Gaoping
Encyclopedia
Gaoping is a county-level city
in Shanxi Province, China
with a history stretching back to the Warring States Period
(403–221 BCE). Part of the city was formerly known as Changping where a noted battle
took place in 260 BCE between forces from the rival States of Qin
and Zhao
.
Gaoping is also famed as the birthplace of Lord Yan
, a legendary figure who was an early leader (or series of leaders) among the ancient Han Chinese
.
Gaoping (along with several other locations in China) was traditionally identified as Yan's hometown. Not until the late 20th and early 21st century was Gaoping widely accepted as Yan's birthplace by the global scholarly community.
The hilly area around Gaoping is known as the Sheep's Head Mountains , and it is this area that preserves the most concrete evidences of Yan's habitation there. A local temple to a female river spirit has been identified as portraying Yan's daughter Nüwa - not to be confused with the goddess Nüwa
- since the Ming Dynasty
. Ancient sources, such as the Guo Yu
, record that Yan and his posterity flourished in the area around a river called the "Giang [Jiang] Water". The river is believed by scholars to be the Giang River of old is now called the Jiang River or the Jiang Water , and is located in Tunliu County
, from whence it flows east into the Zhang River
.
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
in Shanxi Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
with a history stretching back to the Warring States Period
Warring States Period
The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
(403–221 BCE). Part of the city was formerly known as Changping where a noted battle
Battle of Changping
The Battle of Changping was a military campaign that took place during the Warring States Period in China. It concluded in 260 BC with a decisive victory by the State of Qin over the State of Zhao, and ultimately allowed Qin to conquer and unify China decades later...
took place in 260 BCE between forces from the rival States of Qin
Qin (state)
The State of Qin was a Chinese feudal state that existed during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of Chinese history...
and Zhao
Zhao (state)
Zhao was a significant Chinese state during the Warring States Period, along with six others...
.
Gaoping is also famed as the birthplace of Lord Yan
Yan Emperor
The Yan Emperor, or Yandi was a legendary Han Chinese ruler who lived in pre-dynastic China. Modern scholarship has identified the Sheep's Head Mountains just north of Gaoping in Shanxi Province as his homeland and territory....
, a legendary figure who was an early leader (or series of leaders) among the ancient Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
.
Gaoping (along with several other locations in China) was traditionally identified as Yan's hometown. Not until the late 20th and early 21st century was Gaoping widely accepted as Yan's birthplace by the global scholarly community.
The hilly area around Gaoping is known as the Sheep's Head Mountains , and it is this area that preserves the most concrete evidences of Yan's habitation there. A local temple to a female river spirit has been identified as portraying Yan's daughter Nüwa - not to be confused with the goddess Nüwa
Nüwa
Nüwa is a goddess in ancient Chinese mythology best known for creating mankind and repairing the wall of heaven.-Primary sources:...
- since the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
. Ancient sources, such as the Guo Yu
Guoyu (book)
The Discourses of the States or Guoyu is a classical Chinese history book that collected the historical records of numerous states from Western Zhou to 453 BC. Its author is unknown, but it is sometimes attributed to Zuo Qiuming, a contemporary of Confucius...
, record that Yan and his posterity flourished in the area around a river called the "Giang [Jiang] Water". The river is believed by scholars to be the Giang River of old is now called the Jiang River or the Jiang Water , and is located in Tunliu County
Tunliu County
Tunliu County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Changzhi city.-References:*...
, from whence it flows east into the Zhang River
Zhang River
The Zhang River is a river in China. The Zhang River commences in Shanxi province and flows eastward. It then becomes the border of Hebei and Henan province west of Handan and Anyang.A dam on the Zhang River diverts water into the Red Flag Canal....
.
- Yan Di Wen Hua 炎帝文化, edited by Wang Shuxin 王树新 and Meng Shikai 孟世凯. Zhonghua Bookstore (Beijing): 2005.