Shennong

Shennong (Chinese: 神農, 神农, Shénnóng; Japanese: Shinno, 神農; Korean: 신농, Sinnong; Vietnamese: Thần Nông), which mean "Divine Farmer", also known as the Emperor of the Five Grains ( 五穀先帝, 五谷先帝, Wǔgǔxiāndì), was a legendary ruler of China and culture hero. Shennong is considered to have been one of the Three Sovereigns (also known as "Three Emperors") who lived some 5,000 years ago. Shennong has been thought to have taught the ancient Chinese not only their practices of agriculture, but also the use of herbal drugs. Shennong is among the group of variously named heroic gods or demigods) who have been traditionally given credit for various ancient Chinese inventions: these include, the hoe, plow (both leisi style and the plowshare), axe, digging wells, agricultural irrigation, preserving stored seeds by using boiled horse urine, the weekly farmers market, the Chinese calendar (especially the 24 jieqi (solar term) divisions), and to have refined the therapeutic understanding of taking pulse measurements, acupuncture, and moxibustion, and to have instituted the harvest thanksgiving ceremony (Zhaji Sacrificial Rite, later known as the Laji Rite).

"Shennong" can also be taken to refer to his people, the Shennong-shi ( 神農氏, 神农氏, Shénnóngshì) or "Clan of Shinong". Since shì can mean both "clan" and "maiden name" and serve as a masculine honorific like "mister" or "sir", it is sometimes used in reference to his people, sometimes in reference to the individual.