100 Events That Influenced Chinese History (Illustrated Treasure Edition)

Author: Sun Tie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: The Battle of Huangdi and Chiyou
In the central part of Shaanxi Province, China, there is a county called Huangling. North of Huangling County stands Mount Qiaoshan, where a magnificent mausoleum stands atop the mountain. This is said to be the tomb of the legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation, Emperor Huangdi. People call it Huangling Tomb, and thus, the county, originally named "Zhongbu," was renamed Huangling County. The Huangling Tomb is grand and majestic. Ancient records describe it as "surrounded by mountains and water," with its mountain shape resembling a bridge and the Jushui River winding around it. The surrounding area of Huangling is the undulating Shanbei Plateau of northern Shaanxi, where ancient cypresses grow lushly, towering and symbolizing the ancient, upright, and vigorous spirit of the Chinese nation. This Huangling Tomb has existed since the Han Dynasty. Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian records: "Emperor Huangdi is buried on Mount Qiaoshan."
Emperor Huangdi, of the Xiongshu clan, was the son of Shaodian and belonged to the Gongsun clan, with the given name Xuanyuan. All Chinese people consider Huangdi as their ancestor. For example, Mr. Lu Xun regarded Huangdi as a great national symbol. In one of his poems, he wrote, "I offer my blood to Xuanyuan," meaning he was willing to sacrifice his life to defend the Chinese nation. In recent years, on Qingming Festival, people from all over China come to Huangling Tomb to pay respects to this ancestor of the nation with reverence. When Taiwanese compatriots and overseas Chinese visit the mainland, they often come here to trace their roots, showing respect for their ancestors. People regard Huangdi as a symbol of the Chinese nation.
After 5,000 years have passed, Huangdi's image has always inspired the Chinese nation to strive and make greater contributions to humanity. From a scientific perspective, Huangdi was likely the leader of a tribal alliance during the late stage of China's primitive society, in the era of patrilineal clan communities. At that time, tribes and clans still lived in scattered settlements, and classes and states had not yet emerged. Historical records differ regarding the location of Huangdi's tribal settlement. Some say he once lived in the mountain bends of Zhuolu County, Hebei, known as "the wilds of Zhuolu" in historical texts. Others say his tribe lived in the area of present-day Xinzheng, Henan, called "the mound of Xuanyuan." This indicates that people had not yet fully settled and tribes frequently migrated. Huangdi's tribe mainlyed along the Yellow River in today's Shaanxi, Henan, and Hebei provinces.
In legend, Huangdi was a very intelligent and capable figure. He could calculate astronomy and created China's earliest calendar. He also invented chariots, boats, and the south-pointing chariot. He was skilled in medicine and, together with the divine physician Qi Bo, developed a system of diagnosing and treating diseases. Their discussions on medicine were later compiled into China's earliest medical book, the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon.
Huangdi's wife, Lei Zu, was also capable. She taught people how to raise silkworms and summarized experiences in feeding silkworms, reeling silk, and weaving silk fabric. From then on, people not only learned to make clothes but also to make crowns and shoes, completely changing the primitive habit of wearing leaves and animal hides in ancient times.
People in ancient times faced limitations in water sources, with settlers relying on rivers and herders following water and grass, which was inconvenient. It was Huangdi who invented wells, allowing people to develop areas far from rivers. At that time, people did not know how to build houses and lived in caves or under trees, constructing nests from branches. It was Huangdi who taught people to "cut wood, gather materials, build palaces and houses, with upper beams and lower eaves, to shelter from wind and rain."
Under Huangdi's rule, a large number of talented people gathered, eaching their expertise. For example, the calligrapher Cang Jie created pictographic characters, and the musician Ling…