Emperor Ku was a legendary Chinese Emperor who was the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor and he was one of the five legendary Emperors of China. He ruled from around 2436 BC to around 2366 BC. He was said to be the first in China to establish schools and he was also apparently the first Chinese Emperor to practise polygamy. It was said that ever since a young age, Ku has been a person of high conduct and intelligence.

When Ku was only 15 years old, he was selected by his uncle, the Emperor Zhuanxu, to become an advisor. Since he proved himself helpful, he was given a piece of land, located in today’s Henan province. When Emperor Zhuanxu passed away, Ku inherited the throne. He was 30 years old at the time.

Legend has it that after becoming the Emperor, Ku set his capital in the city of Hao. At the time, there was a clan named Gong-gong, who was also very powerful and wanted the throne very much. Emperor Ku sent his warrior Li to fight against the enemies. Li, however, lost the war and was sentenced to death by the Emperor. Afterwards, Li’s brother, named Wu, took his place and led Emperor Ku’s army in the war. They won and the Gong-gong clan was eliminated. From this story came the legend of Gong-gong and Buzhou Mountain. It was said that Gong-gong was apparently so angry he lost the claim to the throne that he smashed his head into Buzhou Mountain, thus crashing it. The Mountain was said to be one of the pillars supporting the sky and with his crashing into it, the sky collapsed and the Goddess Nuwa had to try her best to mend it.

The Emperor Ku was known to be virtuous and righteous and lived a humble life throughout his reign. It is said that he often appeared to be stern, but his actions were always that of justice. He was also said to be a giving person who treated all his people equally. The Emperor also had great respect for both the Gods in Heaven and the Underworld, often praying to them in return for prosperity of his people. Under his rule, his people lived happy lives.

The Emperor Ku was apparently extremely fond of music. His musicians supposedly created many famous musical pieces and created several new musical instruments. The Emperor often held musical events in his palace and legend has it that when he did, rare birds such as the phoenix often gathered in his palace to join in the event. Apart from that, he was also thought to be fond of travelling and had visited many cities in ancient China.

Apart from Emperor Ku himself, his sons were also famous characters in Chinese legends and history. Many of his descendents went on to become Emperors of later dynasties. Among all, his son Yao, by his second wife, was also among the five legendary Emperors of Chinese history.

The Emperor Ku died at the old age of 105 though some sources also said that he was 92 when he died. He was buried in the woods of what is today the Henan province, together with his uncle the Emperor Zhuanxu.