Yan Huang Zisun (Chinese:炎黃子孫;lit. 'Descendants of Yan[di] and Huang[di]') is a term that represents theChinese people and denotes an ethnocultural identity rooted in a shared ancestry linked to mythological origins.[1][2]
This term refers toYandi (炎帝) andHuangdi (黃帝), two legendary figures regarded as the ancestral founders of theHuaxia people, who are themselves considered the progenitors of theHan people.[3] More specifically, the expression primarily applies to theHan ethnic group, as it does not include groups that do not trace their lineage to these legendary ancestors.[4]
To this day, the Chinese still refer to themselves with this term.[5]
Ma Ying-jeou, who served as President of theRepublic of China (Taiwan), used this term to refer to all Chinese people in the context ofhis view on cross-strait relations.[6] The derivation of the term is mentioned asYan Huang Shizhou (炎黃世胄) in theNational Flag Anthem of the Republic of China.
Zhonghua (Chinese) or huaren (Chinese people) can be inclusive terms that refer to a common ancestry, traceable according to legend to the Yellow Emperor. Sometimes the Chinese are called the Yan-Huang zisun—descendants of the legendary Emperor Yan (a.k.a. Shen Nong, god of husbandry and first pharmacist) and Emperor Huang (whose burial place is in Huangling). [...] The legend of Emperors Yan-Huang can provide only an "imagined" identity for those who wish their genealogy to be traced to the royal gene of the emperors.
The Chinese believe that they all came from the common ancestors Sanhuang Wudi [...] referring to themselves as Yanhuang zisun (descendants of Yandi and Huangdi).)
One problem with current Chinese nationalism is the discursive confusion with the terms Zhonghua Minzu (Chinese Nation), Yanhuang Zisun [...] However, a closer examination indicates that only the first justifies such a definition, while the other three can only be designated as the Han as most of the ethnic minorities do not share the legendary ancestors of the Yellow Emperor or the dragon.
