It is said that during the era of Yao and Shun, the late Ice Age was coming to an end, the climate warmed, and ice and snow melted, causing sea levels to rise rapidly and seawater to flow inland; the ancient Yellow River changed course to enter the sea through the Subei Plain, the Huai River silted up, and the raging floods submerged the Huai and Si river basins, with vast waters spreading everywhere, flooding the land, and the area west of Mount Tai, south to the Yimeng Mountains, and down to northern Jiangsu became a vast ocean, with all things in heaven and earth rising and falling in the towering floodwaters. Regarding this scene, the "Book of Documents: Canon of Yao" describes it thus: "The vast and mighty waters are cutting into the land, surging around the mountains and covering the hills, rising to the heavens."
Farmland was submerged, houses were destroyed, and the people were displaced, homeless and forced to flee on wooden boats to high mountains and hills to avoid being swept away. As a result, normal production and daily life could not continue, leaving them stranded on isolated islands in the vast flood, helplessly gazing at the water.
Yao convened a tribal alliance council, inviting all tribal leaders to discuss the best strategy for flood control. The tribal leaders all recommended Gun to manage the flood disaster. Gun, historically known as the Earl of Chong, was a minister of Emperor Yao and the father of Yu. Yao felt that Gun had a violent temper and was not suitable for flood control, but since there was no other more suitable candidate at the time and controlling the floods was an urgent priority, Yao decided to let Gun give it a try.
Gun's method of controlling the flood primarily involved blocking, as he built high earthen dams to contain the water and prevent it from flowing everywhere. However, the floodwaters were so fierce that no matter how high the dams were, they were all breached by the surging torrent, causing the floods to spread again. Gun then patched up breaches here and there, exhausting himself in a frantic struggle. Thus, after nine years of flood control efforts, which consumed vast amounts of manpower and resources, the floods still did not cease. In a fit of anger, Gun stole the Heavenly Emperor's treasure, "Xirang," a miraculous soil that could grow endlessly, providing as much as needed. Gun cast Xirang into the flood, hoping the ever-growing earth would bury the waters, but instead, the floods became even more severe.
Gun committed a heinous crime, enraging the Heavenly Emperor, who ordered the Fire God to execute him in the wilds of Mount Yu.
At that time, humanity was still in the exploratory stage of flood control, lacking experience and inevitably encountering setbacks. Although Gun failed to succeed in managing the floods, his mistakes in methods provided valuable lessons and pointed the way for his successors. Later, Yao abdicated in favor of Shun, who personally inspected the flood situation. By then, Gun's son Yu had grown into adulthood. Shun, seeing his dignified and imposing demeanor, believed he would achieve great things, so he ordered Yu to continue his father's unfinished work of flood control, and assigned Hou Ji, Bo Yi, Gao Yao, and others to assist him.
Yu was deeply grieved that his father "failed in his work and was executed," so he devoted all his energy and vowed to cure the flood. He was very intelligent and could endure hardship. After receiving the order, he led Boyi, Gaoyao, and others to survey the terrain and water conditions, seeking the reasons for past failures in flood control. He led the group across mountains and rivers, tracing the Yellow River's source upstream and conducting a comprehensive survey of its upper and lower reaches. During this survey, he discovered that besides the main channel, the Yellow River had many branches flowing elsewhere. At notable locations, he piled up stones or cut down trees as markers for future reference in flood control. The climate was harsh, and their tools were very primitive, making this survey extremely arduous and perilous. It is said that once, while surveying a river channel, a sudden thunderstorm erupted with lightning and wind, triggering a flash flood that drowned and swept away many of their companions.
After completing his investigation, Yu the Great carefully studied the flood conditions and concluded that his father's method of "blocking" was unworkable, as the violent floodwaters, with no outlet, would inevitably breach the dikes. Therefore, he decided to abandon "blocking" in favor of "dredging": deepening and widening the main channel of the Yellow River to allow more water to flow unimpeded, then clearing the tributaries that fed into the main river so that water could merge smoothly with it. Additionally, he raised the original embankments and removed silt from low-lying areas, thereby clearly separating land from lakes. At the same time, he dredged the channels of various large and small lakes and tributaries, so that when water levels rose, the floodwaters would follow these channels into the main river and flow out to the sea.
