Battle of Banquan

The Battle of Banquan (simplified Chinese: 阪泉之战; traditional Chinese: 阪泉之戰; pinyin: Bǎn Quán Zhī Zhàn) is the first battle in Chinese history as recorded by Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian. It was fought by Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, and Yandi, the Flame Emperor. The Battle of Banquan may actually only refer to the third of a series of three battles. Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, shortly afterwards fought Ciyou, or Chi You, at the Battle of Zhuolu. Both battles were fought not long apart, and on nearby plains, and both involved the Yellow Emperor. The Battle of Banquan is credited for the formation of the Huaxia tribe, the basis of the Han Chinese civilization.

Not much is known about this battle since it, along with other events of the era, are clouded by mythology. Thus, the historical accuracy of accounts of this battle is disputed. Chinese historiographical tradition places it in the 26th century BC.

The Shennong tribe originally was a branch of the nomadic people from the west who entered the North China Plain. Generations later, the tribe was in conflict with other expanding tribes at the time, such as the Jiuli tribe led by Chi You and the Youxiong tribe led by the Yellow Emperor. As the Yan Emperor of Shennong planned to invade the local tribes nearby, the tribes turned to the Yellow Emperor, who raised armies against Shennong.

The armies of Youxiong, under the totems of the Bear (熊), the Brown Bear (羆), the Fox (貔), the Brave (貅), the Chū (貙), and the Tiger (虎); and the armies of Shennong met in Banquan in the first large-scale battle in Chinese history. After three major engagements, the Shennong forces lost the battle and made an alliance with the Yellow Emperor. The two major tribes then went on to form the Huaxia tribe, incorporating the small tribes around them.

The ever expanding Huaxia tribe soon drew the envy of Chi You, who attacked Shennong's territories. The Huaxia tribe then reacted by facing Chi You in the Battle of Zhuolu, and emerged victorious. The Huaxia tribe then could expand without hindrance and soon formed what came to be known as the Han Chinese civilization. To this day, Chinese people still call themselves "descendents of Yan and Huang".

Location of the battle

The actual location of Banquan, where this battle was fought, is in dispute. There are three likely locations:

1. Southeast of Zhuolu, Hebei
2. Banquan village of Yanxing, Beijing
3. Xiezhou county, Yuncheng, Shanxi

Of these three, the third one is seen to be the most probable since the other two would imply that the two forces would both have to travel north to meet each other, which would be impractical.

Another possibility is that all three are correct, as both Confucius and Sima Qian appear to agree what took place was a series of three battles: three between Huangdi and Yandi, which was followed by another between Ciyou, or Chi You, against Huangdi and allied princes and lords. This last battle occurring on a plain different than, but nearby, the one on which Huangdi triumphed over Yandi. The first series of three battles seem to be loosely referred to as the battle of Banquan. The last is the Battle of Zhuolu.

References

• Sima Qian, "Wǔdì Běnjì", Records of the Grand Historian.
• Wu, K. C. (1982). The Chinese Heritage. New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-517-54475-X.