Chinese Mythology
by Grace Gilroy
Who created Chinese Mythology?
Everyone. Over time, certain beliefs arose, and questions followed. Questions like, "How was China created? How did everything get to where it is? How did peach trees grow here? Why do birds migrate to a certain place every year?" and the answer, people believed, was beings of a higher power. For example, an ancient Chinese creation myth states that a god called Pangu awoke in the darkness of space and created our planet. He shaped the Earth's terrain and created heaven above us. He had to keep it there until it stuck, and for aeons, he held it up. Now, he got very tired during this. So the first thing he did after his burden was finished was sleep. He never woke up. His breath, so the legend goes, created the atmosphere. His body became the Himalayas. Parasites, apparently, created us (EWWW!), and his blood became the rivers and the oceans and pretty much all water. This was an explanation for almost everything in Chinese culture, and so they accepted it. This was also the case for other myths, however.
Why did people accept this new form of thinking?
It was the only explanation for the planet existing! It explained earthquakes, tsunamis, and everything else! People believed that whenever a new ruler arose to the throne, they had gained the Mandate of Heaven. The Mandate of Heaven was the approval of the gods. When there were natural disasters, people thought that the gods were angry and the Mandate of Heaven was lost. Then a new ruler would come and the process restarted.
Tale Of Four Dragons
The Tale of Four Dragons
The video above tells the story of the great four dragons, and what they did when their country starved.
What are some of the myths?
The Jade Emperor's Daughter
The daughter of the Jade Emperor comes down form Heaven. She wears a magic robe that lets her return. When she comes down, a cowherd sees her. He steals the robe when she sleeps, then hides it. She wakes up and sees that the robe is gone, then has an emotional breakdown. The cowherd comforts her, and after a while they get married. As the years go by, the Empress starts to feel homesick. She stumbles upon the robe, hidden away, and ascends back to heaven. The cowherd really loves her and, naturally, goes to find her. Her father, of course, was not happy. But he saw the cowherd and he saw how much he loved her, and so once a year, he sends the birds to make a bridge to Heaven so that they can visit each other.
That is where the birds migrate every year.
Feng-Huang
The feng-huang is a bird that appears every time a new ruler is getting ready to ascend the throne to give the new leaders advice.
The Peach Tree Myth
Once upon a few millennia ago, a giant named Kuafu was getting tired of the sun disappearing every night. He decided to chase it down and pin it so that it wouldn't go anywhere. Like most giants, he wasn't very smart. He chased the sun for days. He got very thirsty along the way. He drank up rivers, streams, and lakes, but nohing could quench his thirst. He was exhausted. One night, he simply gave up. He threw his peach tree staff at the sun, and it missed. He was too tired to care. He slept well, and when he awoke the next morning, he found that in the place of his staff, there was a huge grove of peach trees. There is an actual place in China called the Peach Grove, and this myth was the only explanation. FUN FACT: Peaches are known in China for being able to quench your thirst, no matter how hungry you are.
When was Chinese Mythology created?
Like the 'Who' category, it wasn't created overnight. Years of wondering and questions lead to a general belief of these myths and more.