Yellow Emperor City Cultural Tourism Area

Yellow Emperor City Cultural Tourism Area

The Yellow Emperor City Cultural Tourism Area is located 2 kilometers west of Fanshan Town in Zhuolu County. It lies 120 kilometers east of Beijing and 80 kilometers west of Zhangjiakou. “The eternal civilization began in Zhuolu.” Five thousand years ago, the three great cultural ancestors of the Chinese nation — the Yellow Emperor, the Yan Emperor, and Chiyou — lived and labored here, waged wars and forged alliances, established capitals, and laid the foundations for China’s 5,000-year civilization. Legend has it that this was the site of the first capital built by the Yellow Emperor after defeating Chiyou and the Yan Emperor. A number of attractions have been developed here, including the Hall of the Three Ancestors of China, the Yellow Emperor Spring, the ruins of the ancient Yellow Emperor City, and Xuanyuan Lake.

According to Records of the Grand Historian, it is said that 5,000 years ago, the Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor tribes, both powerful, lived adjacent to each other in what is now Shaanxi. The Yellow Emperor's tribe resided by the Ji River, while the Yan Emperor's tribe lived by the Jiang River. In search of open and fertile land for settlement, the Yellow Emperor’s tribe migrated eastward, crossed the Yellow River, and trekked a thousand miles along the Taihang Mountains to the lower reaches of the Sanggan River around Zhuolu. At the same time, the Yan Emperor’s tribe also moved eastward. They traveled along the southern bank of the Yellow River toward present-day Shandong, where they clashed with the Chiyou tribe. Unable to defeat Chiyou, the Yan Emperor sought help from the Yellow Emperor in Zhuolu. The Yellow Emperor was initially reluctant to fight, but the two tribes battled three times at Banquan. The Yan Emperor’s forces were decisively defeated in what is known as the Battle of Banquan. After this battle, the Yan Emperor submitted to the Yellow Emperor, forming a tribal alliance under his leadership. Around this time, Chiyou also pursued them to Zhuolu, built military camps, and declared himself the King of Chiyou, preparing to challenge the Yanhuang (Yan and Huang) alliance.

The Yanhuang alliance then engaged in a prolonged and fierce battle with the Chiyou tribe on the plains of Zhuolu. This legendary Battle of Zhuolu ended in victory for the Yellow Emperor. After Chiyou’s death, some of his people surrendered to the Yellow Emperor, while others migrated south and merged with local Miao-Man tribes. Following the war, the Yan, Huang, and Chiyou tribes united, settled in the Sanggan Basin, grew stronger, and formed a shared identity at Mount Fuxi, laying the foundation of the Chinese nation. The great Tang Dynasty poet Hu Zeng, when visiting Zhuolu, expressed the following reflection on this historic conflict: “Boundless Zhuolu, white grass in autumn’s hue, / Where Xuanyuan once crushed Chiyou through and through. / Rosy clouds o’er temple waters glow, / As if the streams still ran with blood below.”

There is still a highland in the plains of Zhuolu today, said to be the platform where the Yellow Emperor’s south-pointing chariot came to a halt. The Battle of Banquan between the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor, as well as the Battle of Zhuolu between the Yellow Emperor, the Yan Emperor, and Chiyou — all fought on the plains of Zhuolu — were truly significant conflicts in Chinese history. They not only mark the origins of ancient warfare in China but also signify the formation of military culture. Beijing’s China Millennium Monument commemorates these pivotal “Three Ancestors and Two Battles” by inscribing them on its 262-meter-long bronze walkway, preserving their legacy for future generations.