Part 1 Chinese Myths of Cosmogony

The recognized creator of the universe in Chinese mythology is Pangu.Before Pangu，some gods related to cosmogony are marked down in ancient books as well，one of whom is called Dijiang or Hundun.It’s described in The Classic of Mountains and Seas as follows：

350 li further west is a mountain called Tianshan，which is rich in gold，jade，azurite[15] blue and red orpiment[16].The Yingshui River flows out of this mountain and runs to the southwest before it empties itself into Tanggu.There is a god called Dijiang who looks like a yellow bag and can send off red light.He has six feet and four wings.Though he has neither face nor eyes，he knows how to sing and dance.[17]

Later，Zhuangzi portrays Dijiang in “Ying Di Wang，” or “The Normal Course for Rulers and Kings” like this：

The ruler of the Southern Sea is called Change；the ruler of the Northern Sea is called Uncertainty，and the ruler of the Centre is called Primitivity.Change and Uncertainty often met on the territory of Primitivity，and being always well treated by him，determined to repay his kindness.They said：“All Men all have seven holes for seeing，hearing，eating，and breathing.Primitivity alone has none of these.Let us try to bore some for him.” So every day they bored one hole；but on the seventh day Primitivity died.[18]

Both Dijiang and Primitivity（Hundun）metaphorically refer to the chaotic state of the universe before it was born.The death of Primitivity indicates the end of the chaotic state and the world thus came into being.

Another god related to cosmogony is Torch Dragon.Being able to manage the alternation of day and night and weather，Torch Dragon thus shows the divine power of the creator.It is depicted in The Classic of Mountains and Seasas follows：

Beyond the Northwest Sea and north of the Chishui River there is Mount Zhangwei.There is a god with a human face and a snake’s body.He is red all over.He has vertical eyes which are in a straight seam.When he closes his eyes，there is darkness.When he opens his eyes，there is light.He neither eats，nor sleeps，nor breathes.He can get the rain and wind in and can light up all the dark places.He is called Torch Dragon.[19]

While Shuyiji，or A Record of Accounts of Marvels，recounts the story of Ghost Mother，who inhabited in Xiaoyu Mountain in South China Sea and had similar remarkable ability that gave birth to days，land and ghosts.

However，it is Pangu who has become the recognized creator of universe.Pangu’s stories are recorded in Sanwu Liji（Historical Records of the Three Sovereign Divinities and Five Emperors）and Wuyun Linian Ji（A Chronicle of the Five Circles of Time），both of which were compiled in the third century C.E.by Xu Zheng.The stories about Pangu go like this：At the very beginning，heaven and earth were in chaos like a chicken’s egg，and within this chaos Pangu was born.After eighteen thousand years the egg somehow opened and unfolded.The limpid[20] and light part of it，called as Yang，rose and then became the heavens，the turbid[21] and heavy part，called as Yin，sank down and became the earth.Pangu lived within them，and in one day he went through nine transformations，becoming more divine than Heaven and more sacred than earth.Each day the heavens rose ten feet higher，each day the earth grew ten feet thicker，and each day Pangu grew ten feet taller.And so it was that in eighteen thousand years the heavens reached their fullest height，earth reached its lowest depth，and Pangu became fully grown.Afterward，there were the Three Sovereign Divinities，who were the earliest divine lords in Chinese mythical history.Numbers began with one，were established with three，perfected by five，multiplied with seven，and fixed with nine.That is why the heavens are ninety thousand leagues from earth.

Another great deed of Pangu is that his body transformed into the universe after his death.It is said that when the firstborn，Pangu，was approaching death，his breath became the winds and clouds；his voice became peals[22] of thunder.His left eye became the sun；his right eye became the moon.His four limbs and trunk became the four extremes of the earth and the Five Mountains.His blood became the rivers；his veins became the earth’s arteries.His flesh became fields and soil.His hair and beard became the stars；his skin and body hair became plants.His teeth and bones became various metals and rocks.His semen and marrow[23] became pearls and jade.His sweat became the rain and the dew.All the mites on his body were touched by the wind and were turned into the black-haired people.[24]

As creator of the universe，Pangu receives a high status in Chinese beliefs.Several temples were built for him in Henan，Guangdong，Jiangxi，and Zhejiang provinces，and in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.Many of them were founded before Tang or Song Dynasties.In these regions，Pangu continues to be worshiped by people today.

Questions for Discussion：

1.Fill in the following table and draw a conclusion of the features of antediluvian gods.

2.Why did Pangu become the recognized creation god in Chinese mythology instead of other antediluvian gods？