Chinese Mythology

To the Chinese, creation was an act of bringing order out of chaos. One myth tells of two beings, Hu (emperor of the northern sea) and Shu (emperor of the southern sea) who met quite a lot on the territory of the emperor of the center, Hun-tun. Hun-tun was unusual because he did not have any orifices for seeing, hearing, eating or breathing.

Hu and Shu decided to fix Hu-tun at the rate of one orifice a day, they created openings for Hun-tun. Hun-tun (Chaos) died on the seventh day. At his death, the world came into existence. The combined names of Shu and Hu mean lightning. When lightning or an illumination of Light falls upon Chaos, life is created. The 7 openings are also linked in Chinese thought with the mystical seven openings of the heart, the mark of a righteous man.

A story of the creation of humanity tells the myth of the Goddess Nu-kua. Even after Heaven and Earth were split, there were still no humans. Nu-kua modeled some out of yellow earth, but soon got tired of this process. Then she dipped a rope into the mud and dragged it around so drops fell off. Traditionally it is said that those beings she modeled became the noble and rich, while the drops became the humble and the poor.