Who was the Yellow Emperor of China?

The Yellow Emperor was one of the five ancient Chinese emperors who helped to shape Chinese mythology, history, and identity. He was also known as Xuanyuan Huangdi. The name Huangdi comes from the Chinese root Huang which can mean both "radiant" and "yellow." This associated the emperor with the sun. While he is generally regarded as a purely mythological figure by scholars outside of China, within China Huangdi is often recognized as the founder from who all Chinese people descend and the bringer of civilization.

Painting of the Yellow Emperor, Huangdi