King Tang of Shang

Tang, also called Cheng Tang, was the founder of the Shang dynasty. Tradition says he overthrew Jie, the tyrannical last ruler of the Xia, at the battle of Mingtiao, around 1600 BCE. His minister Yi Yin is a famous figure of early Chinese lore.

Unlike the earlier sage kings, Tang appears in contemporary evidence: the Shang oracle-bone inscriptions, the earliest Chinese writing, refer to him as Da Yi or Tai Yi in hundreds of records of sacrifice. Exact dates for his reign are still debated. Later tradition praised him as humane and told how he offered himself as a sacrifice to end a drought, before rain came.

In the Bowuzhi, compiled by Zhang Hua around 290 CE, a west wind carries a flying cart from the Qigong people into Tang's realm. Tang has it taken apart so his people will not see it, and has it rebuilt ten years later when an east wind can carry the travelers home. This is a late literary tale, not part of the historical record of his reign.