Chiyou Tribe

Chiyou Tribe

Covering an area of 369 acres, the Hainan Ganshilin Betel Nut Valley Indigenous Chiyou Tribe Cultural Scenic Area is located within the Ganshilin region at the border between Baoting and Sanya City, and is part of a national nature reserve.

The Jiuli was a tribal alliance in ancient times, inhabiting areas along the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Yangtze River basin. The Jiuli consisted of nine tribes, each with nine clans, and Chiyou was their paramount chief.

The Yellow Emperor allied with the Yan Emperor’s tribe and engaged in a great battle against Chiyou at Zhuolu, located south of present-day Zhuolu in Hebei Province. It is said that during the battle, Chiyou had the power to summon wind and rain and create thick fog, causing the Yellow Emperor’s forces to lose their way and preventing them from achieving victory. Later, the Yellow Emperor invented the south-pointing chariot, which allowed his army to navigate through the fog and ultimately defeat and kill Chiyou. After his death, Chiyou ascended to become a celestial star. Chiyou was active in areas that are now part of Hebei, Shandong, Henan, and northern Anhui. Legend has it that some of the Jiuli tribes, after Chiyou’s defeat, migrated southward and intermingled with the indigenous Miao-Man tribes. Therefore, Chiyou is also regarded as the ancestor of the southern Miao and Yao ethnic groups.

Regarding the origin of the Miao people, there are connections to the clans or tribes historically referred to as the “Southern Barbarians,” who lived along the Yellow River basin, the Yangtze River basin, and areas south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River more than four thousand years ago. Some believe that the legendary Chiyou from ancient times is the ancestral figure revered by today’s Miao people and shares a kinship with them. Others suggest that the ancient Sanmiao people have ancestral ties to the Miao. There are also theories tracing today’s “Miao” people back to the ancient “Maomao” people. Additionally, there are various other hypotheses such as the Huangdou theory, the Yelang theory, the Nanman of Badong and Nanjun theory, the Panhu theory, and the Wuling Man theory.

Address:

Within Ganshilin, Betel Nut Valley, Hainan Ganshilin