The deities and characters that make up the body of Chinese mythology originate in many different regions and from several unique belief systems. For this reason, Chinese mythology is less uniform and consistent in its legends than the mythologies of many other cultures, but offers a wide range of tales and mythological figures to appreciate.
Pan Gu was the first living creature and the creator of the world. Among his acts of creation were the separation of the earth and sky, the placement of the stars and planets in the heavens, and the shaping of the earth’s surface. It is often said that his body became the world on which all things live.
For the Han people of ancient China, the supreme god was known as Shang Di. In later times, this same deity came to be known as Tian, also used as a word for heaven or sky. There are few details about Shang Di in Chinese mythology other than that he was male and his duties involved rewarding those who were deserving and punishing those who were not. Shang Di was not represented in art.
A similar deity is the Jade Emperor, also known as Yu Huang, revered by Taoists as the supreme ruler of heaven. According to legend, when Yu Huang was born as a prince the kingdom where he lived was flooded with light. As he grew, he showed a remarkable respect for all living things and devoted himselfto helping the least fortunate members of the kingdom. After his father died, he ruled the region with greatness and eventually became immortal, or able to live forever. According to myth, it took Yu Huang millions of years to achieve the status of Jade Emperor, which was bestowed upon him by a group of deities.
Two groups of characters central to Chinese mythology are the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors. All of these figures were believed to rule ancient regions of China, and many are credited with uplifting humans to a state of advanced civilization through their leadership or their teachings. The Three Sovereigns are figures of the most ancient times. Two ofthe three, Fu Xi and Nuwa, were deities who Helped humankind continue in the aftermath of a great flood. Fu Xi and Nuwa were brother and sister and were the only two to survive the flood; they prayed to the Jade Emperor, who gave them permission to become a couple and repopulate the land. In many versions of their tale they also teach humans essential skills, such as hunting, fishing with nets, and cooking food. The third of the Three Sovereigns, Shennong, is said to have taught people the arts of agriculture and medicinal herbs. According to legend, Shennong went to the trouble of tasting hundreds of plants and minerals in an effort to determine which could be helpful to humans and which could be harmful (poisonous).
The Five Emperors are believed to be based on historical leaders who brought great advancements to their people. None were emperors in the traditional, later use of the term; rather, they were tribal leaders who may have also been elected to be in charge of a larger group of tribes. The first of the Five Emperors was the Yellow Emperor, also known as Huang-Di. The Yellow Emperor was said to be the first to institute laws among the tribes he ruled, and he also brought the first music and art to his people. He became immortal, and eventually power passed to his grandson, Zhuanxu. Zhuanxu made his own contributions to Chinese culture, expanding his kingdom and unifying religious and marriage practices for all his subjects.
The kingdom was later ruled by his son, Ku, and by Ku’s son, Yao. It is believed that Ku ruled for seventy years, while his son Yao ruled for over one hundred years. Yao, according to tradition, invented the Chinese board game Go, which was considered an essential way to learn strategy and planning. The last of the Five Emperors was Shun, son-inlaw to Yao and ruler for nearly fifty years. He was originally a simple farmer, but his humility and dedication to religion won him a reputation that spread all the way to Yao’s throne; since Yao was dissatisfied with his own son’s behavior, he allowed Shun to marry two of his daughters and become the next in line to rule. Yao and Shun are often viewed together as the perfect leaders whose behavior rose above any possible hint of misdeed and whose popularity has been unmatched since.
Other important figures from Chinese history have developed their own unique legends that expand upon their true historical accomplishments. Two of the most important of these figures are the religious and philosophical leaders Confucius and Laozi. Born in 551 bce to a poor family of aristocratic background, Confucius began a teaching career after working as a minor government official. For Confucius, the goal of education and learning was self-knowledge and self-improvement, which would lead one to right conduct. Although his method of education was aimed at ensuring the smooth operation of a stable and well-ordered state, his teachings became a guide to living wisely as well.
Confucius attracted many followers who spread his ideas after his death in 479 bce. A number of legends grew up about Confucius, including one in which dragons guarded his mother when he was born. According to another story, a unicorn appeared at his birth and spit out a piece of jade with a prophecy written on it, saying that the infant would become “an uncrowned emperor.” Considering the immense impact of Confucius on Chinese culture, the prophecy came true.
Taoism, also known as Daoism, arose about the same time as Confucianism. This religious tradition had its roots in the nature worship of the earliest Chinese people. The word tao means “way,” and Taoist belief is based on the idea that there is a natural order or a “way of heaven” that one can come to know by living in harmony with nature. Through an understanding of natural laws, an individual can gain eternal life. The main Taoist work, the Tao Te Ching, was supposedly written by Laozi, a scholar at the Chinese royal court in the 500s BCE. Little is known about Laozi. The main sources of information, written hundreds of years after he lived, are legendary in nature. One of the most popular stories about Laozi concerns a voyage to the west, during which he wrote the Tao Te Ching. Other tales claim that Laozi met Confucius and that he lived more than two hundred years. Although the true story of Laozi will probably never be known, he is widely respected in China. Confucianists consider him a great philosopher, while Taoists regard him as the embodiment of the tao and honor him as a saint or god.
World History
