The Yellow Emperor

[Jadespear]

I have all of Stephen T. Chang's books about taoism and love them. I find it very intriguing that he often pays tribute to a man called The Yellow Emperor, a pioneer of taoist healing.

 

However, further research into the origin of the man known as the yellow emperor points to a possibility that he was a being from somewhere else in the universe who landed on earth for the purpose of spreading taoist healing principles and practices, amongst other things....

 

Have any of you heard of The Yellow Emperor, and does anyone know where he came from?

[Chang]

You can read about the Yellow Emperor here.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Emperor

 

As to the suggestion that the Yellow Emperor may have been from elsewhere in the universe: this is probably connected to the legend of the "Sons of Reflected Light". These beings were supposedly over seven feet in height and appeared in China between 10,000 and 5,000BCE. They are credited with giving the Chinese the knowledge upon which their civilisation was based. This legend has been given some credibility by the discovery Caucasian mummies in China. The Chinese Government have done much to suppress this discovery.

 

[Jadespear]

Woah. That's incredible. Thanks !

[Samurai Mountain man]

Im going to have to watch that video some other time because I can't hear it right now.

[joeblast]

yellow emperor's classic of medicine is a must have...such profound knowledge...

[XiaoZi]

I consider on the basis of ancient cannons - that Yellow Emperor was the highest practicing Taoist man and that's all. No outerspace origin .

 

The same as Sheng Nong 神农 and Fu Xi 庖犧 - the first Wangs (Kings) of China.

[Brian]

The Outer Canon is of particular interest, I think...

[ChiDragon]

I consider on the basis of ancient cannons - that Yellow Emperor was the highest practicing Taoist man and that's all. No outerspace origin .

 

The same as Sheng Nong 神农 and Fu Xi 庖犧 - the first Wangs (Kings) of China.

 

 

There were no Wangs(王) in early China. Actually, they were the chiefs of some tribes during the prehistoric period of China. Sheng Nong 神农, Fu Xi 庖犧 and Yellow Emperor(黃帝) were only legendary figures.

 

Yellow Emperor(黃帝 ) was only a chief of a tribe. He was never an emperor. Huang Di(黃帝) was only his given name. If someone asked where is the Huang Di Nei Jing (黃帝內勁) came from, then it would be a very interesting question.

Edited October 3, 2013 by ChiDragon

[thelerner]

In the stories I heard about the Yellow Emperor, his teachers were woman, particularly the Plain Woman, who taught him Taoist philosophy and bedroom arts. Daniel Reid writes about him in one of his books.

[ChiDragon]

Here is a TV serious, The Legend, was about Huang Di. Sheng Nong (神农), 炎帝, was a medicine man who works with herbs helping to get rid of the contagious disease for all the tribes.

http://www.letv.com/ptv/vplay/854167.html

Edited October 4, 2013 by ChiDragon

[dawei]

For more years than I want to now count up, I have been researching ancient chinese stories and collecting it.   Here is what I have on the Yellow Emperor:

 

 

Huang Di:

 

Background:

Reign, 2697 BC to 2597 BC.  The Yellow Emperor surname was Gong-Sun; he had the given name of Xuan Yuan, thus his full name is Gongsun Xuanyuan (公孫軒轅).   Huang Di grew up near a river called Ji (姬) and later changed his surname to  Ji (姬). Therefore Huang Di's full name became Ji Xuanyuan (姬軒轅).  He came from a tribe called Shao Dian (少典), the name of his father.  His grandfather was You Xiong  (有熊), which Huang Di was also known as.  The Bamboo Annuls relates his mother, You Jiao (有蟜), saw a great flash of light at the bear constellation where upon she became pregnant and carried Xuanyuan for 24 months.   His youngest son, awarded the Duke of Ren, lived next to the river Ji (姬水), and so changed his name to Ji.   

 

The Gouyu says he had 25 sons, of which 14 where sons who choose to share 12 surnames:  Ji (姬), Ding ( 酉), Qi (祁), Ji (己), Teng (滕), Xian (葴) , Ren (任), Xun (荀) , Xi (僖), Ji (姞), Xuan ( 儇) and Yi (衣).  The families of Qingyang and Yigu both received the same name Ji (己).

 

 

Clan, Totems, and Origin of Zhong Guo (中國 -Central Kingdom-China):

The Zouzhuan has a passage which relates the origin of totems as Clouds (Huang Di), Fire (Yan Di), Water (Gong Gong), and Dragon (Fu Xi).  

