HUM 140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Dharma, Yellow Emperor, Gautama Buddha
Document Summary
Supplied water to more farmland than any other river civilization. Cities were built for trade, not a defense. This is where silk gained its importance. Ancient chinese tales passed down as oral tradition. Destruction of humans - leaving two to repopulate. A brother and sister are placed in a pumpkin and must repopulate the world when everyone else is killed. The sinking city - a statue weeps blood as a city is slowly overwhelmed. Nu kua - a mother goddess creates humans, and then saves them from a flood. Yu the great - prehistoric chinese leader who controlled the waters . He built dams to divert the floodwater, a public works project lasting 13 years. The historical figure has been turned into a myth, assisted by a dragon. Symbols were inscribed on the animal bones and thrown into a fire. The bones would crack, and the cracks changed the meaning of the writing.
