Houyi Shot the Suns
Legend says Yi was very good at archery. There were once ten suns in the sky, which made plants wither, and fierce beasts run wild to imperil people. It was too hot to live under the suns. To save the people, Yi started to shoot the suns. He shot down nine of them one by one, and he might have shot the last one if it was not called off by others. Thus the severe drought was gone. He also got rid of those fierce animals for the people.
It is said Yi's wife was Chang'e, a legendary lady in the famous story, "Chang'e flying to the moon." Chang'e swallowed the elixir stolen from her husband, and she flew to the moon and became the goddess of the moon, who has lived in the palace on the moon ever since.
Yi was killed by Fengmeng, a disciple of Yi who learned to shoot from
Chinese Ghost
Many people believe ghosts, yet many don't. Chinese people often say, "If you believe it, there will be, but if you don't, there will not." Here is a story about this saying.
Zhuxi was a famous scholar in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). He believed there were no ghosts in the world, so he decided to write an essay "No Ghost." It was said he was a great sage so even ghosts were afraid of him. If he said no ghosts, ghosts could no longer exist. When ghosts knew he was writing the essay, they gathered together to discuss this and decided to send the smartest ghost to entreat him abandon the writing.
So one night, the smartest ghost appeared at Zhuxi's desk and kowtowed towards Zhuxi repeatedly. Zhuxi was surprised and asked:
"Where comes the ghost? How dare you disturbing me at night.""Yes, I am a ghost, but ...""Why don't you leave and why do you come in my study room?""I am here to entreat ..." replied the ghost."People are in the Yang world and ghosts are in the Yin world. We are in the different worlds so there are no way I can help you.""I have very important things to entreat you, Sir.""Ok, say it!"Then the ghost told Zhuxi the reason and beg him to abandon the writing to save them. Zhuxi laughed and said:
"You, the ghosts have been worshipped in the human world for so long. Isn't the time for you go away all together.""We also have good and bad ghosts...""Well, I heard you can do anything. Can you move me to the outside?""Certainly, Sir."Zhuxi was moved to the outside instantly without even noticing it. Zhuxi was astonished by the ability of ghosts, but was unwilling to say it. Then he asked again,
"You can move my body. Can you move my heart?""That is impossible to do, Sir." "But we can move things or a person's body so that it proves we exist." "We exist in illusion. If you believe it, there will be, but if you don't, there will not." "Can you say something like that in your essay, Sir?"Zhuxi felt the words did have some merits so he promised the ghost he would do that. The ghost left happily. Therefore, Zhuxi wrote the words, under the title of the no ghost essay, "If you believe it, there will be, but if you don't, there will not."
The Gate Gods.
It is said that long ago there grew a peach forest. The king of the peach trees shaded two stone huts in which lived two brothers, Shen Tu and Yu Lei. Both of them were so strong that in front of them lions would bend down their heads, leopards shivered at them and tigers gave in entirely to promise to serve as guards in the forest. And the two brothers lived there on the peaches.
In the Northeast of Mount Duso, there lived a monster which was said the son of a spirit of a bull. By right of the uncommon strength, it made itself the king of that area. When it heard that the delicious peaches on the mountain of Duso were magic in turning an evil into a god, he couldn't wait to go there. Of course, the monster was refused absolutely by the brothers. The monster was so angry that he led more than 300 ghosts to fight against the brothers.
After a fierce fight, the monster was defeated completely and ran away. But the monster wouldn't bury its axe. In the dark, he sent a few of the strongest ghosts to attack the brothers' huts. Though the ghosts appeared with blue faces, long buckteeth and dark red eyes, the brothers were very calm and they determined to give them a hard blow. The elder brother fought ahead with a hard stem of a tree and the younger followed with a strong reed rope. When the brother beat down one of the ghosts, the younger would tie it hard and put it into the mouth of a tiger. The bothers, Shen Tu and Yu Lei, won the battle at that night and the ghosts never dared to annoy them again.
Thus, the reputation of the brothers was spread quickly around the area, and they also helped a lot of people in the area. Many years later, when the bothers died, people thought they had got into the Heaven and became gods there and served as guards by the gate of the Heaven. Because the gate gods were once lived in the peach forest, people thought the branches of peach trees were full of magic. So it began to get popular for people to hang a peach board with the bothers' names on it on each side of their door pinning their hope for peace on the two giants. When paper was used, a picture of them was put up instead of those peach boards.
