China's First Battle | Battle of Banquan - Yellow Emperor and Flame Emperor (History of China)

The descendants of Yang and Huang. It's a term still used today by the Han, the dominant ethnic group in China, to refer to their common ancestry. The origin dates back to a time before imperial China, and yes, even ancient China. For this story, we find ourselves just before the ancient period of China's history, when China was dominated by tribal unions, three of which would soon clash. The famous Yellow Emperor, also known as Huang Di, is a semi-mythical figure, who resided in the north with his nomadic tribe, the Yushan. Said to have been conceived after his mother was struck by a lightning bolt, Huang Di would be credited as inventor of Chinese astronomy, the Chinese calendar, carts, clothing, the Ku Qin, an early version of football, and influenced the creation of the first Chinese writing system. His tribe would carry the totems of the Black Bear, Brown Bear, Pai Qiu, Leopard, and Tiger. To their southwest was the Flame Emperor, known as Yang Di, the Emperor of the South, and his Shenong tribe. They were masters of flame and used it in their slash and burn farming methods, as well as their totem. Migrating from the west, they would continue eastward until reaching the Zhuli tribe's territory. After a short skirmish, Yang Di and the Shenong retreated northwest across the Yellow River. Right into the hands of Huang Di. There isn't much known about the battle itself, but we do know the Yushan tribe defeated the Shenong. The tribes then merged under the leadership of the Yellow Emperor, and would be named the Yang Huang. Which should seem familiar to you, from this video's opening. The union was significant, as the Yang Huang were seen as the precursors to Chinese ancestry and identity. The tribes would blossom into the Wuxia civilization, and eventually the Han. There have been sources that say this battle is but the culmination of three different battles between the Yang Emperor and Huang Emperor, but with anything prior, seen as too small a scale to be considered significant in any way, the Battle of Banshan is regarded as the first major battle in Chinese history.