Battle of Zhuolu

Battle of Zhuolu
Date~2500 BC
Location
Result

Decisive Yanhuang victory

  • Initiation of the Huaxia civilization
  • Exile and subjugation of the Jiuli tribes
Belligerents
Yanhuang tribe Jiuli tribes
Commanders and leaders
Yellow Emperor
Flame Emperor Yuwang
Chiyou 
Strength
8,000–15,000 72–81 tribes, roughly estimated around 15,000–26,000
Casualties and losses
~1,200–3,000 Nearly entire invading force; 3,000 in the initial battle, 7,000+ in the retreat
Map of tribes and tribal unions in Ancient China, including tribes of Huang Di (Yellow Emperor), Yan Di (Flame Emperor) and Chiyou. The location of Battle of Zhuolu is also shown.

The Battle of Zhuolu (simplified Chinese: 涿鹿之战; traditional Chinese: 涿鹿之戰) was the second battle in the history of China as recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian, fought between the Yanhuang tribes led by the legendary Yellow Emperor and the Jiuli tribes led by Chiyou.[1] The battle was fought in Zhuolu, near the present-day border of Hebei and Shanxi.

The victory for the Yellow Emperor here is often credited as history, although almost everything from that time period is considered legendary. Traditional Chinese historiography places the battle in the 26th century BC, although the Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project has suggested the traditional dates to be at least some two centuries too early for the most remote recorded periods.

  1. ^ Greg Woolf (2007). Ancient civilizations: the illustrated guide to belief, mythology, and art. Barnes & Noble. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-4351-0121-0.