Kitchen God.
Traditionally the Spring Festival actually begins its course a week before the Chinese New Year (the 23th of the last month from Chinese lunar calendar), with the practice of offering a sacrifice to the Kitchen God, a god sent from Heaven to each family to take charge of family's affairs and make a report on what the family has done in the past year to Heaven annually on the date of the 23th.
Strangely enough, the sacrifice to the Kitchen God is a lotus root-like sticky cake made of a kind of confection, a typical Chinese traditional candy, instead of the usual cows, pigs or sheep. The purpose of the practice is compromising, for people are making full use of the sticky cake to prevent the Kitchen God from speaking ill of the family in Heaven by sticking his mouth. Of course, it seems to be quite a tacit agreement between the Kitchen God and his prayers; he is always accepting the sweet food from the people around. This tradition is no longer popular in cities now, but may still be observed in some areas of countryside.
From the 23th to the 28th, it is the seed time for the great festival. People are usually found themselves buying various things which vary from new clothes to delicious food. The Spring Festival is also the time for all family members getting together. Usually most people are trying to get home from different places before or on the New Year's Eve (the 29th) so the week before the Chinese New Year is the busiest travel time in China.
Yellow Emperor
It is believed there were many tribes settled down near Yellow River and engaged in farming about 4,000 years ago. Huangdi was the chief of a large tribe lived around Ji River. As the legend goes, at that time, Yan Emperor disturbed the other tribes in the region and Yellow Emperor defeated Yan Emperor at Banquan. Later the tribes lead by Huangdi killed Chiyou, a troublemaker, who was the chief of a large tribe in the east. Then he became the leader of all the tribes.
It is also believed there were many inventions originated from the time of Yellow Emperor, such as characters, ships and carts, medicines, music, sericiculture and some daily utensils. Thus Huangdi was said to be the founder of Chinese civilization.
Huangdi is also regarded as the central god among the five gods in the heaven in Chinese mythology.
Shennong
Shennong was also regarded as the god of Chinese medicine. Legend says he tasted all kinds of herbs. Once he identified poisonous plants more than 70 times in a day. It was because of his practice that people learned that medical herbs could cure diseases.
According to "Baihutong" by Ban Gu of the Han Dynasty, in ancient times, people only ate animal meat. By Shennong's time, there were too many people and animals were insufficient. Thus Shennong taught people to do farming. People benefited a great deal from it. So they called him Shennong, which means the god of farming.
In "Stories of Gods" by Gan Bao of the Jin Dynasty, Shennong used a reddish brown whip to beat all kinds of plants to test their properties as drugs and identify those suitable for crop growing.
Because of his contribution to Chinese civilization, he and Huangdi are generally regarded as the ancestors of the Huaxia race.
Yao Emperor
Legend says he once appointed Yihe to take charge of the calendar. When Yao became old, he chose Shun as the prince regent after three years' examination. When he died, Shun became the emperor. But it was also said, in his late years, Yao was put in jail and replaced by Shun. Yao was very diligent and economical. He showed great concern for his people, thus was adored by them and was regarded as an ideal emperor in people's mind.
KuaFu Chased the Sun
It is said that in antiquity a god named KuaFu determined to have a race with the Sun and catch up with Him. So he rushed in the direction of the Sun. Finally, he almost ran neck and neck with the Sun, when he was too thirsty and hot to continue. Where could he find some water? Just then the Yellow River and Wei River came into sight, roaring on.
He swooped upon them earnestly and drank the whole river. But he still felt thirsty and hot, thereupon, he marched northward for the lakes in the north of China. Unfortunately, he fell down and died halfway because of thirst. With his fall, down dropped his cane. Then the cane became a stretch of peach, green and lush.
And so comes the idiom, KuaFu chased the Sun, which becomes the trope of man's determination and volition against nature.
Nian
The legend says, long ago, there was a monster called Nian. It was born to be very ugly and ferocious, which looked like either dragons or unicorns. On the first and the 15th of each lunar month, the monster would come down from the mountains to hunt people. So people were very much afraid of it and locked their doors early before sunset on the days of its coming.
