| Yan Emperor of Ancient China | |
|---|---|
| 炎帝 | |
| Details | |
| First monarch | Shennong |
| Last monarch | Yuwang |
| Formation | Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors |
| Abolition | Battle of Banquan |
| Yan Emperor | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The first Yan Emperor Shennong tastes herbs to discover their qualities. 1913 depiction | |||||||||||||
| Chinese | 炎帝 | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Flame Emperor | ||||||||||||
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The Yan Emperor (Chinese: 炎帝; pinyin: Yán Dì) or the Flame Emperor was a legendary ancient Chinese emperor in pre-dynastic times. Modern scholarship has identified the Sheep's Head Mountains (Yángtóu Shān) Weibin District, Baoji 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 "Yan Emperor" or "Flame Emperor" was a title, held by dynastic succession of tribal lords, with Shennong being known as Yandi perhaps posthumously. Accordingly, the term "Yan Emperors" or "Flame Emperors" would be generally more correct. The succession of these Yan or Flame emperors, from Shennong, the first Yan Emperor, until the time of the last Yan Emperor's defeat by the Yellow Emperor, may have been some 500 years.[3]
- ^ He Wandan 贺晚旦 and Yang Hongbao 杨红保, in Wang & Meng (2005, pp. 3–4).
- ^ Yang Dongchen 杨东晨, in Wang & Meng (2005, p. 15).
- ^ Wu (1982, p. 56)