguo Zhi from the Ming Dynasty
  2. Artifacts: 2004 Han Dynasty stone relief unearthed in Handan depicting the sacrifice
  3. Folklore: Handan’s “Spring Ox” ceremony preserves water deity-related agricultural traditions

Modern Legacy & Inspiration

Featured in Chinese middle school textbooks, the 2019 Hebo Cultural Park uses AR technology to recreate historical scenes. Its emphasis on scientific rationality and people-centered governance remains relevant today.

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