There lived an old wise man in a village. He thought it was the panic in people that made the monster so bold and furious. Thus the old man asked people to organize together and to conquer the monster by means of beating drums and gongs, burning bamboo, and lighting fireworks in purpose of making large noises to threaten the hateful monster. When he told people about the idea, everybody agreed on it.
At a moonless and freezing cold night, the monster, Nian, appeared again. The moment it opened its mouth at people, burst out the frightening noises and fire made by people, and wherever the monster went, it was forced to back off by the terrible noises. The monster couldn't stop running until he fell down with exhaustion. Then people jumped up and killed the evil monster. Savage as the monster was, he lost in the end under the efforts from the cooperation of people.
Since then, people have kept the tradition by beating drums and gongs, and lighting fireworks at the coldest day in winter to drive the imagined monsters away and to celebrate the victory over it. Today, Nian refers to the New Year's day or the Spring Festival. People often say Guo Nian, which means 'live the festival.' Furthermore, Nian also means the year. For an example, the Chinese often greet each other by saying Xin Nian Hao, which means Happy New Year! Xin means new and Hao means good.
Nvwa Mended the Firmament
Nvwa is the ancestor of mankind in the mythology of ancient China. As legend goes, she smelted the five-colored stones to mend the firmament (sky), cut off the feet of the great turtle to support the four pillars of the universe, controlled the flood, and drove away fierce beasts so as to let the people live in peace. Another legend says, she made persons with yellow clay, and married her brother, Emperor Fuxi, turning a relationship of brother and sister into a marriage, and multiplying mankind. Thus, later generations adored her as a goddess of marriage and reproduction, especially in charge of matters of copulation between men and women. Learners of cultural history regard her as a goddess that came into being in the era of worship of the female genital organ.
The popular story of "Nvwa Mended the Sky" was noted in "Huainanzi," written in Western Han (206 B.C. - 24). It says, "In remote antiquity, the four poles of the universe collapsed, the sky cracked open, the earth was no longer able to support everything, fire ran wild everywhere without ceasing, and flood overflowed out of control. Fierce beasts ate common people, and ferocious birds attacked the old and the weak. Hence, Nvwa smelted the five-colored stones to mend the sky, cut off the feet of the great turtle to support the four poles, killed the black dragon to help the earth, and gathered the ash of reed to stop the flood."
According to "Taiping Yulan," a set of encyclopedias compiled in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), at the beginning of the universe, there were no human beings. Nvwa molded figures from yellow clay to create people. As the clay was not strong enough, she put ropes into the clay to make the bodies erect. There was also such a saying, "Nvwa prayed to gods to let her be the goddess to take charge of marital affairs. As a result of her going-between, men and women lived in harmony, and she was worshiped as the goddess of marriage." According to "Duyi Zhi" by Li Rong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), at the opening of the universe, there were a brother and a sister called Nvwa, living in Kunlun Mountain, and there were no ordinary people at that time. They wished to become husband and wife, yet, felt shy about it. Thus, the brother took his younger sister to the top of the mountain and swore: "If Heaven allows us to be husband and wife, please let the clouds gather; if not, please let the clouds scatter." Then, the clouds gathered together. The younger sister came to live with her brother. She made a fan with grass to hide her face. The present custom of women taking a fan in their hands originated from that story.
Nv Wa
Chinese legend has it that in remote antiquity there were no humans when a god called Pan Gu broke the chaotic universe and split the heaven and earth apart. Then a goddess named Nv Wa began to make clay figurines after Pan Gu and herself. After several days of hard work, man and woman were created. And more than that, she also gave the law of marriage to keep human behaviors within bounds. First, the man should ask a matchmaker to talk about the marriage with the woman's family. Then when they agreed he should send some gifts as to show his sincerity. Last, the woman should move to the man's home since food and protection was provided by him.
Nv Wa was so gentle and considerate that she later invented some string instruments such as Sheng and Huang. Later in the north came a monster called Gong Gong who wanted to flood the world. Nv Wa directed her subordinate and the people and defeated the monster. But it bumped into the Buzhou Mountain, which propped up the heaven and split it a hole. So she smelted some five colored stones and patched up the sky. Thus people could live peacefully afterwards. This story is so well known that the novel, Dream of Red Mansions, drew materials from this part.
