Yan Huang Zisun (), or descendants of Yan and Yellow Emperors, is a term that represents the
Chinese people
The Chinese people, or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with Greater China, China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation.
Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by ...
and refers to an ethnocultural identity based on a common ancestry associated with a mythological origin.
This term is connected to
Yan Emperor (, Yandi) and
Yellow Emperor
The Yellow Emperor, also known as the Yellow Thearch, or Huangdi ( zh, t=黃帝, s=黄帝, first=t) in Chinese, is a mythical Chinese sovereign and culture hero included among the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. He is revered as ...
(, Huangdi), in which both figures are considered the legendary ancestors of the
Huaxia people who themselves are ancestral to the Han people (see
Yanhuang
Yanhuang or Yan Huang ( zh, t=, s=, p=''Yán Huáng'') was the name of a mythical ethnic group of ancient China who were said to have inhabited the Yellow River basin area. They claimed their descent from the two tribes led by the Flame Emperor ( ...
).
The term most specifically refers to the
Han ethnic group, as it does not include groups who do not share the legendary ancestors.
Modern usage
To this day, the Chinese still refer to themselves with this term.
The derivation of the term is mentioned as ''Yan Huang Shizhou'' () in the
National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China.
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, t=馬英九; pinyin: ''Mǎ Yīngjiǔ''; ; born 13 July 1950) is a Taiwanese politician, lawyer, and legal scholar who served as the sixth president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT ...
, ex-president of the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
(Taiwan), has used this term to refer to all Chinese people in the context of
his view on cross-strait relations.
See also
*
Emperors Yan and Huang (monument)
*
Huaxia, confederation of pre-Qin peoples.
**
Yanhuang
Yanhuang or Yan Huang ( zh, t=, s=, p=''Yán Huáng'') was the name of a mythical ethnic group of ancient China who were said to have inhabited the Yellow River basin area. They claimed their descent from the two tribes led by the Flame Emperor ( ...
, an ancestral group around the
Yellow River
The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...
.
References
{{Religious Confucianism
Chinese culture
Chinese mythology
Han Chinese
Collective identity
Chinese traditions