The "Battle of Banquan" may actually only refer to the third of a series of three battles. The Yellow Emperor shortly afterwards fought
Chiyou at the
Battle of Zhuolu. Both battles were fought not long apart, and on nearby plains, and both involved the Yellow Emperor. Some scholars have concluded that they may have been the same battle. The Battle of Banquan is credited for the formation of the
Yanhuang tribe, the precursor of the
Huaxia civilization, which is the basis of the
Chinese civilization. Not much is known about this battle since it, along with other events of the era, is 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 tribes originally were a branch of the late
Neolithic agricultural people from the
Guanzhong Plain in the west, who expanded across the
Loess Plateau before eventually venturing east beyond the
Taihang Mountains. Generations later, the tribe was in conflict with other expanding tribes at the time, such as the
Jiuli tribes led by
Chiyou, and the Youxiong tribes led by the
Yellow Emperor.
Yuwang, the last
Flame Emperor first went to war with Chiyou but was defeated, and in retreating came to territorial conflict against the Yellow Emperor, who raised armies against Shennong. The armies of Yellow Emperor, under the
totems of the
black bear (),
brown bear (),
pixiu (), and tigers (), met the armies of Shennong in Banquan in the first large-scale battle in Chinese history. After three major engagements, the Flame Emperor lost the battle and surrendered the leadership to the Yellow Emperor. The Youxiong and the Shennong tribes then made an alliance, forming the
Yanhuang tribes, incorporating the small tribes around them. The ever-expanding Yanhuang tribe soon drew the envy of Chiyou, who attacked Shennong's territories again. The Yanhuang tribe then reacted by facing Chiyou in the
Battle of Zhuolu, and emerged victorious. The Yanhuang tribe could then expand eastwards without hindrance, and soon formed what came to be known as the
Huaxia civilization, the precursor of the
Han Chinese civilization. To this day, Chinese people still call themselves "the
Descendants of Yan and Huang". ==Location of the battle==