Fuxi
Fuxi is the legendary god in the mythology of ancient China. He is also called Taihao or Taihao Fuxi. Legend says, by imitating the spider, he created a net to catch fish and animals. He invented the musical instrument, Se, a plucked instrument with 50 strings, and constituted the Eight Diagrams used in divination. He married his younger sister, Nvwa, and started the reproduction of offspring one generation after another. Thus they became the ancestors of the Chinese.
In the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220), they were carved on stone as figures with both human heads and bodies of the snake. They are human-shaped from the waist up, but are snake-like below. The lower bodies are entangled together with each other.
Pan Gu Creates the World
Chinese legend says Pan Gu created the world by separating the heaven and the earth from chaos. In the beginning, the universe was like an egg and there was only chaos in the egg. Pan Gu had slept in the egg for over 18,000 years. Then one day, he woke up and cracked the egg into pieces. By separating the heavy and light parts of the egg, he created the heaven and the earth. Pan Gu stood on the earth and held up the heaven using his hands, and then he had grown with the heaven until the form of the world for another 18,000 years.
Town God Temple
In the old days, people imagined that the city was protected by a god known as Chenghuang (town god). Under his protection, people could live peacefully. Chenghuang's duty was just like that of the county head in feudal China. Taoists accepted him not only as an executive but as a law officer as well. It was believed that Chenghuang was empowered by the celestial ruler to exterminate evils in towns and cities and make citizens live a prosperous and happy life. He was even capable of granting what people prayed for. He gave rain when it was too dry and gave sunshine when there was too much rain. He brought big crop harvests for farmers and flourishing business for traders. As historical records indicate, the first known Chenghuan Temple was built as early as 239 A.D in the Three Kingdoms Period.
Interestingly, the town god had his mold in the practical society. The mold was always a hero who had done a lot and sacrificed his life for the public. People honored him as a god and believed that he would bring them peace and happiness. That's why the town gods in different cities often have different looks. Even today, every year at a fixed time, people come to the temples and show their respect for their protectors by kowtowing and offering some sacrifices. Chenghuang is a god in Taoism, but monarchs of different faiths in history all put him in a very important position.
Legend says Yi was very good at archery. There were once ten suns in the sky, which made plants wither, and fierce beasts run wild to imperil people. It was too hot to live under the suns. To save the people, Yi started to shoot the suns. He shot down nine of them one by one, and he might have shot the last one if it was not called off by others. Thus the severe drought was gone. He also got rid of those fierce animals for the people.
It is said Yi's wife was Chang'e, a legendary lady in the famous story, "Chang'e flying to the moon." Chang'e swallowed the elixir stolen from her husband, and she flew to the moon and became the goddess of the moon, who has lived in the palace on the moon ever since.
Yi was killed by Fengmeng, a disciple of Yi who learned to shoot from
Chinese Ghost
Many people believe ghosts, yet many don't. Chinese people often say, "If you believe it, there will be, but if you don't, there will not." Here is a story about this saying.
Zhuxi was a famous scholar in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). He believed there were no ghosts in the world, so he decided to write an essay "No Ghost." It was said he was a great sage so even ghosts were afraid of him. If he said no ghosts, ghosts could no longer exist. When ghosts knew he was writing the essay, they gathered together to discuss this and decided to send the smartest ghost to entreat him abandon the writing.
So one night, the smartest ghost appeared at Zhuxi's desk and kowtowed towards Zhuxi repeatedly. Zhuxi was surprised and asked:
"Where comes the ghost? How dare you disturbing me at night.""Yes, I am a ghost, but ...""Why don't you leave and why do you come in my study room?""I am here to entreat ..." replied the ghost."People are in the Yang world and ghosts are in the Yin world. We are in the different worlds so there are no way I can help you.""I have very important things to entreat you, Sir.""Ok, say it!"Then the ghost told Zhuxi the reason and beg him to abandon the writing to save them. Zhuxi laughed and said:
"You, the ghosts have been worshipped in the human world for so long. Isn't the time for you go away all together.""We also have good and bad ghosts...""Well, I heard you can do anything. Can you move me to the outside?""Certainly, Sir."Zhuxi was moved to the outside instantly without even noticing it. Zhuxi was astonished by the ability of ghosts, but was unwilling to say it. Then he asked again,
"You can move my body. Can you move my heart?""That is impossible to do, Sir." "But we can move things or a person's body so that it proves we exist." "We exist in illusion. If you believe it, there will be, but if you don't, there will not." "Can you say something like that in your essay, Sir?"Zhuxi felt the words did have some merits so he promised the ghost he would do that. The ghost left happily. Therefore, Zhuxi wrote the words, under the title of the no ghost essay, "If you believe it, there will be, but if you don't, there will not."
