The Yellow Emperor led the Huaxia tribe to unify the Yellow River basin, after which they settled there to live and work in peace. This was the period often referred to as the "public realm," where leaders were chosen through a non-hereditary or "quasi-hereditary" succession system known as abdication, meaning the throne was not necessarily passed to the eldest legitimate son but rather to the virtuous and capable, with the talented holding power. In the Yellow River basin, three renowned tribal alliance leaders emerged: Yao, Shun, and Yu.
According to legend, Emperor Yao, also known as Taotangshi, took on the great responsibility of governing his tribe at the age of 16. During his reign of over seventy years, he managed affairs so well that agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing all flourished remarkably. He was approachable, lived a simple life, and shared both joys and hardships with the common people. The people regarded him as they would their own parents, the sun, and the moon, supporting and loving him deeply. At the same time, he earned the respect and admiration of all the tribes under heaven.
Later, as Yao gradually grew old, he began to seek a person of both virtue and talent to inherit his position and manage the tribe's affairs. He opened up channels for advice, encouraging his subordinates to recommend candidates while also keeping an eye out himself. To this end, he specifically summoned the leaders of various tribes to discuss potential successors. Someone, trying to flatter Yao, recommended his son Dan Zhu. However, Yao knew his son was naturally crude and prone to causing trouble, so he immediately rejected the suggestion. Yao also thought that if he did not pass the throne to Dan Zhu, Dan Zhu would surely be discontented and might stir up trouble, so he ordered Dan Zhu to be exiled to a remote southern region, then continued to seek further recommendations.
Someone recommended Gonggong, who had considerable political achievements, but Yao knew this person well and believed that he was glib-tongued, outwardly compliant but inwardly treacherous, and of ill intent, so such a person could not be allowed to become a leader.
Later, people recommended Shun to Yao, describing him as kind, tolerant, and of excellent moral character. Yao had only heard of this man but did not know him well, so he asked the people to recount his deeds.
Shun, whose surname was Yao and given name was Chonghua, was born in Zhufeng (located in present-day Shandong Province). Shun lost his mother at a young age, and his father, Gusou, remarried a woman who later gave birth to a son named Xiang. After Gusou remarried and had another child, he came to see Shun as completely superfluous, and despite Shun's hard work and uncomplaining nature, he joined his new wife in mistreating Shun while doting on their younger son Xiang. Xiang, spoiled and arrogant, became unruly and ill-behaved, and could not stand the sight of his elder brother.
Despite this, Shun never held grudges against them. He continued to be filial to his parents and love his younger brother, taking on all the household chores himself. He knew how to fish, make pottery, mastered many skills, and even ran a small business. Whatever he did, he was humble, diligent, and hardworking, so he always achieved results. Moreover, he treated others with kindness and generosity. Although no one in his family liked him, those who worked with him grew to appreciate him. Gradually, everyone came to admire him and began to criticize the behavior of his parents and brother. This infuriated Gusou and Xiang, who then plotted together to harm Shun.
One day, Gusou told Shun that the granary roof had cracked and asked him to repair it. Under the scorching sun, Shun took two bamboo hats to shield himself from the heat and climbed a ladder to the roof. While he was focused on patching the cracks, Xiang secretly removed the ladder, and Gusou set fire to the straw piled around the granary, which quickly burst into flames. Trapped on the roof with no way to escape, Shun grew anxious but then spotted his two hats. Grabbing one in each hand, he flapped them as he leaped down, landing completely unharmed.
However, that cruel father and son did not stop there. Seeing that one scheme had failed, they devised another. They told Shun that water was insufficient and ordered him to dig a well. Without a word, Shun went to do it. When he had already dug very deep, Gusou and Xiang together lifted a huge stone and blocked the well's mouth, intending to trap Shun alive inside. But the clever Shun, realizing he was trapped in the well, simply changed direction and dug upward, soon reaching the surface.
Xiang thought his elder brother was surely dead and that he could now take over Shun's property, for Shun had accumulated quite a bit of wealth through his own hard work. But as he was rummaging through Shun's house without any restraint, searching here and there, Shun calmly pushed open the door and entered. Xiang was both terrified and deeply ashamed. However, Shun continued to honor his parents and love his younger brother just as before, as if nothing had happened. From then on, Gusou and Xiang no longer dared to harm him.
After hearing everyone's account, Yao believed that Shun was indeed tolerant and kind, so he decided to test Shun over a three-year period to determine if he was the right candidate. Yao appointed Shun to manage state affairs and married his daughters, Ehuang and Nüying, to Shun. True to his consistent diligence and intelligence, Shun achieved many accomplishments and earned recognition from all sides. Yao concluded that Shun was a virtuous and capable choice, and thus held an abdication ceremony, passing the throne to Shun. In the Mozi, chapter "Exalting the Virtuous, Part I," the abdication of Yao to Shun is recorded as follows: "Yao elevated Shun from the sunny side of Fuzé, entrusted him with governance, and the world was at peace."
After succeeding to the throne, Emperor Shun personally led the people in farming, fishing, hunting, and pottery-making, encouraging them to develop production; he appointed people based on merit, punished evil and promoted good, employing many talented individuals and punishing notorious wrongdoers; he convened tribal alliance meetings, standardized punishments, and improved the management system. Eight years later, Yao died, and Shun still wanted to yield the throne to Danzhu, but the people absolutely refused to recognize Danzhu as their leader, so Shun followed the people's will and continued to govern. When Shun grew old, like Yao, he convened a tribal alliance meeting to recommend and select a new leader through discussion. At that time, Yu the Great had successfully controlled the floods and gained recognition from all tribes, so he was elected as the alliance leader, and Shun also held a abdication ceremony.
The legend of Yao and Shun's "abdication" reflects the democratic system of primitive communes. Abdication was a relatively peaceful and democratic method of selecting the leader of a tribal alliance, giving leaders of major tribes the opportunity to share supreme power. This embodied the principle of "people-oriented and merit-based selection," which helped maintain unity within the tribal alliance and coordinate social production.