How did human life evolve from primitive groups to the early stages of clan communes? Ancient China has many legends about this. In these legends, there are often great figures who were both leaders and inventors. These legends are mostly imagined by ancient people based on the lives of primitives in ancient times.
Primitive tools were very simple, and they were surrounded by many fierce beasts that could attack them at any time. Later, they saw birds making nests in trees where beasts couldn't climb, thus being safe. Inspired by this, primitives started building their own nests in trees, essentially creating small houses up there, which was much safer. This practice is later referred to as "constructing wood into a nest" (巢 means bird's nest). Who invented it? It was naturally discovered collectively, but legend attributes this to one person named "You Chaoshi".
The earliest primitives didn't know how to use fire; everything was eaten raw. Not only plant fruits but also hunted animals were consumed raw, including fur and blood. Only later did they discover the use of fire (traces of fire usage have been found at the Peking Man site in Zhoukoudian, indicating that fire was already known then).
Natural phenomena like volcanic eruptions or lightning strikes causing forest fires existed long before humans. However, when primitives first encountered fire, they were terrified instead of utilizing it. One day, they accidentally found roasted game, tasted it, and realized its deliciousness. Through numerous trials, they gradually learned to cook food with fire and devised ways to preserve the fire year-round.
After a considerable period, people discovered that drilling hard and sharp pieces of wood against another piece of hardwood produced sparks, or striking flint rocks could create fire. This marked the beginning of artificial fire-making (archaeological findings suggest that the Upper Cave People had already mastered this skill). Who invented this? Naturally, it was the collective effort of laborers, but legend credits a single figure called "Sui Ren Shi".
Artificial fire-making was a remarkable invention. From then on, people could eat cooked food anytime, expanding their diet variety. It's said that Sui Ren Shi taught fishing, allowing fish, turtles, clams, and other seafood previously too pungent to be consumed raw, to be enjoyed after cooking.
Over an extended period, people began using ropes to weave nets for hunting and invented bows and arrows, significantly improving hunting efficiency beyond just using wooden sticks or stone tools. They could now hunt not only land animals but also birds in the sky and fish in water. Captured animals, if alive, could be kept for future consumption, leading to animal husbandry. Such practices—net weaving, hunting, and livestock raising—were accumulated through collective labor experience. Legends attribute these innovations to "Fuxi Shi" or "Bao Xi Shi" (Bao Xi refers to kitchen and sacrifice).
This era of fishing and hunting lasted for countless years until human civilization advanced further. Initially, primitives randomly scattered wild grains on the ground, discovering sprouts the next year and harvests in autumn, leading to widespread cultivation. They made farming tools like耒耜 (a type of wooden spade) from wood to till soil and grow crops, increasing yields. Legends credit a single individual, "Shennong Shi", for initiating agriculture.
Legend has it that Shennong Shi personally tasted various wild herbs and fruits, distinguishing between sweet and bitter flavors and identifying poisonous ones. He discovered edible foods and medicinal herbs, laying the foundation for traditional medicine.
From You Chaoshi to Shennong Shi, these legendary figures likely never existed individually. However, the progression from constructing nests, mastering fire, to hunting, herding, and developing agriculture reflects advancements in primitive productivity, which does hold some truth. In 1952, a clan village site dating back approximately six to seven thousand years was discovered in Banpo Village, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, revealing that people at that time had already mastered animal husbandry and farming techniques.