Emperor Huang Di, The Yellow Emperor - The Mythological Ancestor to the Chinese People The Yellow Emperor may have originally been a storm god, with the ability to control thunder and lightning. The Xia Dynasty (17th-15th century BCE) was founded by the Xia Culture; the descendants of the Huang Di people, who were of the Qijia Culture. The Zhou Culture that founded the Zhou Dynasty (11th century - 221 BCE) also claimed to be descendants of this emperor. The Shang Dynasty are also descendants, and these are the origins of the first noble families.
The Yellow Emperor is associated with the inventions of boats, carts, astronomy and astrology, musical pitch and mathematics, among other things.
Depending on the history book you read, either Shanhaijing or Shiji, Huang Di became immortal by either eating a jade paste, or producing a tripod (much like a cauldron) from collected ores and creating immortality pills inside. In either instance, a yellow and bearded dragon appears and allows Huang Di to mount it. According to the Shiji, they then ascended to heaven. This is said to be why the dragon is associated with imperialism in
China, as Huang Di is the descendent of all of the noble families and is symbolized as the yellow dragon.
Photo Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20161021143851/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/60290236
Comments