Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 04-09-12 18:29
中國故事 - 黃帝 The Legendary Yellow Emperor
The Chinese are always proudly saying that:
"We are the descendants of the Yellow Emperor".
According to the book Shi Ji (史記) by Si-Ma Qian (司-馬遷 145BC to 86BC)
Huang Di (黃帝) or the Yellow Emperor was born in Shou Qiu (壽丘 a place
in the present day area about six kilometers northeast of Qu Fu county 東
北曲阜縣 in Shandong province 山東省). Huang Di's father was called Shao
Dian (少典) and his mother Jiao Shi (蟜氏). Shao Dian and Jiao Shi were
members of a clan called Xia (夏族). Huang Di grew up near a river called
Ji (姬). So Huang Di changed his surname from Gong-Sun (公-孫) to JI (姬
). Huang Di lived in a place called Xuan Yuan (軒轅)
and he called himself Xuan Yuan. Huang Di's full name was Ji Xuan Yuan (姬
軒轅).
The place where Huang Di lived was the northern plain along the Huang He
(黃河)
or the Yellow River and it was believed that this was the region of the
cradle of Chinese civilization. This place was particularly suited to agriculture
because
of the light rainfall and there was no forest cover to be removed before
crops
could be planted.
Legend has it that in about 4700 years ago there were four clan-like societies
living in this region. They were the Xia (夏), Jiang (姜), Li (黎) and the
Yi (夷).
The leader of the Xia clan was Ji Xuan Yuan who defeated the Jiang clan
and
later formed an alliance with the clans of Jiang and Yi. Their main enemies
were the Li which was a clan consisting of nine tribes headed by a paramount
leader, the belligerent Chi You (蚩尤). The leader of each tribe had many
brothers. Together they formed a very powerful group. The weapons used in
wars during
the ancient time were merely by throwing stones.
Ji Xuan Yuan had twenty five sons. His fifth son, Ji Hui (姬揮), invented
a weapon by tying a vine to the two ends of a bamboo stick. Hui called it
Gong (弓 bow). Later he invented the arrows made of bamboo stips. According
to the legend Hui was the first man in China to use bow and arrows to shoot
and kill animals. Ji Xuan Yuan invented spears made of wood.
It was believed that in about 2700BC Ji Xuan Yuan, with the helps from the
clans of Jiang and Yi, fought a decisive battle with the united forces of
Li
at Zhuo Lu (涿鹿 present day Huai Lai county 懷來縣 in Hebei province
河北省). During the battle the weapons used by the Li were just merely by
throwing stones. Whereas Ji Xuan Yuan's troops were using wooden spears
and bows and arrows. The battle waged on for three days and three nights.
With better weapons the troops under the command of Ji Xuan Yuan defeated
the Li even though the Li were stronger and more numerous. Chi You, the
leader of the Li alliance, was killed in the battle.
After the victory over the Li clan, the people elected Ji Xuan Yuan the
leader
of the united clans. People gave Ji Xuan Yuan a title called Huang Di (or
Yellow Emperor) named after the yellow colour of the earth. Ji Xuan Yuan
encouraged exogamy as he wanted to create a melting pot of mixed blood people
in his domain. This vision made him highly respected throughout the course
of Chinese history. The Yellow Emperor was and still is regarded as the
person who united the tribes during ancient time. He established his capital
in You Xiong (有熊 present day Xin Zheng 新鄭 in Henan province 河南省)
and was the leader of the united clans for many years.
The importance of the Yellow Emperor throughout the history of China extended
beyond nation-making. He was credited with numerous inventions, from social
reform and formation of a government to such minor things as cooking utensils,
tea, chopsticks and many other articles. The most important inventions of
all
were the compass, clothing, weapons (ancient time weapons were throwing
stones), using mud bricks to build houses, wooden dingy and music. His wife
Lei Zu (嫘祖) developed sericulture.
Legend had it that there was an occasion when Hui went hunting with his
father, the Yellow Emperor and his entourage. After the hunt at the end
of the day they were tired and were resting under a tree. Some of the attendants
were boiling water for
him to drink.
Along flew a big bird and it perched on the tree top. Hui used his bow and
arrow and shot it down. At the same time he shot down some leaves from the
tree. Coincidentally the leaves fell into the boiling hot water. Immediately
the
boiling hot water turned into brownish colour. The attendants wanted to
throw
away the brownished boiled water. But one of them took a sip of it. He
screamed out in excitement,
"It tastes very good".
The attendant went and informed Yellow Emperor who had a sip of the brownished
boiled water. Yellow Emperor liked the taste too. He ordered his followers
to pluck a large quantity of the leaves from that particular tree and took
them back to the palace. The tree was a tea tree. The leaves were the tea
leaves.
From then on every day Yellow Emperor ordered hot water with the leaves
to
be served as his drink instead of wine. Later the officials in his palace
followed him drinking hot water with leaves. It was called drinking tea.
This habit of drinking tea soon after spread far and wide in China and later
to the whole world.
Legend has it that, Chinese surnames were originated from the twenty five
sons
of Huang Di who established fourteen settlements in different regions of
the land
he ruled. He appointed 14 of his capable sons to rule the 14 settlements.
The 14
new feudal lords took on twelve new surnames after the geographical locations
which were delegated by their father to rule on his behalf. The two sons
named, You Yang (有陽) and Cang Lin (蒼林) used their father's surname Ji
(姬) as their surname. Another two sons called Qing Yang (青陽) and Yi Gu
(夷鼓) adopted Ji
(己) as their surname. The twelve surnames of Yellow Emperor's fourteen
sons were Ji (姬), You (酉), Qi (祁), Ji (己), Teng (滕), Zhen (箴), Ren
(任), Xun (荀), Xi
(僖), Ji (姞), Huan (嬛) and (依). Generations later it became a tradition
to adopt
the names of locations as surnames. It is estimated that 60 per cent of
the Chinese surnames were named after some geographical localities.
It was believed that in 2600BC Huang Di left his capital and went on a tour-cum-
inspection of his empire. He arrived at the foot of a mountain called Qiao
(橋山 present day Huang Ling county 黃陵縣 in Shaanxi province 陜西省).
Huang Di ordered to make a huge tripod cauldron to cook food as he had invited
the leaders of all the tribes for a great feast.
The ancient Chinese believed that a yellow dragon came down from the sky
and took Huang Di and his entourage, seventy people in all, to heaven. Legend
has it that Huang Di did not die but ascended to Heaven. (Over two thousand
years later the bible said that Jesus was also ascended to Heaven. The Yellow
Emperor must have met Jesus in Heaven. I wondered what they were talking
about. Did they need an interpreter. When I go there after my old age they
might employee me as their interpreter because I am fluent in Chinese and
English.) Those who missed the heavenly chariot gathered the yellow robes
previously wore by Huang Di and buried them in the spot where he had ascended
to heaven. That is the present day graveyard of Huang Di in Huang Ling city
(黃陵市) in Huang Ling county in Shaanxi province.
http://yn.chung.id.au/TheGraveOfYellowEmperor.jpg
From the book Shi Ji chapter one by Si-Ma Qian
(司-馬遷的史記第一卷) and the book Zhong Guo
Ren Shi Gang chapter three by Bo Yang
(柏楊的中國人史綱第三卷)
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