Epic Tales from Ancient China: History with a Twist [002]

Fuxi: The Thinker of the Neolithic 8 Who Brought Ideas to Life

In today’s world, big data acts as our 'wise oracle,' predicting the chance of rain or an unlucky mishap on your morning walk—like stepping in dog mess. Yet, these high-tech systems require constant upkeep—if they lose power or crash, you’re left in the dark. Long ago, our ancestors had a simpler method: tossing coins to foresee fortune or trouble, no batteries required. This clever system owes its roots to Fuxi (伏羲氏)! That’s right, folks: he’s the star of the show today—the guy with a natural charisma, broadcasting live outdoors from the tribe’s campfire to the river where the Dragon Horse appeared, with fans spanning from wild men to wildlife—the lead singer of the N8, Fuxi! If he were alive in 2025, he’d definitely be a viral content creator, combining tech, music, and lifestyle vlogs.

Back then, the tribe’s biggest headache wasn’t wild beasts but unreliable shamans who constantly mispredicted the weather.  They’d warn of rain only for the sun to blaze down, scorching the crops. Their hunting advice was no better, often leading the tribe into the path of predators instead of prey. Frustrated by these "false prophets,” Fuxi pondered how to make them quiet.  

One day, while squatting by the river, he noticed a dragon horse—a mythical creature—with intricate patterns on its back. Inspired, he created the Eight Trigrams: eight symbols that could represent the universe’s complexities. Like building blocks, these symbols combined into sixty-four hexagrams, predicting everything from harmony to conflict. For example, heaven and earth together symbolized balance, while water and fire represented problem-solving. With this system, Fuxi’s predictions got way more accurate, leaving the shamans looking for new gigs, like fishing or foraging.

Another day, Fuxi was squatting under a tree, staring at a spider web and thought: If I could enlarge this, it’d be faster than catching fish by hand. He wove vines into a net, and the next day, the hunters returned with a lot of fish. Suiren, the BBQ king and N8 crew's beat master, got so hyped that he had to rap:

"BBQ's more than just meat on the grill;

It's the fish and shrimp you snag with skill!”

Little did Fuxi know, he invented the net to catch his prey for a feast, but fast forward a few millennia, it’s worn on legs to capture the eye at least!... well, attention! One's about hunting dinner, the other's about hunting dear!

Anyway, with the net, the tribe’s meals went from occasional snacks to daily feasts, and even the dogs were wagging their tails in approval: “Bro. Fu, your daydreaming is genius!” Indeed, daydreaming was Fuxi’s secret to innovation, filling up the progress bar of human civilization. His fans even coined the slogan: “Fuxi in a daze, mind starts to blaze”.

Centuries later, a guy named “The Thinker” also liked to squat and ponder, but sadly, he didn’t stare at anything, so he ended up thinking from 1880 all the way to 2025, and aside from buffing up his muscle lines, he came up with nothing! Ah, it’s a reminder: true wisdom lies not just in thinking but in creating.

In the era of the N8, the tribe still practices the sharing model of "Today my spouse, tomorrow others' Mrs.", resulting in kids just claiming moms wherever they find them, turning tribe meetings into family reunions. Fuxi pondered again: We need rituals for stability. He introduced the exchange of shell necklaces as a symbol of commitment, bringing order to the tribe’s social life. This simple act spared the tribe endless debates over “whose child looks like whom.”

But Fuxi didn’t stop there. One day, Fuxi was once again squatting in a cave, twisting some vines when he suddenly realized: a taut vine can actually “buzz” when it snaps! Excited, Fuxi tied strings to a wooden stick, used a turtle shell as a resonator, and created the first-ever three-stringed instrument. He plucked a string, and the melody of “Wolf Legend” had the crows outside in a tizzy, and the wild wolves howling in response!

Nüwa (女娲), humans creator (we'll talk about her later), rushed in: “Hey, Fuxi! are you summoning a wolf concert?” With a grin, Fuxi loosened the strings by three notches and instantly switched to“High Mountains and Flowing Water”—the dog gnawing on a bone immediately flopped down and wagged its tail… From that day on,  the tribe settled disputes with the trigrams, exchanged shell necklaces for proposals, and celebrated with open-air concerts. 

Fuxi’s legacy teaches us that daydreaming comes in different levels—purposeful daydreaming is called 'DeepSeek,' while aimless daydreaming can only be termed as "DeepFake" . So next time someone scolds you for daydreaming, just say, “I’m channeling Fuxi’s genius!” And if they claim ancient people only knew rock-paper-scissors, remind them that Fuxi’s prediction system was more reliable than today’s tech. As for why it can’t predict your future success? That’s a secret only Fuxi knows.

Your English skills are way better than mine. Do you live outside of China?