Shennong

Shennong

Shennong (Chinese: 神農; pinyin: Shénnóng), variously translated as "Divine Farmer" or "Divine Husbandman", born Jiang Shinian (姜石年), was a mythological Chinese ruler known as the first Yan Emperor who has become a deity in Chinese folk religion. He is venerated as a culture hero in China. Shennong has at times been counted amongst the Three Sovereigns (also known as "Three Kings" or "Three Patrons"), a group of ancient deities or deified kings of prehistoric China. Shennong has been thought to have taught the ancient Chinese not only their practices of agriculture, but also the use of herbal medicine. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 39 different languages on Wikipedia. Shennong is the 2,047th most popular politician (down from 1,680th in 2024). (down from 151st in 2019)

Shennong is most famous for the discovery of the use of plants for medicinal purposes.