War is an ugly thing — blood, pain, and loss are inevitably bound up on both sides of any conflict, in any era. But, as we know, humans are experts at making anything into a story, and fighting is no exception. The Trojan War; the three hundred Spartans at Thermopylae; the Normandy landing in the Second World War; Hannibal's defeat — our history books and entertainment alike are filled with dramatic portrayals of pivotal moments, legendary battles, epic wars, mighty heroes and their heroic deeds.

China certainly has its share of important battles in its nearly four millennia of recorded history. But today's story goes even farther back than that, though, reaching into foggy pre-history to the founding of China's legendary first dynasty, the Xia. In today's episode, Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, faces off against the fearsome warlord Chiyou, in a harrowing battle that will set the course of a nation for thousands of years to come.

Join me, Jaer Christie, as I explore the hidden legends that shape the world on The Mythographist: Myths of Mainland China.

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Written, narrated, and produced by Jaer Christie

Research by Jaer Christie & Elena Tung

Music:

"Dancing Abroad" & "The Night" by Shaoqing Luna Li - https://filmmusic.io/u/sqluna/music

License CC BY 4.0 - https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

"The Emperor of Qin Inspects His Troops" and "By the Dressing Table" from the collection The Essence of Famous Chinese Folk Music, used under CC fair use.