Mythology is the kind of myths that constitute a cultural history, some historical traditions, tales of a particular area. These are traditions that are transferred down to generations, for centuries. These mythologies can be in written/textual or oral form.
The Chinese culture has rich and complicated mythology that is dated about four thousand years. China, the land of mystery which consists of great mythical creatures and characters. All the myths of Chinese culture somewhat based on one common element:- the battle of some great characters or deities against ordinary people. So, below are some of the famous myths of china: –
1) The Myth of The Monkey King:- Sun Wukong
Sun Wukong is surely the most famous Monkey in China. He is one of the main characters of the Chinese classic, “The Journey to the West”. The character of Sun Wukong in that classic is very cheerful, curious, and greedy. The myth about Sun Wukong is – at first, he was too naughty. But later on, after the continuous efforts of Buddha, he became one of the loyal companions of the monk Xuan Zang on his journey from China to India.
2) The Mythology of Pilgrimage
Generally, this myth informs about the goddess of mercy named Kwan Yin. Primarily in most of the myths, the description of the goddess goes as a woman sitting on the lotus, who is in all white dress and holding an infant in her hand. This mythology talks about the story of Kwan Yin on how her father brutally kills her. And after death, she arrives in hell while reciting the holy books due to which the king of hell angrily pushed her back into the living world. There she takes some spiritual knowledge from Buddha. The temple of Kwan Yin which in the Summit of Wondrous Peak is the point of attraction to the number of pilgrims.
3) The Mythology of The Moon Goddess
Chang’O, the Chinese goddess of the Moon is among the several legends of Chinese mythology. Thus, the myth of this moon goddess goes, there were 10 sons of the Jade Emperor who later were converted into the 10 suns. And, Hou Yi killed 9 out of 10 suns in the battle. After that, Hou Yi gets the elixir of immortality in the form of his reward. But on one day, to take away the elixir his companion Feng Meng sneaks into his house when he was out hunting. And, Feng tried to snatch the elixir from his wife Chang’O. But instead of giving it to Feng, she swallows the elixir herself. As she drank the elixir, she became weightless and flew to the sky. And, resides on the moon in the form of a refugee.
4) Rebuilding of Earth by Yu
This mythology of Yu is of the time period from 2205 to 2197 BC. Similar to all deities, Yu also has the power to change himself into different shapes necessarily. He can be anything, a bear, a dragon, or a human. Yu was the first ruler to create the first dynasty which was the Xia dynasty. There was a man whose name was Gun who was supposed to control the flood. He stole the piece of magic soil and his master ordered for his execution. After a pause of three years, a son brought from the body of Gun. The son was Da Yu, who with the dragons made earth suitable for humans.
5) Pan Gu – The Creator of the World
There are several myths about the deities and gods of Chinese traditions, but the least is about the creation. Thus, the story of Pan Gu might be the Chinese version of the creation of the world. According to this myth, Pan Gu is the first man in the world. Also according to this myth, this world has been created from the cosmic egg. And, Pan Gu’s body was so giant and full of hair who had two horns and two tusks. This also says that it was the Pan Gu, who gave the shape to the earth.
6) The Myth of Nuwa Creating People
The goddess of humankind, Nuwa is the most important and praised character of ancient Chinese mythology. This mythology mainly states that Nuwa created the whole of humans and rebuilt the pillar of heaven. She is the patroness of matchmakers in Chinese mythology. This Mythology states, when the earth came into existence, it was full of blossoms and creatures. Even with all this, she feels very lonely, so she creates many more creatures and figurines. Apart from the creation of humankind, she also saves the planet from destruction.
Conclusion:
There has been a type of great interaction between Chinese mythology and the beliefs of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Most mythologies influence present-day belief systems. Some of the majorly important teachings of Taoism and Buddhism are from Chinese mythologies. In Chinese mythology, nature has a significant role in art than any tradition does. The Chinese still have a strong belief in mythological stories. Chinese mythology has an immense part in the life and culture of China.
Read more on mythology here.
Pictures from Pinterest.
