Five Grains

[10] The Huangdi Neijing, written by the Yellow Emperor according to Chinese mythology, lists rice, adzuki beans, wheat, soybeans, and proso millet as the "five grains," along with the "five fruits," "five vegetables," and "five livestock.

[12] The sense of holiness or sacredness regarding the Five Grains proceeds from their traditional ascription to the saintly rulers credited with creating China's civilization.

Such rejections of the grains for political reasons underwent a complex development into the concept of bigu, the esoteric Taoist practice of achieving immortality by avoiding certain foods.

[citation needed] In northern China, the Nanzhuangtou culture on the middle Yellow River around Hebei (c. 8500-7700 BC) had grinding tools.

By the Yangshao culture (c. 5000-3000 BC), the peoples of the Yellow River were growing millet extensively, along with some barley, rice, and vegetables; wove hemp and silk, which indicates some form of sericulture; but may have been limited to migratory slash and burn farming methods.

[citation needed] In southern China, the Pengtoushan culture on the Yangtze River (c. 7500-6100 BC) has left rice farming tools at some locations, though not at the type site.