page_title: Xiangshuishen
section_title: The First Qin Emperor and Xiang Jun
hierarchical_section_title: Xiangshuishen / The First Qin Emperor and Xiang Jun
caption_attribution_description: English: Autumn Moon over Lake Dongting, from Eight Famous Sights of the Xiao River and the Xiang River by Yokoyama Taikan, Tokyo National Museum, Japan 日本語: 絹本著色瀟湘八景図 横山大観筆 洞庭秋月
context_page_description: The Xiangshuishen or Xiang River Goddesses are goddesses of the Xiang River in Chinese folk religion. The Xiang flowed into Dongting Lake through the ancient kingdom of Chu, whose songs in their worship have been recorded in a work attributed to Qu Yuan. According to the Shanhaijing, the Xiang River deities were daughters of the supreme deity, Di. According to a somewhat later tradition, the Xiang goddesses were daughters of Emperor Yao, who were named Ehuang and Nüying who were said to have been married by him to his chosen successor, and eventually emperor, Shun, as a sort of test of his administrative abilities: then, later, they became goddesses, after the death of their husband.
context_section_description: According to Sima Qian's History (Ch.6, "Annals of the First Qin Emperor"), in the 28th year of his reign (219 BCE), the Qin Emperor went on an excursion, wishing to visit the holy mountain of Heng (the southernmost of the Five Sacred Mountains of China, in present-day in Hunan). However, while attempting to travel there by boat, the emperor suddenly encountered a great wind which nearly prevented his safely reaching land (much less reaching his destination). The incident took place near the shrine of Xiang Jun (on Xiangshan, now an island in Dongting Lake). Upon inquiring about identity of Xiang Jun, the emperor learned that the name referred to the daughters of Yao and the wives of Shun who were buried at this location. Before returning home (by the different Wu Pass land route), the enraged emperor ordered 3000 convict laborers to cut down all of the trees on this mountain, and then to paint the entire mountain red. Part of the reason for the Qin emperor's fury was that the Xiang goddess(es) were patron deities of his old enemies of the Kingdom of Chu; the color red was intended to symbolize the color of the clothing mandated for convicted criminals.
caption: "Autumn Moon over Dongting Lake", the lake where the Xiang River Goddesses island shrine was located. By Yokoyama Taikan, from a set of Eight Views of Xiaoxiang.
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