Legend has it that when Emperor Yao was the ruler of ancient China over 4000 years ago, thanks to his good governance, he led his country to the peak of prosperity and thus gained the respect and trust of his people.

Unfortunately, his son was not an able man, so when Yuan finally chose to abdicate, he passed the throne onto Shun, a man with both talent and moral integrity. “You must find the right heir to your throne, if so I can die peacefully,” Emperor Yao told his successor, Shun. Shun promised Yao he would find a worthy successor of his own, and Yao died peacefully.

Years later, when he reached the end of his reign, Emperor Shun passed on his throne to Yu, who had proven his ability at controlling floods. Like Emperor Shun, his successor, Emperor Yu, was very kind and close to the people and did many things for people’s well-being, and was thus deeply loved by his people.

Later people regarded the day when Emperor Shun offered sacrifices to the late Emperor Yao as the first day of a new year, and called it “Yuan Dan.” It should be noted that the date of Yuan Dan in ancient China was not necessarily the same as that of New Year’s Day today, which falls on January 1st in the Gregorian calendar.

By Yangping

Editor: Shi Liwei