Pan Gu Creates the WorldAt the very beginning, the universe was dark chaos in the shape of a round egg. It was not separated into heaven and earth, or day and night. The great giant, Pan Gu, slept curled in the chaos. He lay there fast asleep for 18,000 years, all the time growing larger and larger. Then Pan Gu woke up. Because he was no satisfied with the chaos surrounding him, Pan Gu broke the eggshell open with an ax and a chisel.
As a result, the universe changed greatly. The light, clear matter rose and became heaven, and the thick, dark matter sank and formed earth. Pan Gu was worried that heaven and earth might join together, so he stood in the middle, holding up heaven with his head to keep it separated from earth. Everyday during this period, heaven rose one zhang (3 1/3 meters), earth grew one zhang, and Pan Gu grew one zhang. This growth ceased after another 18000 years. By this time Pan Gu was extremely tall, and the distance between heaven and earth was 90,000 li (45,000 kilometers). Pan Gu stood there alone, stopping heaven and earth from joining and collapsing back into chaos. Many years passed. Pan Gu, who had been holding heaven up for a long time, felt extremely tired. Eventually, he lay down on earth and died. His breath turned into wind and clouds; his voice became thunder; his left eye changed into the sun, and his right eye became the moon; his hair and beard transformed into stars; his arms and legs formed the four corners of earth; and his body became the Five Sacred Mountains (the five most famous mountains in China). Pan Gu's blood became flowing rivers; his veins turned into roads and paths; his muscles became fertile lands; his skin and fine hair changed into flourishing woods, grass, and beautiful flowers; his teeth and bones became metals and stones; his bone marrow became pearls and jades; and his sweat became rain and dew moistening the earth. And this is how a world that was suitable for human beings to live was created. Nu Wa Created the Human RaceAfter the creation of heaven and earth, there were mountains and rivers, plains and trees, birds and animals, insects and fish; but there were no people. There was only the beautiful goddess Nü Wa.
Nü Wa felt very lonely, and one day while she was walking around on the earth, she wondered what she could add to the world to make it more lively. When she grew tired, she rested by the edge of a pond. She glanced into the water and saw her own reflection; then it struck her. She would make living creatures that looked like her. Nü Wa dug up some yellow earth next to the pond, and blended it with a little water. Using this mixture, she made a small creature that looked like her own image in the water. She put the little figure on the earth, and as it touched the soil, it came to life. Nü Wa named it 人 (rén), meaning human being. Nü Wa was very satisfied with her work. She made one person after another. With all these little human beings around her, she no longer felt so lonely. Nü Wa hoped to make so many that they could spread all over the vast land. She worked until sunset and then started work at dawn the following day. But Nü Wa grew very tired. Then she thought of a quicker was to work. She dipped a cane stem into the muddy water and flicked it over the land. The little clay drops also became human beings. Using this simple method, Nü Wa completed her task quickly. The humans she had shaped herself became the rich people, while those made from mud splashed became the poor. In order to continue the life of the human race, Nü Wa divided the people into men and women so they could produce their own children. In this way, the human race soon spread all over the world. |