Creation Myths
Pangu, Nuwa, and the cosmic origins told through the lens of Shanhaijing
8 articles
Creation Myths of the Shanhaijing: How the World Was Made (Multiple Times)
Chinese mythology does not have one creation story. It has several — Pangu splitting chaos, Nüwa molding humans from clay, the separation of heaven and...
Flood Myths in Chinese Mythology: Gun Yu and the Deluge
Gun Yu and the Deluge
Gonggong Breaks the Pillar of Heaven
A water god loses a battle and headbutts a mountain so hard the sky cracks open. It sounds absurd — until you realize it explains why rivers flow east and...
Nuwa Creates Humanity from Clay
She made the first humans by hand, one by one. Then she got tired and started flicking mud off a rope. That second batch? That is most of us.
Nuwa Creates Humanity: The Goddess Who Shaped Us from Clay
The Goddess Who Shaped Us from Clay
Pangu and the Cosmic Egg: Chinese Creation Story
Before there was anything, there was an egg. Inside it, a giant slept for eighteen thousand years.
Pangu and the Creation of the World
Pangu and the Creation of the World
The Ten Suns: When the Sky Caught Fire
Ten suns rose at once and the world burned. Crops withered, rivers boiled, and monsters crawled out of the scorched earth.