The Gate Gods.
It is said that long ago there grew a peach forest. The king of the peach trees shaded two stone huts in which lived two brothers, Shen Tu and Yu Lei. Both of them were so strong that in front of them lions would bend down their heads, leopards shivered at them and tigers gave in entirely to promise to serve as guards in the forest. And the two brothers lived there on the peaches.
In the Northeast of Mount Duso, there lived a monster which was said the son of a spirit of a bull. By right of the uncommon strength, it made itself the king of that area. When it heard that the delicious peaches on the mountain of Duso were magic in turning an evil into a god, he couldn't wait to go there. Of course, the monster was refused absolutely by the brothers. The monster was so angry that he led more than 300 ghosts to fight against the brothers.
After a fierce fight, the monster was defeated completely and ran away. But the monster wouldn't bury its axe. In the dark, he sent a few of the strongest ghosts to attack the brothers' huts. Though the ghosts appeared with blue faces, long buckteeth and dark red eyes, the brothers were very calm and they determined to give them a hard blow. The elder brother fought ahead with a hard stem of a tree and the younger followed with a strong reed rope. When the brother beat down one of the ghosts, the younger would tie it hard and put it into the mouth of a tiger. The bothers, Shen Tu and Yu Lei, won the battle at that night and the ghosts never dared to annoy them again.
Thus, the reputation of the brothers was spread quickly around the area, and they also helped a lot of people in the area. Many years later, when the bothers died, people thought they had got into the Heaven and became gods there and served as guards by the gate of the Heaven. Because the gate gods were once lived in the peach forest, people thought the branches of peach trees were full of magic. So it began to get popular for people to hang a peach board with the bothers' names on it on each side of their door pinning their hope for peace on the two giants. When paper was used, a picture of them was put up instead of those peach boards.
Kitchen God.
Traditionally the Spring Festival actually begins its course a week before the Chinese New Year (the 23th of the last month from Chinese lunar calendar), with the practice of offering a sacrifice to the Kitchen God, a god sent from Heaven to each family to take charge of family's affairs and make a report on what the family has done in the past year to Heaven annually on the date of the 23th.
Strangely enough, the sacrifice to the Kitchen God is a lotus root-like sticky cake made of a kind of confection, a typical Chinese traditional candy, instead of the usual cows, pigs or sheep. The purpose of the practice is compromising, for people are making full use of the sticky cake to prevent the Kitchen God from speaking ill of the family in Heaven by sticking his mouth. Of course, it seems to be quite a tacit agreement between the Kitchen God and his prayers; he is always accepting the sweet food from the people around. This tradition is no longer popular in cities now, but may still be observed in some areas of countryside.
From the 23th to the 28th, it is the seed time for the great festival. People are usually found themselves buying various things which vary from new clothes to delicious food. The Spring Festival is also the time for all family members getting together. Usually most people are trying to get home from different places before or on the New Year's Eve (the 29th) so the week before the Chinese New Year is the busiest travel time in China.
Yellow Emperor
It is believed there were many tribes settled down near Yellow River and engaged in farming about 4,000 years ago. Huangdi was the chief of a large tribe lived around Ji River. As the legend goes, at that time, Yan Emperor disturbed the other tribes in the region and Yellow Emperor defeated Yan Emperor at Banquan. Later the tribes lead by Huangdi killed Chiyou, a troublemaker, who was the chief of a large tribe in the east. Then he became the leader of all the tribes.
It is also believed there were many inventions originated from the time of Yellow Emperor, such as characters, ships and carts, medicines, music, sericiculture and some daily utensils. Thus Huangdi was said to be the founder of Chinese civilization.
Huangdi is also regarded as the central god among the five gods in the heaven in Chinese mythology.
