Han Zhuo

Han Zhuo was a mythical Chinese hero who usurped Houyi as leader of a people near the Xia in prehistoric China. He and his sons appear in a number of Chinese legends, and there are various conflicting accounts of how he died.

Legends The legendary tomb of Han Zhuo, location in Hanting Subdistrict, Shandong. Houyi was said to have saved the world from destruction by destroying nine of the ten suns which once shone over the world. Under the Shang, the Chinese week was divided into ten days, each honoring particular royal ancestors and each regarded as having a separate sun shining in turn. He was said to have become a tyrant after his wife Chang'e stole his elixir of immortality and ascended to the moon. Separately, he appeared as a historical figure in records such as the Bamboo Annals, where he conquered the Xia capital Zhenxun during the early years of the reign of . Han Zhuo was originally from the state of Hai. He was a relative or "minor functionary" of Bo Ming , lord of Han, but was dismissed.

He joined Houyi's court and ingratiated himself to its ladies. Liberal in his gifts and unwilling to do the daily drudgework of rule, Houyi entrusted him with greater and greater responsibility while he focused on his archery. at the instigation of Houyi's wife. In one account, the pair waylaid him as he was returning from a hunt; Houyi's body was prepared as a meal for his son while in battle with the Xia refugees. In other accounts, he committed suicide, after which Shao Kang restored the Xia dynasty. In others, he was first succeeded by his son Ao, remembered as a strongman and revered as the "Arrogant King", a culture hero credited with the invention of ships and numbered among the Kings of the Water Immortals. Han Jiao was killed by Xiang's son .