 

In legend, Huang Di gave up the bear totem after his victory over the Chi You to unite the people.  Some versions describe a totem with the head of a bear and body of a snake.  In other versions, he first took up the snake as a coat of arms and after each subsequent conquer of a tribe he added their emblem to form an animal of various physical attributes.   Thus, the Chinese dragon is usually physically described as possessing attributes of various animals (deer horns, camel head, rabbit eyes, snake neck, cock abdomen, carp scales, eagle claws, tiger paws, ox ears). 

 

Hua 華 and Yi 夷 are an ancient distinction between the ethnic groups thought of as the homogenous group versus the ‘outsiders’ or barbarians.  Those from the east were Dong Yi (東夷, showing the character big and a bow), from the west were Xi Rong ((西戎 showing the character for weapon or war), from the south were Nan Man (南蠻 showing the character of a snake) and from the north were Bei Di (北狄 showing the character of a dog and fire).    

 

The ancient characters to denote that occupation in the central area seems most likely to be Xia or Hua Xia (華夏); Xia being the name of a dynasty period but showing symbols of a person and Hua showing hanging branches and a flower (fertility and prosperity); thus, “prosperous land of the people”.   Because the people living in the Central Plains were from the Huaxia nationality, the area was named “Zhong Hua” (中華); meaning “Central Area”.   In the Shi Jing (Book of Poetry), Min Lao-民勞, the burden of the people is repeated as is, “Let us cherish this centre of the kingdom”.

 

The modern day term of Zhong Guo (中國) as middle kingdom or China was first used by the Zhou as an expansive territorial meaning.  But research finds it in the oracle bones and shows to equate to Xia, kingdom, state and capital.   It should also be noted that Zhong Shang (中商, Central Shang) was also in the oracle bones.  .  This was probably the basis for the later adoption of Zhong Guo since the Zhou would not of use Zhong Shang.  Zhong Guo took on the connotation of the civilized world as opposed to the outsiders; even the term Gui Fang鬼方 (ghost regions) was used to demark areas outside of Zhong Guo.  Eventually the entire land we think of as China came to be known as Zhong Guo.

 

 

Clan Power Struggles:

The traditional accounts of the founders of Chinese civilization have been described as the tribes of Huang Di) and Yan Di (Fire Emperor). Both are said by Sima Qian to come from the same clan who mentions the Jiang Clan led by Yan Di.  The phrase ‘yan huang zi sun’ (炎黃子孫) means descendents of Yan and Huang.

 

Tradition holds that Huang Di would eventually defeat the last Yan Di in three battles known as the Battle of Banquan.  This is the first battle recorded in the Shi Ji by Sima Qian and ultimately credited for the formation of a combined tribe, the HuaXia people.  The second battle recorded in the Shi Ji is the Battle of Zhou Lu (the border of present day Hebei and Liaoning) where Huang Di fought the Jiu Li tribe lead by Chi You, a war deity.  Chi You was eventually captured and the Jiu Li tribe was scattered in all directions, some becoming later barbarians, some assimilating into the Hua Xia people, and others going far north (Koreans acknowledge Chi You as an ethnic ancestor).

The leader of the Li tribe was Chi You, also known as “Jiu Li” nationality, lived in the eastern part of China (now the area of

Shandong and Henan provinces) and was a part of the Dong Yi tribal alliance.  It is said he ushered in a new era with weapons,

laws and a religion.   This tribe was the fiercest tribe that no one dared to confront.   The Jiang/Yan clan planned attacks on the

smaller neighboring areas who turned to the Xia/Huang clan for help.  The Yan and Huang meet in three battles fought at

Banquan (now Huailai County bordering Zhuolu, Hebei). The Yan, however, failed and finally yielded to the Huang.  The Huang

tribe, merging with the Yan made up the HuaXia tribe, fought a decisive battle against the united forces (81 tribes, 9 tribes each

having 9 sub-tribes) of Li at Zhou Lu (present day border of Hebei and Lianoning province). This is the well-known “Zhuolu Battle”.

Chi You, the leader of the Li alliance, was killed in the battle.  In some myth accounts, the Warrior Goddess, the Mysterious

Lady of the Ninth Heaven, was a teacher of Huang Di and assisted in the fight against the Li clan.   

