This is an ancient myth and legend. Yu (大禹) was the chieftain of the Xiahou clan (夏后氏), also known as Xia Yu or Rong Yu (夏禹、戎禹). According to tradition, his father, Gun (鲧), was ordered by Emperor Yao to control the floods. Gun stole the Heavenly Emperor’s “living soil” (息壤, Xirang) to build dikes, but after nine years he failed to subdue the waters. Yu was then entrusted by Yao to continue the work. Adopting a strategy of guiding the waters according to the natural contours of the land, he finally brought the floods under control. During his efforts, Yu passed by his own home three times without entering. Succeeding Shun as the leader of the tribal confederation, Yu divided the realm into the Nine Provinces and established his capital at Anyi.
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