In China's historical records, the period ruled by Yao, Shun, and Yu was regarded as an age that benefited the people, yet their deeds were never adapted into plays for the stage.
Stories of tyrants were rarely adapted into plays either. Yu founded the first hereditary dynasty, the Xia dynasty, because his fief was called Xia. Although an empire had been established by then, its overall structure remained very primitive. Though it went through many crises and transformations, such crises and transformations always accompanied the emergence of autocratic rule.
It was difficult to describe the social turmoil of that time in just a sentence or two. Though each upheaval differed somewhat, they all essentially presented the same scene: a listless ruler lacked ambition, indulged in pleasure, and was eventually overthrown by a bold feudal lord who rose in rebellion. Supported by a small group of dissatisfied men, the bold feudal lord proclaimed himself king. This ruler soon cast aside the lessons of his predecessor's downfall and likewise sank into a life of arrogance, luxury, and debauchery. Under attack from an opponent with political ambitions, his dynasty instantly crumbled. What we saw was either the image of Shao Kang or a portrait of Lü Gui; they were China's Titus and Caligula. In the eyes of the Chinese, Lü Gui was the archetypal tyrant. He married a woman as wicked as himself, and the dreadful couple indulged in limitless depravity and slaughtered innocents at will. Their luxurious palace had ivory walls and decorations of every kind of gemstone. Within that palace, they ordered a pool of wine dug and rows upon rows of delicious roasted meat piled around it. To taste the savory meat, one had to drink vast quantities of liquor, and excessive drinking made people lose their reason. The emperor