The real existence is certain, but since there are no clear historical records, the specific age and specific deeds need to be verified.
Yandi, the name of the tribal leader of the Shennong family (some say he is a descendant of Shennong), has the surname Jiang. Because he is the king of fire virtue, he is called Yandi. It is a Chinese legendary era (or ancient era), about AD Three or four thousand years ago, the leader of the Jiang clan in present-day Shaanxi and Hubei was said to have been born in Lieshan, so he was also called the Lieshan clan after Emperor Yan.
Biography
The Jiang clan is a branch of Xirong. They were originally nomadic people and entered the Central Plains from the West very early. At that time, at the junction of today's Shaanxi and Henan, there lived the Jiuli ethnic group (some say it was the Miao ethnic group) headed by Chi You. The two sides had a long-term conflict due to the development of the tribe. Emperor Yan was defeated and retreated to Hebei Province. It is said that because "Emperor Yan wanted to invade the princes", he later fought three fierce battles with Huangdi, whose surname was Ji from the Xuanyuan clan. This was considered the first large-scale war of the Chinese nation, and was called the Battle of Banquan. One is about Banquan Village in Yanqing, Beijing). Faced with the powerful opponent who led the tribe of Xiong, Pi, Pi, Xiu, Hao, and Tiger as totems, Emperor Yan was finally defeated, formed an alliance with him, and submitted to him. Huangdi ended the war with a victory.
The Yanhuang Alliance continued to expand, and more and more tribes surrendered, but Chi You always refused to accept it, and a war was inevitable. Chi You led Jiuli and fought against the alliance in Zhuolu (today's Zhuolu Village, Hebei Province). This was the second war in the legendary era and was called the Battle of Zhuolu. In the end Chi You was defeated. From then on, the Jiang clan and Huangdi settled down in the Central Plains. The term "descendants of Yan and Huang" refers to people's tracing back and respect for Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang, the ancestors of Chinese civilization.
Emperor Yan is one of the recognized ancestors of humanities of the Chinese nation, also known as Shennong. The legendary ancient emperor, whose surname was Jiang, was called Emperor Yan because he used fire to win the king. Probably his reign was earlier than that of the Yellow Emperor, so "Historical Records" says, "At the time of Xuanyuan, the Shennong family declined." ” But the so-called “family decline” does not refer to Shennong himself, but to his tribe. "Emperor Century" says: "Shennong's surname is also Jiang. His mother's name is Ren Si. She has a daughter of the Clan family, named Nudeng. She is a young classic woman who travels in Huayang. She has the head of a divine dragon and is inspired by Emperor Yan." Human body, head of an ox, longer than ginger water. He has holy virtues and uses fire to win the king, so he is called Yan Emperor. The first capital was Chen, and then the capital was Lu. They are also called Kuikui clan, Lianshan clan and Lieshan clan. 』 Emperor Yan made five contributions in his life: First, he used wood to make two kinds of soil-turning agricultural tools and taught farmers to cultivate wasteland. Second, invent agriculture and grow food crops. Third, people did not have pottery and cooking utensils for eating and drinking in the past, and only Emperor Yan began to make them. Fourth, during the reign of Emperor Yan, he invented textile technology, which enabled naked people to wear clothes. Fifth, taste hundreds of herbs and encounter seventy poisons in one day. The purpose of tasting Baicao is to know the medicinal properties of Baicao, and then develop the technology of using herbal medicine to treat diseases. Emperor Yan also contributed a great life. Emperor Yan is revered as the god of agriculture, the god of the sun, and the god of medicine among the Chinese people. Together with the Yellow Emperor, he is also revered as the first ancestor of Chinese humanities.
Legends
Because there were no complete written texts during the Yan and Huang eras, most of them were legends passed down orally. There are also many legends about Emperor Yan. However, there are also ancient books that mention some things about Emperor Yan in a mythical form.
"The Book of Changes?" "Written by Shen Nong, pruning wood is called raking, rubbing wood is raking, and the benefits of raking are used to teach the world."
"Bai Hu Tong" " In ancient times, people all ate the meat of animals. As for Shen Nong, there were many people and there were not enough animals. So Shen Nong took advantage of the weather, divided the land, controlled the grass, and taught the people to farm."
"Taiping Yulan" quotes "Book of Zhou" as "Shen Nong plows and makes pottery".
"Historical Records? Supplement to the Chronicles of the Three Emperors" "Shennong first tasted herbs and medicine."
"Shiben" "Shen Nong and medicine help people".
"Huainanzi" "Taste the taste of hundreds of herbs, the sweetness and bitterness of springs... and encounter seventy poisons in one day."
Ancestors of Emperor Yan
According to ancient books, Shennong lived five hundred years before the Yellow Emperor. Modern scholars generally believe that the Shennong clan is a clan. Before merging with the Yellow Emperor, an agricultural nation had developed and lived in the Yellow River Basin with a history of 500 years. They had entered the end of primitive society and had a relatively high population at that time. cultural level.
The so-called Suiren clan, Fuxi clan, Youchao clan and Shennong clan actually refer to four different evolutionary stages in the development of human beings. It is said that Shennong's surname was Jiang, which may indicate that he used sheep as his main meat (some say he was born in Jiangshui), and it also shows that he still relied on the tradition of a matrilineal society, with sheep and women combined into one (the other two are Ji, Si, and Si). Yao and Ying both have this characteristic).
Descendants of Emperor Yan
After Emperor Yan was defeated, the tribes dispersed, some were driven out of the Central Plains, and some were ruled by the Yellow Emperor. The Shennong tribe that was driven out originally had a higher cultural level than the Huangdi tribe. However, because they were moved to remote mountains, over time, their culture did not progress and deteriorated. Instead, they became alien people. There are Miao people living in Hubei, Hunan, and Guijian. They are famous because their ancestors were engaged in farming. Therefore, some people think that they are descendants of the Shennong tribe. There is also a place in the mountainous area of ??western Hubei called "Shennongjia", which may be related to this.
It is said that Shennong was called the Yan Emperor because he burned forests to open up land. In ancient times, there was a saying of "burning mountains and rivers", and the people of the Shennong clan were also called "Lieshan clan" ” and “*** Gongshi” were regarded as Ji God and Du God by later generations.
The Former Residence of Emperor Yan
It is said that Emperor Yan was born in Lieshan, and the "Former Residence of Emperor Yan Shennong" was "built" in Hubei, 40 kilometers north of Suizhou, in order to comply with the wishes of the descendants of Yan and Huang at home and abroad. Shennong Cave in Lishan Town, Lishan Town. "The Former Residence of Emperor Yan Shennong" has two Shennong caves (one for grain medicine storage and one for residence), as well as Shennong Pavilion, Shennong Tower, Shennong Temple, Shannan Shennong Teahouse, Shennong Flowers, Jiulong Pavilion and Shanbei Shennong Mother. There are dozens of places including Andeng Bathing Pool and Baicao Garden.
Shennong Cave and Shennong Monument
On Lieshan Mountain, fifty-five kilometers away from Suizhou City, there were originally stone tables, stone benches, stone bowls and stone couches in the cave. Legend has it that Utensils used by Shennong. Lieshan also has ancient buildings such as Shennong's Well, Shennong's House, Shennong's Temple, and Yandi Temple. In the north of Lishan Town, there is a monument of "Yandi Shennong", which has been preserved to this day.