Shennong
Shennong was also regarded as the god of Chinese medicine. Legend says he tasted all kinds of herbs. Once he identified poisonous plants more than 70 times in a day. It was because of his practice that people learned that medical herbs could cure diseases.
According to "Baihutong" by Ban Gu of the Han Dynasty, in ancient times, people only ate animal meat. By Shennong's time, there were too many people and animals were insufficient. Thus Shennong taught people to do farming. People benefited a great deal from it. So they called him Shennong, which means the god of farming.
In "Stories of Gods" by Gan Bao of the Jin Dynasty, Shennong used a reddish brown whip to beat all kinds of plants to test their properties as drugs and identify those suitable for crop growing.
Because of his contribution to Chinese civilization, he and Huangdi are generally regarded as the ancestors of the Huaxia race.
Yao Emperor
Legend says he once appointed Yihe to take charge of the calendar. When Yao became old, he chose Shun as the prince regent after three years' examination. When he died, Shun became the emperor. But it was also said, in his late years, Yao was put in jail and replaced by Shun. Yao was very diligent and economical. He showed great concern for his people, thus was adored by them and was regarded as an ideal emperor in people's mind.
KuaFu Chased the Sun
It is said that in antiquity a god named KuaFu determined to have a race with the Sun and catch up with Him. So he rushed in the direction of the Sun. Finally, he almost ran neck and neck with the Sun, when he was too thirsty and hot to continue. Where could he find some water? Just then the Yellow River and Wei River came into sight, roaring on.
He swooped upon them earnestly and drank the whole river. But he still felt thirsty and hot, thereupon, he marched northward for the lakes in the north of China. Unfortunately, he fell down and died halfway because of thirst. With his fall, down dropped his cane. Then the cane became a stretch of peach, green and lush.
And so comes the idiom, KuaFu chased the Sun, which becomes the trope of man's determination and volition against nature.
Nian
The legend says, long ago, there was a monster called Nian. It was born to be very ugly and ferocious, which looked like either dragons or unicorns. On the first and the 15th of each lunar month, the monster would come down from the mountains to hunt people. So people were very much afraid of it and locked their doors early before sunset on the days of its coming.
There lived an old wise man in a village. He thought it was the panic in people that made the monster so bold and furious. Thus the old man asked people to organize together and to conquer the monster by means of beating drums and gongs, burning bamboo, and lighting fireworks in purpose of making large noises to threaten the hateful monster. When he told people about the idea, everybody agreed on it.
At a moonless and freezing cold night, the monster, Nian, appeared again. The moment it opened its mouth at people, burst out the frightening noises and fire made by people, and wherever the monster went, it was forced to back off by the terrible noises. The monster couldn't stop running until he fell down with exhaustion. Then people jumped up and killed the evil monster. Savage as the monster was, he lost in the end under the efforts from the cooperation of people.
Since then, people have kept the tradition by beating drums and gongs, and lighting fireworks at the coldest day in winter to drive the imagined monsters away and to celebrate the victory over it. Today, Nian refers to the New Year's day or the Spring Festival. People often say Guo Nian, which means 'live the festival.' Furthermore, Nian also means the year. For an example, the Chinese often greet each other by saying Xin Nian Hao, which means Happy New Year! Xin means new and Hao means good.
Nvwa Mended the Firmament
Nvwa is the ancestor of mankind in the mythology of ancient China. As legend goes, she smelted the five-colored stones to mend the firmament (sky), cut off the feet of the great turtle to support the four pillars of the universe, controlled the flood, and drove away fierce beasts so as to let the people live in peace. Another legend says, she made persons with yellow clay, and married her brother, Emperor Fuxi, turning a relationship of brother and sister into a marriage, and multiplying mankind. Thus, later generations adored her as a goddess of marriage and reproduction, especially in charge of matters of copulation between men and women. Learners of cultural history regard her as a goddess that came into being in the era of worship of the female genital organ.
The popular story of "Nvwa Mended the Sky" was noted in "Huainanzi," written in Western Han (206 B.C. - 24). It says, "In remote antiquity, the four poles of the universe collapsed, the sky cracked open, the earth was no longer able to support everything, fire ran wild everywhere without ceasing, and flood overflowed out of control. Fierce beasts ate common people, and ferocious birds attacked the old and the weak. Hence, Nvwa smelted the five-colored stones to mend the sky, cut off the feet of the great turtle to support the four poles, killed the black dragon to help the earth, and gathered the ash of reed to stop the flood."
