Much information about the patriarchal commune is documented in Chinese literature, like the Records of the Grand Historian and the Bamboo Annals.
《史记》、《竹书纪年》等中国古文献中记载了许多有关父系氏族社会的情况。
At the early stage of it, some excellent chieftains appeared. Among them, the most distinguished ones are Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
在早期父系氏族社会中，出现了一些杰出的部落联盟领袖，其中最著名 是“三皇五帝”。
Though countries had not come into being at that time, these rulers were regarded as semi-mythical sage-kings and moral exemplars.
虽然当时国家还没有出现,他们并非帝王，但在中国文化传统中，他们被视为圣贤明君。
Tradition considers one of them, Huang Di, as the ancestor of the Chinese people.
其中的黄帝被视为中华民族的祖先。