Youchao Builds Nests

Shelter Above the Ground

Sage Youchao taught people to build nests in trees, ending the age of cave dwelling.

When people still lived in caves and hollows, beasts and serpents attacked them by night. A sage taught them to build shelters of wood high above the ground — nests for humans — and the people found safety at last. They made him their king and called him Youchao, “He Who Has Nests,” marking the first step from the wild toward the house and the city.