According to "Taiping Yulan," a set of encyclopedias compiled in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), at the beginning of the universe, there were no human beings. Nvwa molded figures from yellow clay to create people. As the clay was not strong enough, she put ropes into the clay to make the bodies erect. There was also such a saying, "Nvwa prayed to gods to let her be the goddess to take charge of marital affairs. As a result of her going-between, men and women lived in harmony, and she was worshiped as the goddess of marriage." According to "Duyi Zhi" by Li Rong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), at the opening of the universe, there were a brother and a sister called Nvwa, living in Kunlun Mountain, and there were no ordinary people at that time. They wished to become husband and wife, yet, felt shy about it. Thus, the brother took his younger sister to the top of the mountain and swore: "If Heaven allows us to be husband and wife, please let the clouds gather; if not, please let the clouds scatter." Then, the clouds gathered together. The younger sister came to live with her brother. She made a fan with grass to hide her face. The present custom of women taking a fan in their hands originated from that story.
Nv Wa
Chinese legend has it that in remote antiquity there were no humans when a god called Pan Gu broke the chaotic universe and split the heaven and earth apart. Then a goddess named Nv Wa began to make clay figurines after Pan Gu and herself. After several days of hard work, man and woman were created. And more than that, she also gave the law of marriage to keep human behaviors within bounds. First, the man should ask a matchmaker to talk about the marriage with the woman's family. Then when they agreed he should send some gifts as to show his sincerity. Last, the woman should move to the man's home since food and protection was provided by him.
Nv Wa was so gentle and considerate that she later invented some string instruments such as Sheng and Huang. Later in the north came a monster called Gong Gong who wanted to flood the world. Nv Wa directed her subordinate and the people and defeated the monster. But it bumped into the Buzhou Mountain, which propped up the heaven and split it a hole. So she smelted some five colored stones and patched up the sky. Thus people could live peacefully afterwards. This story is so well known that the novel, Dream of Red Mansions, drew materials from this part.
Fuxi
Fuxi is the legendary god in the mythology of ancient China. He is also called Taihao or Taihao Fuxi. Legend says, by imitating the spider, he created a net to catch fish and animals. He invented the musical instrument, Se, a plucked instrument with 50 strings, and constituted the Eight Diagrams used in divination. He married his younger sister, Nvwa, and started the reproduction of offspring one generation after another. Thus they became the ancestors of the Chinese.
In the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220), they were carved on stone as figures with both human heads and bodies of the snake. They are human-shaped from the waist up, but are snake-like below. The lower bodies are entangled together with each other.
Pan Gu Creates the World
Chinese legend says Pan Gu created the world by separating the heaven and the earth from chaos. In the beginning, the universe was like an egg and there was only chaos in the egg. Pan Gu had slept in the egg for over 18,000 years. Then one day, he woke up and cracked the egg into pieces. By separating the heavy and light parts of the egg, he created the heaven and the earth. Pan Gu stood on the earth and held up the heaven using his hands, and then he had grown with the heaven until the form of the world for another 18,000 years.
Town God Temple
In the old days, people imagined that the city was protected by a god known as Chenghuang (town god). Under his protection, people could live peacefully. Chenghuang's duty was just like that of the county head in feudal China. Taoists accepted him not only as an executive but as a law officer as well. It was believed that Chenghuang was empowered by the celestial ruler to exterminate evils in towns and cities and make citizens live a prosperous and happy life. He was even capable of granting what people prayed for. He gave rain when it was too dry and gave sunshine when there was too much rain. He brought big crop harvests for farmers and flourishing business for traders. As historical records indicate, the first known Chenghuan Temple was built as early as 239 A.D in the Three Kingdoms Period.
Interestingly, the town god had his mold in the practical society. The mold was always a hero who had done a lot and sacrificed his life for the public. People honored him as a god and believed that he would bring them peace and happiness. That's why the town gods in different cities often have different looks. Even today, every year at a fixed time, people come to the temples and show their respect for their protectors by kowtowing and offering some sacrifices. Chenghuang is a god in Taoism, but monarchs of different faiths in history all put him in a very important position.
No comments:
Post a Comment