More than four thousand years ago, numerous clans and tribes lived in the regions around the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins of ancient China. The Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) is the most famous tribal chieftain in legend.
The tribe led by the Yellow Emperor originally lived near the Ji River in the northwest of ancient China. Later, they moved to Zhuolu (in present-day Zhuolu and Huailai areas of Hebei Province), where they began to develop animal husbandry and agriculture, and settled down.
Another tribal chieftain contemporary with the Yellow Emperor was the Flame Emperor (Yandi), who originally lived near the Jiang River in the northwest of China. It is said that his tribe was closely related to the Yellow Emperor's. The Flame Emperor's tribe gradually declined, while the tribe of the Yellow Emperor was growing in power.
At this time, there was a powerful chieftain named Chiyou (pronounced "chīyōu") from the Jiuli tribe, renowned for his ferocity. Legend says Chiyou had eighty-one brothers, all possessing the bodies of fierce beasts, with bronze heads and iron foreheads, eating sand and stones, and unmatched in ferocity. They manufactured various weapons such as swords, spears, bows, and crossbows, and frequently led their tribe to raid and plunder other tribes.
Once, Chiyou invaded the territory of the Flame Emperor. The Flame Emperor raised an army to resist, but he was no match for Chiyou and was utterly defeated. With no other options, the Flame Emperor fled to Zhuolu to seek help from the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor had long wished to eliminate this scourge to all tribes, so he united various tribes, gathered troops and provisions, and launched a decisive battle against Chiyou on the plains of Zhuolu.
There are many mythological legends about this great battle. It is said that the Yellow Emperor usually kept and trained six kinds of wild beasts: bears, bears (pí), pí, xiū, chū, and tigers. During battle, he would release these fierce animals to aid his forces (some believe these six legendary beasts actually represent six clans named after animals). Although Chiyou's soldiers were fierce, when they encountered the army of the Yellow Emperor, along with this group of ferocious beasts, they could not withstand the assault and fled in defeat.
The Yellow Emperor led his troops in a victorious pursuit, but suddenly the sky darkened, thick fog filled the air, fierce winds blew, thunder roared, and lightning flashed, preventing the Yellow Emperor's soldiers from continuing the chase. It turned out that Chiyou had summoned the "Wind God and Rain Master" to aid him in battle. The Yellow Emperor, refusing to be outdone, called upon a celestial maiden who dispersed the wind and rain. In an instant, the wind ceased, the rain stopped, the sky cleared, and Chiyou was finally defeated. Another legend claims that Chiyou used sorcery to create a dense fog, causing the Yellow Emperor's troops to lose their direction. The Yellow Emperor then used a "south-pointing chariot" to guide his army, pursuing Chiyou's forces along their escape route, ultimately capturing and killing Chiyou. These myths reflect the extreme intensity of this war.
Seeing the Yellow Emperor defeat Chiyou, the various tribes were greatly pleased. The Yellow Emperor gained the support of many tribes. However, conflict also arose between the Flame Emperor's tribe and the Yellow Emperor's tribe. The two sides fought a battle at Banquan (southeast of present-day Zhuolu County, Hebei), where the Flame Emperor was defeated. From then on, the Yellow Emperor became the leader of the tribal alliance in the Central Plains region.
Legend says that the era of the Yellow Emperor saw many inventions and creations, such as building houses, making carts, building boats, and producing colorful clothing. Of course, these were not invented by one person alone, but later generations attributed them all to the Yellow Emperor.
Legend also tells of the Yellow Emperor having a wife named Leizu (pronounced "léi zǔ"), who personally participated in labor. Originally, silkworms existed only in the wild, and people did not know their use. Leizu taught women how to raise silkworms, reel silk, and weave silk fabric. From that time onward, silk and silk cloth came into existence.
The Yellow Emperor also had a historian named Cangjie (pronounced "cāng jié"), who created ancient Chinese characters. We have not seen written texts from that period, nor can we verify them.
Ancient Chinese legends hold the Yellow Emperor in the highest esteem. Later generations regard him as the progenitor of the Huaxia people and themselves as descendants of the Yellow Emperor. Since the tribes of the Flame Emperor and the Yellow Emperor were originally closely related and later merged together, we often refer to ourselves as "the descendants of Yan and Huang." To commemorate this legendary common ancestor, later generations built the "Tomb of the Yellow Emperor" on Qiaoshan Mountain, north of present-day Huangling County in Shaanxi Province.