Having devised a method for controlling the floods, Yu personally led his assistants and the common people, armed with simple tools such as stone axes, stone knives, stone spades, and wooden plows, to embark on their flood-control campaign. Yu always took the lead in every task, and under his leadership, the people were united in their determination to never rest until the floodwaters were subdued. They endured exposure to wind and dew, wore coarse clothes and ate simple meals, and trekked through the mountains without pause, rain or shine. Despite their daily toil, which left them unable to straighten their backs and with swollen legs, they never dared to slack off.
Once, they arrived at a towering mountain in the southern outskirts of Luoyang, Henan, which was a branch of the Qinling mountain range stretching from east to west all the way to the Central Peak, Mount Song. This mountain stood steep and majestic, like a natural high screen. In the middle section of this mountain, there was a narrow, winding natural waterway that, when the water flow was low, formed a gentle trickling stream flowing softly through the ravines. However, when flash floods struck, the water would roar and surge through the narrow channel, crashing against the rocky banks, threatening to overflow and endanger the safety of the surrounding people. Yu the Great decided to focus on widening, deepening, and straightening this waterway. The hard mountain rocks wore down their tools, and the treacherous terrain caused people to be injured by falling stones, fall off the cliffs, or be swept away by the floods. Yet they never retreated, persisting in carving a path through the mountain. Through their relentless efforts, they finally chiseled out a broad waterway between the cliffs, forming a gorge with walls facing each other, allowing the floodwaters to flow smoothly downstream, no longer posing a threat to the nearby residents.
《ZhuangziIt records Yu's great achievements with utmost reverence, praising his indomitable will, describing how Yu personally wielded tools to "channel the nine rivers across the land, his thighs without flesh, his calves without hair, enduring drenching rains and fierce winds, establishing order among the myriad states. Yu, a great sage, toiled so harshly for the world." This means that to control the floods, Yu spared no effort, personally took up tools, led the people to promote benefits and eliminate harms, and worked alongside them through wind and rain at the forefront of flood control. His arduous labor left him gaunt, his thighs thin with little flesh, and the hair on his calves worn away. Yu was such a sage who endured hardships to save the people. Because he was constantly away managing floods, Yu had no time for his wife and family. It is said that he set out to control the floods just four days after his wedding, and this journey lasted ten years, during which he passed by his home three times without entering. His spirit of sacrificing family for the nation and putting public duty before private interests is still celebrated today.
Over ten years, they crossed countless mountains and dredged numerous rivers and canals, leaving their footprints across the entire land. Through his arduous and extraordinary efforts, flood control progressed rapidly. As recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian, the Xia Benji, "The Huai and Yi rivers were tamed, and the Meng and Yu mountains were cultivated." This refers to the area between Mount Meng and Mount Yu, through which the Huai and Yi rivers flow, where the ancient flood-prone channels of the Yellow and Huai rivers were cleared, and the floodwaters trapped in the mountains were channeled into the sea. Meanwhile, in the low-lying areas, four lakes—Weishan, Dongping, Juye, and Luoma—were formed, providing favorable water sources for farming. Fertile fields and mulberry lands emerged on the surface, allowing the people to once again plant crops and return to a peaceful, settled life.
Facing the mighty floodwaters, Yu the Great led the people in a tenacious struggle against them, ultimately using his wisdom and unyielding efforts to tame the disaster. This legend embodies the Chinese national spirit of diligence, courage, perseverance, selflessness, and unity in overcoming difficulties.
During his efforts to control the floods, Yu gained knowledge of the land and resources across the Central Plains. After the floods subsided, he divided the territory into administrative regions including Qing, Yan, Xu, Yang, Liang, Yu, Ji, Jing, and Yong, and set tributes and taxes for each area. This truly established a unified realm under heaven.
Later generations praised Yu's achievements in flood control and respectfully called him "Great Yu." When Shun grew old, he followed Yao's example by convening a tribal alliance meeting to select a successor. Yu, having earned great popular support through his successful flood management, was unanimously recommended, and so Shun abdicated and passed the leadership of the alliance to Yu.