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You Chao 有巢

Oct 30, 2024 © Ulrich Theobald

You Chao 有巢 or You Chao shi 有巢氏, also called Da Chao 大巢 "The Grand Nest-Maker", is a mythological figure and one of the creator heroes of Chinese culture. You Shi was believed to have invented house building. The story is first mentioned in the book Zhuangzi 莊子 (ch. Daozhi 盜跖), where Da Chao is praised as a person who created wooden constructions made of various oak and chestnut trees (xiang li 橡栗) for shelter during the night to protect the people against wild beasts. The book Hanfeizi 韓非子 (ch. Wudu 五蠹) furthermore says that he was proclaimed king for his invention. Luo Bi's 羅泌 history book Lushi 路史 (ch. Chantong ji 禪通記) also explains that You Shi was riding a chariot drawn by six dragons who followed the sun and the moon. He is, therefore, sometimes counted among the august kings of old. The place where he created the first houses made of wood is believed to have been located south of Mt. Shiqi 石樓山 (today's Linyi 臨沂, Shandong).

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