 

The first Unification, Uniting the Clans:

After the victory over the Li clan, Huang took measures to pacify the members from the Chi You tribe, so other Chi You

members in the north came and joined the Huang tribe. Hearing that Chi You had been killed, other tribes came to admire

Huang and accepted him as the leader of the united clans.  His title is known today as Huang Di (Yellow Emperor).  He

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. He was and still is regarded as the founder of the Chinese race. He

established his capital in You Xiong (present day Xin Zheng in Henen province) and was the leader of the united clans for

many years.  Huang Di also conquered the "Miao Man" tribal-alliance in the South and after these series of conquests he later

established the Xia dynasty.

 

Later the Huang descendants moved southward from Hebei to the Huanghe River valley and settled down in the Central Plains. For a long time they lived, multiplied and mixed together, and became the ancient inhabitants in the area of the Central Plains of China. They laid the historical foundation of the Huaxia nationality.  In the long process of history, the Huang tribe was comparatively strong and developed a fairly advanced civilization.  Many inventions and creations made by the laboring people living in this primitive society were marked in Huang's name. Thus, Huang became the representative of the civilization of the Central Plains.  As the Huang tribe further developed in later times, those inhabitants living in the Central Plains who were from different ancestors took themselves to be the descendants of Huang.  Since the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B. C.), these inhabitants had claimed to be the Huaxia nationality, which was renamed the Han nationality in the Han Dynasty. From then on, all people from the Han nationality worshipped Huang as their own ancestor and claimed to be the “Descendants of Yan and Huang”. 

 

The final alliance was said to make up the ‘100 surnames’ (bai Xing 百姓), which meant the ‘common people’ but also later as slave owners since the captives from the Jiu Li were said be the ‘slaves’ (li min 黎民).  The phrase “Old Hundred Names” refers to the few existent surnames shared by a large population.  By the Zhou dynasty, nobility mainly received surnames and then later the common people as well but these latter are mainly derived from the nobility’s surnames.   While clan names are generally geographic in nature, there are also instances today of surnames having geographic influences. 
 

 

Huang Di’s Legacy:

Huang Di is said to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese and one of the founders of Taoism.  The “yellow” was ascribed for his contributions to agriculture and thus this became the imperial color.  His social feats are said to cover writing, money state-government organization, the start of a patriarchal system, great accomplishments in weapons and war, unifying tribes, creation of a calendar, developing a compass and eating utensils, abided in the five phases and planted the five grains.  He is said to have recorded the path of the planets and stars.  He is considered the founder of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with his writing “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine” (which describes the Yin Yang theory of health, general care methods including acupuncture, seasonal changes affecting the body, effects of the emotions on the organs, reference to daoyin practice—later known as qigong--and even describes such diseases as malaria).  As well, he is credited with discovering tea (which did not reach Europe until 1610), the raising of silkworms and the start of weaving (his wife Lei Zu, 嫘祖, is credited with these last two).

 

Huang Di is said to have had a spiritual teacher called Xi Wang Mu (The Queen mother of the West) and who was a consort to the Jade Emperor.  At Hallow Cave in Gansu Province, he is said to have studied from a spirit the following teaching: “See Nothing, hear nothing, let your spirit be wrapped in contemplation, and your body will assume its right form. Attain absolute respose and absolute purity, do not weary yourself, nor injure your vital power and you will live forever.  If the eye becomes incapable of seeing, the ear of hearing, and the mind of thinking, the body will never die.  Ponder on inward thoughts and shut out external influences, for much learning is a curse”.

 

Zhuangzi relates that Huang Di went to seek out the sage Guang Cheng Zi on Mt. Kongdong to ask about the perfect Dao.  After refusing to answer him Huang Di laid upon a mat for three months and then returned to ask again.  This time the sage explains to Huang Di how to attain Dao.  Du Guangting of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) wrote in his book In his book The Broad and Sacred Teachings of the Book of Dao and its Virtue: "During the time of the Yellow Emperor, the Venerable Sovereign (Lao Tzu) was Guang Cheng Zi, who taught the Book of Dao and its Virtue and the Five Magic Arts to the emperor". He also wrote that during the time of the Yellow Emperor, the Venerable Sovereign (Lao Tzu) was also called Guang Cheng Zi, who lived on Mt. Kongdong. The emperor ordered him to be his teacher. So he taught the Book of Dao and its Virtue and the arts of regulating the body to His Majesty. The emperor pratised his teachings, and rose into Heaven in broad daylight".

