His mother was named Changpu (昌僕) from the Shushan clan (蜀山氏), according to Sima Qian, and Niuqu (女樞) according to the Bamboo Annals.

[citation needed] Zhuanxu was claimed as an ancestor by many of the dynasties of Chinese history, including the Mi of Chu and Yue, the Yíng of Qin, and the Cao of Wei.

[citation needed] According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), upon the death of the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu's uncle Shaohao never reigned as king, as he was purported to do in other documents.

[9] Zhuanxu was credited with introducing the practice of sacrifice to soil and grain, which was essential to Chinese government until the fall of the Qing.

[citation needed] The Bamboo Annals also credit him with composing one of the earliest pieces of music, known as "The Answer to the Clouds (承雲)".

[citation needed] The Bamboo Annals record that in the thirteenth year of his reign, Zhuanxu "invented calendric calculations and delineations of the heavenly bodies (歷象)".

According to the Lu Xing (呂刑) chapter of Shang Shu:We are told that the Miao (苗)… created oppressive punishments which pushed the people into disorder.

However, during Longshan culture, shamans could only be hired by a few people, suggesting a monopoly of the ability to ascend to and descend from Heaven.