Lady Xiu (), formerly romanized as Lady Hsiu, is a figure in

Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of t ...

. In the ''

Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese his ...

'', Sima Qian's account of the origin of the

House of Ying This is a family tree of Chinese monarchs during the Warring States period. Warring States period In 771 BC, a coalition of feudal lords and the Western Rong tribes overthrew King You and drove the Zhou out of the Wei valley. During ...

states that she became pregnant with

Ye the Great Ye or Yeh the Great () was a figure in Chinese mythology. In the ''Records of the Grand Historian'', Sima Qian's account of the origin of the House of Ying made him the son of Lady Xiu and the egg of a black bird. He was said to have been the ...

after eating the egg of a black Sima Qian. ''

''

Guoxue, 2003. Accessed 11 Dec 2013. Sima Qian. ''

'' translated by William Nienhauser as '' '',
p. 87
Indiana University Press, 1994. Accessed 11 Dec 2013. sometimes identified as a

swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

. This story closely parallels another, told about the origin of the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

.Birrell, Anne. ''Chinese Mythology: An Introduction''

University 1999. ISBN 0801861837. Accessed 11 Dec 2013. Her grandson

Fei the Great Yi (Chinese: , ''Yì''; millennium BCE) was a tribal leader of Longshan culture and a culture hero in Chinese mythology who helped Shun and Yu the Great control the Great Flood; he served afterwards as a government minister and a successo ...

(later titled Boyi) was reckoned as the ancestor of the ruling houses of

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

and Zhao during the Spring & Autumn and

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...

s of Chinese history.

References

Women in Chinese mythology Ancient Chinese women {{china-hist-stub