Yellow Emperor(黄帝)
Alternative Names(異名):
黄帝, Huangdi, Yellow Emperor
Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor, is a legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero who is considered in Chinese mythology to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese. One of the legendary Five Emperors, it was written in the Shiji by historian Sima Qian (145 BC-90 BC) that the Huangdi reigned from 2697 BC to 2598 BC. He emerged as a chief deity of Taoism during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). The legend of his victory in the war against Emperor Chi You at the Battle of Zhuolu is seen as the establishment of the Han Chinese nationality.
Accomplishments
Among his many accomplishments, Huangdi has been credited with the invention of the principles of Traditional Chinese medicine. The Huangdi Neijing (黄帝内經 Inner Canon of Huangdi) was supposedly composed in collaboration with his physician Qibo. However, modern historiographers generally consider it to have been compiled from ancient sources by a scholar living between the Zhou and Han dynasties, more than 2,000 years later.
His interest in natural health and preventing and treating diseases, according to historical sources, meant he lived to the age of 100, and attained immortality after his physical death.
The historian Ji Yun asserts he was also the first to take male bedmates.
Legends
In the legend, his wife Lúo Zǔ taught the Chinese how to weave the silk from silkworms, and his historian Cāng Jié created the first Chinese characters.
His conception was supposed to be signaled by a thunder in a clear day by the Heaven.
Legend says that Huangdi became the leader of his tribe which bore the totem of a bear. His tribe went to war with a neighboring tribe bearing the totem of a bull, headed by Yandi. Huangdi through his superior military and leadership skills won the war and subdued Yandi's tribe. The two tribes united and became one. Legend then say the Chinese civilization began with these two tribes.
Huangdi's people were then threatened by a tribe under the leadership of Chi You, who was said to have magical powers and had 81 brothers, each having 4 eyes and 8 arms wielding terrible sharp weapons in every hand. Huangdi called upon 8 neighboring tribes to join forces with him and sent the combined army to meet Chi You and his brothers. The two great armies fought for days without a clear winner. Just as Huangdi's army began to turn the tide of battle, Chi You breathed out a thick fog and obscured the sunlight. Huangdi's army fell into disarray and could not find its way out of the battlefield. At this critical moment, Huangdi invented the South Pointing Chariot, and order its construction on the battlefield. With the South Pointing Chariot, Huangdi was able to lead his army out of the fog. Chi You then conjured up a heavy storm. Huangdi then called upon the Gods who blew away the storm clouds and cleared the battlefield. Huangdi then was able to defeat Chi You and his tribe once and for all.
With this great victory, Huangdi not only safeguarded his own tribe, but the tribes of his allies. The 9 Tribes joined together as one tribe under the leadership of Huangdi.
Huangdi lived to 100 years of age. He was said to have had 25 children, 14 of whom are sons. Of these 14 sons, 12 chose last names for themselves. It is also said that all the noble families of the first 3 dynasties of China, Xia, Shang, and Zhou are direct descendants of Huangdi.
When Huangdi lived to 100 years of age, he arranged his worldly affairs with his ministers, and prepared for his journey to the Heavens. One version said a Dragon came down from the Heaven and took Huangdi away. Another version said Huangdi himself turned into half-man and half Dragon and flew away.
The South Pointing Chariot was a 2 wheeled war chariot that had a pole in the center of the carriage. A small figurine stood on top of the pole. A set of gears connected the 2 wheels to the pole, so that no matter which way the chariot turned, the figurine on the pole always pointed at a preset direction, usually South. The South Pointing Chariot did not require magnetism to work, and in models was depicted as the earliest form of the differential gearing system as found in modern automobile transmission systems.
He is also said to have played a part in the creation of the Guqin, together with Fuxi and Shennong, and to have invented the earliest form of the Chinese calendar, and its current sexagenary cycles are counted based on his reign.
Huang Di captured Bai Ze atop Mount Dongwang. The beast described to him all the 11,520 types of monsters, shapeshifters, demons, and spirits in the world. Huang Di's retainer recorded this in pictures, which later became the book "Bai Ze Tu", which no longer exists.
In legend, Ling Lun gave the emperor flutes tuned to the sounds of birds, which is said to be the foundation of Chinese traditional music.
Historicity
One explanation is that Huang Di was euhemerized from a mythical god during the early Zhou Dynasty into a legendary emperor during the late Zhou dynasty—his legendary deeds embellished along the way.
Popular culture
Huang Di appears as a god in the strategy game Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom made by Sierra Entertainment, now a division of Vivendi. In the game he is a patron of hunting and has the skills needed for leading men into battle.
There have been TV dramas made in mainland China depicting the life of Huang Di. However, their historical accuracy is questionable. They are semi-fictional because their focus is mainly on martial arts, Wuxia and drama.
Huangdi serves as the hero in Jorge Luis Borges' story, "The Fauna of the Mirror." British fantasy writer China Miéville used this story as the basis for his novella "The Tain", which describes a post-apocalyptic London. "The Tain" was recently included in Miéville's short story collection "Looking For Jake."
See also
Emperor of China
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
Descendants of Yan & Yellow Emperors (Yan Huang Zi Sun; Chinese: 炎黃子孫)
Chinese folk religion
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
Youchao (有巢)
Nüwa (女媧)
Suiren (燧人)
Fu Xi (伏羲) 2800 BC – 2737 BC
Shennong (神農) 2737 BC – 2698 BC
Huangdi (黄帝, Yellow Emperor) 2697 BC – 2598 BC
Shaohao (少昊) 2597 BC – 2514 BC
Zhuanxu (顓頊) 2514 BC – 2436 BC
Kù (帝嚳) 2436 BC – 2366 BC
Yao (堯) 2358 BC – 2258 BC
Shun (舜) 2255 BC – 2195 BC
Xia Dynasty of China
Yu (禹) 2194 BC – 2149 BC
Qi (启) 2146 BC – 2117 BC
Tai Kang (太康) 2117 BC – 2088 BC
Zhong Kang (仲康) 2088 BC – 2075 BC
Xiang (相) 2075 BC – 2008 BC
Shao Kang (少康) 2007 BC – 1985 BC
Zhu (杼) 1985 BC – 1968 BC
Huai (槐) 1968 BC – 1924 BC
Máng (芒) 1924 BC – 1906 BC
Xie (泄) 1906 BC – 1890 BC
Bu Jiang (不降) 1890 BC – 1831 BC
Jiong (扃) 1831 BC – 1810 BC
Jin (廑) 1810 BC – 1789 BC
Kong Jia (孔甲) 1789 BC – 1758 BC
Gao (皋) 1758 BC – 1747 BC
Fa (后敬) 1747 BC – 1728 BC
Jie (桀) 1728 BC – 1675 BC
Links
http://www.thegreattao.com/html/introfounderyelemp.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Guqin | Culture heroes
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