 

The legalist document Policies says, “In the times of Shen-nong, men ploughed to obtain food, and women wove to obtain clothing. Without the application of punishments or governmental measures, order prevailed; without the raising of mailed soldiers, he reigned supreme. After Shen-nong had died, the weak were conquered by force and the few oppressed by the many. Therefore Huang-di created the ideas of prince and minister, of superior and inferior, the rites between father and son, between elder and younger brothers, the union between husband and wife, and between consort and mate. At home, he applied sword and saw, and abroad he used mailed soldiers; this was because the times had changed. Looking at it from this point of view, Shen-nong is not higher than Huang-di, but the reason that his name was honoured was because he suited his time. “  -- Legge

 

Huang Di’s historian was Cang Jie who is said to have noticed ancient societies tied ropes to record events, and thus was ordered to create characters to represent the physical appearance of objects.   The character for history (shi) was adopted as a surname by his descendents.  Cang Jie’s birth name is Hou Wang.  His descendents took Hou as a surname.  Huang Di had a grandson Da You awarded the land of Fu.  This is the origin of the family surname Fu.

 

Late in Life:

According to one story, Huang Di spent his last years on Mount Shoushan to make a ding (Cauldron) made from copper in the mountain.   This ding is considered a crucible for later alchemy preparations for immortality.  When this was completed, a dragon descended and took him away.   In the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, the Mysterious Woman of the Nine Heavens taught the Yellow Emperor to compound and ingest the elixirs and become a divine immortal.

 

In another story, Huang Di was completing training with his court subjects and when he completed his cultivation a dragon descended and took him away.

 

The mythological Kunlun Mountains is considered home to Taoist immortals.  The first visitor is considered King Mu of Zhou where he discovered the Jade Palace of Huang Di, and meet the Goddess of Kunlun, Xi Wang Mu.  Like the Mysterious Woman, Xi Wang Mu is said to have taught the Yellow Emperor.

 

 

Memorials:

According to one legend, Huang Di was born Shou Qui of the city of Qufu in Shandong Province.   In 1012, during the Song Dynasty, a memorial was built.   In Yan’an City of Shaanxi Province is a burial site or Tomb of the Yellow Emperor.   This was anciently called Qiao (snake) Tomb since it resides on Mount Qiao.  Because Huang Di is said to have become immortal and raise up to the heavens, only his cap and clothing were entombed.   On the right side of the stone path leading to the Tomb Area lies a stone entitled the "Horse-Dismounting Stone". Upon the stone is written in Chinese calligraphy the words "Wen and Wu and their officials arrived at this point and dismounted their horses", a reference to King Wen of Zhou and King Wu of Zhou. 

 

According to other sources, Huangdi was born in Xuanyuan Hillock in Xinzheng County of Henan Province. There are records mentioning many activities of Emperor Huangdi in Youxiong (also in Xinzheng, Henan) and suggested as his capital.  When the people of Zheng State moved there it was at that point called Xinzheng.  

 

 

Xinzheng City in Zhengzhou of Henan Province

Xinzheng is considered the hometown of the fable Yellow Emperor, Huang Di.   During the Zhou Dynasty period, it was the capital of the vassal state Zheng.  It was founded in 806 BC by King Xuan of Zhou (second to last emperor).  In the Spring and Autumn period it was one of the strongest states and the first to annex another state (Xi).  It was also the first state to enact a code of law.

 

Jiyuan City in northwest Henan Province

Heaven Peak on Wangwu Moutain in Jiyuan is considered the original location of the Yellow Emperor’s sacrifice to Heaven (and Laozi left a pond for making pills of immortality) and which later emperor’s offered sacrifices.  

 

Huangling County in Shaanxi Province

Huangling County is in the middle of Shanxi Province and best known for the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb (黄帝陵).  The tomb is located on Qiaoshan Hill with the Jushui River running along its side.  On the eastern side is the Huang Di Temple which has 50 stone tables praising Huang Di in various languages.    In 1961, China proclaimed it as the first National State Protected Great Cultural Site and dubbed it, "The First Tomb Under Heaven".  It is said that the Yellow Emperor mined bronze from Shoushan Mountain and cast cauldrons but when complete a yellow dragon came down from heaven and returned with him.  This area is called Cauldron Lake.    At the foot of Qiaoshan is the Temple of the Yellow Emperor.  In one hall hangs a sign which reads, “"The Progenitor of Human Civilization''.   Huangling is also where Thousand Buddhist temples Grottoes can be seen.

Edited March 2, 2017 by dawei

[Horus]

Yellow Emperor(黃帝 ) was only a chief of a tribe. He was never an emperor.

 

Where did you find this information?

[Horus]

his teachers were woman

 

Fucking legend then!

[Horus]

Awesome dawei, thanks...

 

This is very interesting - nice collecting...

