The Yan Emperor, or Yandi (Chinese: 炎帝; Mandarin Pinyin: Yán Dì; Jyutping: Yim4 Dai3; literally "Flame Emperor") was a legendary Han Chinese ruler who lived in pre-dynastic China. Modern scholarship has identified the Sheep's Head Mountains (simplified Chinese: 羊头山; traditional Chinese: 羊頭山; pinyin: Yángtóu Shān) just north of Gaoping in Shanxi Province as his homeland and territory.[1]
A long debate has existed over whether or not the Yan Emperor was the same person as the legendary Shennong. An academic conference held in China in 2004 achieved general consensus that the Yan Emperor and Shennong were the same person. [2] Another possibility is that the term Flame Emperor was a title, held by dynastic succession, with Shennong being known as Yandi, perhaps posthumously. Accordingly, the term Flame Emperors would be generally more correct. The succession of Flame Emperors, from Shennong, the first Yandi, until the time of the last Yan Emperor's defeat by Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor), may have been some 500 years.[3]
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No written records are known to exist from the era of Yan's reign. However, he and Shennong are mentioned in many of the classic works of ancient China. Yan literally means "flame", and K. C. Wu speculates that this appellation may be connected with the fire used to clear the fields in slash and burn agriculture.[3] In any case, it appears that agricultural innovations by Shennong and his descendants contributed to some sort of social success that lead them to style themselves as di, "emperors," rather than hou, "princes," as in the case of lesser leaders. At this time it appears that there were only the bare beginnings of written language, and that for record keeping a system of knotting strings (perhaps similar to quipu) was in use.[4] The Zuo Zhuan states that in 525 BC, the descendants of Yan were recognized as long having been masters of fire and having used fire in their names.[5]
The last Yandi, or Flame Emperor, met his demise in the third of a series of three battles, known as the Battle of Banquan, probably on the Banquan plain, near the southern border of the modern Nei Mongol Autonomous Region, approximately 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) northwest of modern Beijing.[6] Yandi, or the Flame Emperor, was defeated by the rising Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor.
Since the Battle of Banquan is treated historically by Sima Qian, in his Historical Records, it would appear that this is a pivotal transition point between mythology and history. Ironically, Yandi enters history only with his demise. Apparently this demise was submission to the will of the Huangdi, rather than actual physical demise. In any case the title of Yan di appears to have lapsed, at this time, although his descendants seem to have perpetuated through intermarriage with Huangdi (see Descendants of Yan & Huang Emperors).
Both Huangdi and Yandi are considered in some sense ancestral to Chinese culture and people. Also, the tradition of associating a certain color with a particular dynasty may have begun with the Flame Emperors. According to the Five Elements, or Wu Xing model, red, fire, should be succeeded by yellow, earth—or Yangdi by Huangdi.[7]
This is the most common list given by Huangfu Mi, Xu Zheng, and Sima Zhen:
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Shennong 神農 | Born Jiang Shinian 姜石年 |
| Linkui 臨魁 | |
| Cheng 承 | |
| Ming 明 | |
| Zhi 直 | |
| Li 釐 or Ke 克 | Sima Zhen puts Ke between Ai and Yuwang |
| Ai 哀 | |
| Yuwang 榆罔 | Defeated by Yellow Emperor at Banquan |
List provided at the end of the Shan Hai Jing:
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Yandi 炎帝 | |
| Yanju 炎居 | Also possibly known as Zhu 柱 |
| Jiebing 節並 | |
| Xiqi 戲器 | |
| Zhurong 祝融 | |
| Gonggong 共工 | |
| Shuqi 術器 | |
| Houtu 后土 | Brother of Shuqi |
| Yeming 噎鳴 | Son of Houtu |
| Suishi 歳十 |
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Fuxi |
Chinese sovereign | Succeeded by Yellow Emperor |