Emperor Ku - As Emperor

As Emperor

When he became emperor, Ku added the title Di, meaning "emperor", or "god-emperor", in front of his name. After achieving the imperial title, Di Ku was said to travel seasonally by riding a dragon in spring and summer, and a horse in autumn and winter. Among other things, Di Ku was an inventor of musical instruments and composer of songs. According to the Lüshi Chunqiu, drums, bells, chimes, pipes, ocarinas, and flutes were all invented, on the orders of Di Ku, by his subordinate Yourui; Di Ku's lyrics had musical scores composed by his assistant Xianhei; and by a further imperial command, a dance accompaniment was provided by a phoenix. Although Ku held the title Di, it is unclear what territory, if any, his empire might have consisted of. The same title Di was later assumed by the king of Qin, upon conquering his neighboring kingdoms and forging them into the first historically-known empire of China.