Account

In the first year of King Yi of Zhou, dawn broke twice over Zheng — the same morning produced two sunrise-like brightenings. Modern astronomers suggest a total solar eclipse creating a "day-night-day" pattern; others propose an atmospheric optical anomaly. The Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project used this record to date the Western Zhou.

Contested

⚠️ Academic debate: The total-eclipse hypothesis is dominant, but the precise mechanism for "two dawns" is still discussed. The atmospheric-anomaly hypothesis lacks supporting weather records.

Sources

• Bamboo Annals