Battle of Zhuolu The Battle of Zhuolu ( Traditional Chinese : 涿鹿之戰 or Simplified Chinese : 涿鹿之战 ) was the second battle in Chinese history as recorded in the " Records of the Grand Historian " , fought between the Yellow Emperor ( Huang Di ) and Chi You . The battle was fought in Zhuolu , near the present - day border of Hebei and Liaoning . The victory for the Yellow Emperor here is often credited as the establishment of the Han Chinese civilization , although almost everything from that time period is considered legendary . Traditional Chinese historiography places the battle in the 26th century BC , although a recent study has suggested the traditional dates to be at least some two centuries too early for the remotest recorded periods . Background . In prehistoric China , the tribes of Yellow Emperor rose to power on the plains of Guanzhong and merged with Yan Emperor ' s tribes following the battle of Banquan . The Huaxia tribes , as the merged tribes were known , spread along the Yellow River towards the East China Sea . The Jiuli tribes , led by Chi You , had developed near the present - day borders of Shandong , Hebei , and Henan , and expanded towards the west . The Huaxia and Jiuli tribes were in conflict over the fertile land in the Yellow River valley , and thus they fought in the plains of Zhuolu . Chi - You ' s tribes were fierce in war and skilled at making weapons ; allying themselves with the Kua Fu tribe and the Sanmiao ( 三苗 ) tribe , they first attacked the Yan Emperor ' s tribe , driving them into the lands of the Yellow Emperor . The Yellow Emperor was angered by this , and went to war with Chi - You . The battle . The details of the battle are mostly seen as mythical by historians , but if such a battle did occur , these are the events said to have happened : It was said that Chi - You led 72 to 81 tribes against the Huaxia tribes in a thick fog . The Huaxia sent tribes under the totem s of the Bear , " Pi " ( 羆 ) , Wolf , Leopard , and others in retaliation , but due to the fog , they initially suffered several defeats . To counter the fog , the Yellow Emperor brought forth the South Pointing Chariot ( which is essentially a compass ) , a geared mechanism able to point in one constant direction designed by himself and built for him by the craftsman Fang Bo . In addition , the Xuannü ( 玄女 ) tribe helped the Huaxia forces by blowing horns and hitting drums , thus scaring the enemy . The Huaxia forces were ultimately victorious , killing Chi - You in Hebei . Mythology . According to the Chinese mythological account " Shan Hai Jing " , Chi You , with the Giants , Guryeos and evil spirits , rebelled against Huang Di at Zhuolu plains . Both sides used magical powers , but Chi - You had the advantage of forged swords and halberds . Using his powers , Chi You covered the battlefield in thick fog . Only with the help of a magical compass chariot could Huang Di ' s troops find their way through the mist . He also used his daughter Nǚbá , the Drought Demon , to harm Chi You ' s troops . Later on , Chi You suffered more defeats and was captured . Only Yinglong , the winged dragon , being a brave servant of the Yellow Emperor Huang Di , dared to slay him . Chi You ' s chains were transformed into oak trees , while Yinglong was cursed to remain on earth forever . Aftermath . After the battle , the Huaxia tribe settled in the Yellow River plains known as Zhongyuan , and the Yellow Emperor established the Huaxia capital in Zhuolu . The Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor were often credited for allowing the Han Chinese civilization to thrive due to the battle , and many Chinese people call themselves " descendants of Yan and Huang " ( 炎黃子孫 ) to this day . Because of his ferocity in battle , Chiyou was also worshiped as a war deity in ancient China . According to the " Records of the Grand Historian " , Qin Shi Huang worshiped Chiyou as the God of War , and Liu Bang worshiped at Chi You ' s shrine before his decisive battle against Xiang Yu . In modern China , the Hall of the Three Grand Ancestors built in Xinzheng is dedicated to Huangdi , Yandi and Chiyou who are collectively revered as the founding ancestors of the Chinese nation . The Jiuli tribe , however , were chased out of the central region of China , and split into two smaller splinter tribes , the Miao ( 苗 ) and the Li ( 黎 ) . The Miao moved southwest and the Li moved southeast , as the Huaxia race expanded southwards . During the course of Chinese history , the Miao and the Li were regarded as " barbarians " by the increasingly technologically and culturally advanced Han Chinese . Some fragments of the races were assimilated into the Chinese during the Zhou Dynasty . Yet , in other versions of the post - Jiuli migration , the people of Jiuli fragmented in 3 different directions . It is said Chi - You had 3 sons , and after the fall of Jiuli , his eldest son led some people south , his middle son led some people north , and his youngest son remained in Zhuolu and was assimilated into the Huaxia culture . Those who were led to the south established the Sanmiao nation . Perhaps on account of this splitting into multiple groups , many Far Eastern peoples regard Chi - You as their ancestor , and by the same token , many question the ethnicity of Chi You as exclusively Hmong or otherwise . The Koreans also acknowledge Chi - You as an ethnic ancestor .