Fuxi
In Chinese mythology, Fuxi is the earliest ancestor of humanity and the first of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. He is also a symbol marking the beginning of the Huaxia civilization. The name Fuxi was first seen in the literature of the times before the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), such as Guan Zi (The Book of Guan Zi), Xun Zi (The Book of Xun Zi) and Zhan Guo Ce (Records on the Warring States). Legend has it that Fuxi's mother Huaxu conceived him after stepping into a footprint of the God of Thunder and gave birth to him in Chengji (present-day Tianshui, Gansu Province). Fuxi built his capital in Chen (present-day Huaiyang District of Zhoukou, Henan Province).
According to legend, Fuxi created divination and bagua (eight trigrams) according to the changes in nature and devised a writing system that ended people's practice of keeping records by tying knots in ropes. He wove nets for catching birds and hunting animals, taught people how to fish and hunt, invented a musical instrument called se, and composed tunes for people to play. He united various tribes under the totem of long (Chinese dragon), different tribes thus became integrated, and dragon became the symbol of the Chinese nation and civilization. Fuxi divided the territory under his rule and appointed officials to manage them. This provided valuable references for later generations in social governance. He also instituted a marriage system, whereby a man would marry a woman as his spouse, and people were surnamed after animals, plants, residences or official titles. This prevented group and consanguineous marriages and started the system of Chinese surnames that has evolved to this day.
The Taihao Mausoleum in Zhoukou, the resting place of Fuxi, is reputed as the "No. 1 tomb in China." First built in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), the Mausoleum has survived 3,000 years and still hosts worshipping activities today. Every year, from the second day of the second month to the third day of the third month in the lunar calendar, millions of people from around the world will come here on a pilgrimage, making the Temple Fair of the Taihao Mausoleum the largest and oldest of its kind in China.
Fuxi has been revered by the Chinese nation not only as its own ancestor, but also as the earliest ancestor of humankind for his great contributions to the initiation and development of human society and the Chinese civilization. He was the object of high esteem and devout worship from all Chinese emperors.
伏羲
伏羲是中華神話中人類的始祖，華夏民族傳說中的三皇五帝之首，華夏文明史紀年符號。伏羲之名最早見于《管子》《荀子》《戰國策》等先秦文獻。相傳其母華胥在雷澤踩了巨大的腳印而有孕，生伏羲于成紀（今甘肅省天水市），定都在陳（今河南省周口市淮陽區）。
相傳，伏羲根據天地萬物的變化，發明創造了占卜八卦，創造文字，結束了人們“結繩記事”的歷史。他又結繩為網，用來捕鳥打獵，教會了人們漁獵的方法，發明了瑟，創作了曲調。伏羲以龍為圖騰，將氏族各部落統一起來，進行民族大融合，使龍成為中華民族的圖騰和獨特精神標識，成為中華文明和中華民族多元一體的象征。伏羲將其統治地域分而治之，而且任命官員進行社會管理，為后代治理社會提供借鑒。伏羲還制定了人類的嫁娶制度，實行男女配偶制，以動物、植物、居所、官職等為姓，防止亂婚和近親結婚，使中華姓氏自此起源，綿延至今。
河南省至今仍完好保存著的伏羲陵墓——太昊陵，被譽為“天下第一陵”，占地875畝，規模宏大，始建于春秋，歷經3000年，祭祀活動綿延不衰。每年的農歷二月初二到三月初三，世界各地數百萬人前來朝圣，太昊陵廟會成為中國規模最大最古老的民間廟會。
伏羲以其卓著的功績、肇啟文明的偉大貢獻，被中華民族推崇為人文始祖、華夏祖先，自古以來就受到歷代帝王的尊敬與祭祀，對中華民族的文明進步發揮了重要作用。