 

When I spiritually meditate on the Bear for long enough, the stars start ejaculating big flashes of light at me all the way down to earth - blasting into me.

 

Lucky I can't get pregnant, eh? lol

 

The Bamboo Annuls relates his mother, You Jiao (有蟜), saw a great flash of light at the bear constellation where upon she became pregnant and carried Xuanyuan for 24 months.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Horus

[Silent Answers]

Well, as Dawei has covered all the important stuff, here's one for fun:

 

Huangdi supposedly had dragons pull his chariot through the streets on special occasions, and in official records there's mention of a dragon feeder on the payroll. I'll have that job, please!

 

Take that with a few pinches of salt though, as I can't remember where exactly I heard it. Fingers crossed it wasn't Ancient Aliens season 72! That said, I do believe there's truth in dragon legends being based around encounters with surviving remnants of the dinosaur age. Ancient India was said to be full of flying dragons.

 

Now that I've completely gone off topic again.....*swiftly exits*

Edited November 4, 2015 by Silent Answers

[dawei]

Where did you find this information?

 

To be fair... a chieftan would be more representative than Emperor.   Emperor is always (I believe) bestowed posthumously. 

 

At the time of the tribal wars, there was no central or consolidating leader till the Yellow Emperor defeated the war deity Chi You (leader of the Li tribes) and the neighboring clans wanted to consolidate under him.   It was more a voluntary and request for a kind of loose vassal tribe arrangement.

 

In later time Yu the Great would encounter such a request to start the Xia Dynasty and this approach would become common through the Shang until the Qin truly unified the country, however brief.

 

Also see more here:  http://thedaobums.com/topic/38022-4-legendary-period-to-xia-3000-%E2%80%93-2200-bc/

[sillybearhappyhoneyeater]

Great post Dawei!!!!

 

http://ctext.org/shiji/wu-di-ben-ji

 

above is a link to a history of Huangdi in the Shiji history anals.

[Ell]

You can read about the Yellow Emperor here.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Emperor

 

As to the suggestion that the Yellow Emperor may have been from elsewhere in the universe: this is probably connected to the legend of the "Sons of Reflected Light". These beings were supposedly over seven feet in height and appeared in China between 10,000 and 5,000BCE. They are credited with giving the Chinese the knowledge upon which their civilisation was based. This legend has been given some credibility by the discovery Caucasian mummies in China. The Chinese Government have done much to suppress this discovery.

 

 

Super fascinating....this may be naive of me, knowing as little about it as I do, but, because of the way those mummies looked to me and the below videos I was really into a few months back, the connection that immediately popped to mind was not of white Europeans but of the sect that would go on to cross Siberia & become North America's Native Americans.

 

 

Check out the timelines....not exact but pretty close. It would make sense to me....it's always struck me as weird how, for me personally, Taoism was the system that most screamed of truth and, yet, human migration-wise, being in Massachusetts, I'm literally as far away from it as one can be.

 

Maybe I'm using my imagination a bit but, again, what a cool thing to look into further. 

[Horus]

Super fascinating....this may be naive of me, knowing as little about it as I do, but, because of the way those mummies looked to me and the below videos I was really into a few months back, the connection that immediately popped to mind was not of white Europeans but of the sect that would go on to cross Siberia & become North America's Native Americans.

 

 

Check out the timelines....not exact but pretty close. It would make sense to me....it's always struck me as weird how, for me personally, Taoism was the system that most screamed of truth and, yet, human migration-wise, being in Massachusetts, I'm literally as far away from it as one can be.

 

Maybe I'm using my imagination a bit but, again, what a cool thing to look into further. 

 

It is a fascinating subject...particularly if you look further into it with spiritual faculties rather than reading glasses.

 

I recall very clearly another incarnation I experience in that time period. We we much taller, it was like giants walking among mortals. Not just tall but powerful, they embodied the awakened state (we could manifest from nothing and the veil was nothing to these peoples) prior to the further fall in consciousness that became the later Greek Empire through to the next fall with the removal of the Delphic Oracle...and down and down from there.

 

When humanity choose to sleep, we have to follow...

 

Waitin' for the world to change

[Daoisme]

I thought it was just called "Yellow emperor" because the chinese words for King=> Huang Di  

Huang is translated to yellow. But Huang Di is more accurately just meaning "Emperor" as opposed to yellow emperor. (chinese emperors are supposed to wear the color yellow like a yellow robe etc)

And also it's likely that the book Huang Di Nei Jing has parts of different emperors knowledge and not solely from one emperor. 

Edited March 2, 2017 by Daoisme