Pangu and the Chinese Creation Story

Figure: Pangu
Pangu is a prominent figure in Chinese creation mythology. He was
known as the one who are created the Heaven and Earth. But until now, the
origin of the story about Pangu myth has been much debated. Many believe
it originated written in Sanwu Liji by Xu Zheng in the Three Kingdoms period
(184280 A.D.) and he was the first writer known to record the myth of
Pangu. Some peoples see, that it originated in the mythologies of the Miao or
Yao people of Southern China (Manuscript written in 1975 narrates the
legend of Pangu) and other peoples see it was parallel to ancient Hindu
mythology of creation. The myth of how the earth was formed by Pangu has
been passed down from one generation to other generation for over 2,000
years.

Figure: Manuscript about legend of Pangu in Miao/Yao mythodology

The Story: Creator of Heaven and Earth

According to Chinese myth, Pangu was the first living creature and the
creator heaven and Earth. Among his acts of creation were the separation of
the earth and sky, the placement of the stars and planets in the heavens,
and the shaping of the earth's surface.
At the very beginning; long before the universe was created, the
universe was in chaos; it was dark and chaotic everywhere. Within the
darkness an egg formed. Story said, the heaven and earth were integrated
into one body that resembles an egg, with Pangu slept inside. He slept in this
large egg for thousands of years; some said it was 18,000 years during which
time the Yin and Yang balanced as he grew. And one day, Pangu suddenly
woke up and he found that he was in a vast of dark. Realized that he was
trapped within it therefore he stretched and cracked the egg and began to
push it apart, causing the egg splitting into two pieces (some stories said
Pangu using His axe to split the egg); one is the upper half of the shell or the
lighter parts of the egg, floated upwards with the help of Yang qi (a bright,
positive, and active force) and formed the sky. And the second one is the
lower half or the denser parts of the egg sank downwards with the help of Yin
qi (a dark, negative, and passive force) and became the earth. This
separation of the sky and earth was marked the beginning of Yin and Yang
which also known as the two opposing forces of the universe.
To keep sky and earth separated, Pangu stood between them and
pushed up the Sky. This task took about 18,000 years; with each day the sky
grew ten feet (approximately 3 meters) higher, the Earth ten feet thicker,
and Pangu ten feet taller. In some versions of the story said, Pangu was aided
by the four most prominent beasts, namely the Tortoise, the Quilin, the
Phoenix, and the Dragon assisted him in His task.. Thousands of years
passed (18,000 yers) and Pangu kept growing until one day the sky could not
be any higher and the earth could not be any lower. Accordingly, Pangu
became a giant to hold the sky and the earth in place. In this way the
universe would not revert to the chaotic state it was before.

Figure: the four most prominent beasts which help Pangu. From left Tortoise,
Quilin, Phoenix and the Dragon
After the 18,000 years had elapsed, Pangu died. Pangu had
accomplished his mission, and he devoted his whole body to the universe.
His breath became the wind, mist and clouds; his voice, thunder; his left eye,
the sun; his right eye, the moon; his head, the mountains and extremes of
the world; his blood, rivers; his muscles, fertile land; his facial hair, the stars
and Milky Way; his fur, bushes and forests; his bones, valuable minerals; his
bone marrow, sacred diamonds; his sweat, rain; and the fleas on his fur
carried by the wind became animals.

Some stories was said Pangus wisdom was greater than that of the sky and
his ability greater than that of the earth. His emotional state could change
the universe. When he was pleased, the sky was clear, and when he was
angry, the weather was gloomy. His crying would bring rain, and his sigh
would bring strong wind. He blinked, the sky flashed lightning, and snored
thunder rumbling and human beings. Different parts of his body had been
transformed into the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers and vegetation.

Share your favorite myth or legend with the other members in your group.
A: Today wed like to share the Chinese legend about Pan GU with you. In the
beginning, the heavens and earth were still one and all was in chaos. The
universe was like a big egg, carrying Pan GU inside itself.
B: After 18 thousand years Pan GU woke up from a long sleep. He feel
suffocated, so he took up a broad axe and used it with all his might to crack
open the egg.
C: The light, clear part of it floated up and formed the heavens, and the cold,
turbid matter stayed below to form the earth.
D: The heavens and the earth began to grow at a rate of ten feet per day,
and Pan GU grew along with them.
E: After another 18 thousand years, the sky was higher, the earth was
thicker, and Pan GU stood between them, so that they would never join
again.
A: When Pan GU died, his breath became the clouds, and his voice became
the rolling thunder. One eye became the sun and the other the moon. His
body and limbs turned to five big mountains and his blood formed the
flowing water.
B: His veins became far-stretching roads and his muscles fertile land. The
countless stars in the sky came from his hair and beard, and flowers and
trees from his skin and the fine hairs on his body
C: His marrow turned to jade and pearls. His sweat flowed like the good rain
and sweet dew that nurtured all the things on the earth.
D: According some versions, his tears flowed to make rivers and radiance of
his eyes turned into thunder and lighting.

E: One version of the legend has it that the fleas and lice on his body
became the ancestors of mankind.
Pangu: The creator of the universe
One of the well-known creation myths in Chinese mythology is Pan Gu. This
myth tells about a time when there is nothing but just chaos present as a
dark mist in a giant egg. This egg contains everything needed for creation.
The creator, Pan Gu, starts to grow in this egg. In the meantime, the creative
elements inside the egg are dispersed everywhere. The yin based elements
create the heaven while the yang based elements create the earth. Pan Gu
stands in between and carries the heaven in order to keep these two
elements separated. He believes that if these two elements get together
again, there will be chaos. So, he keeps them apart for thousands of years.
When he believes that the earth and the heaven are completely separated,
he lets go and lies down in heaven to rest, in other words, he dies.
Pangu died, and his body went to make the world and all its elements. The
wind and clouds were formed from his breath, his voice was thunder and
lightning, his eyes became the sun and moon, his arms and his legs became
the four directions of the compass and his trunk became the mountains. His
flesh turned into the soil and the trees that grow on it, his blood into the
rivers that flow and his veins into paths men travel. His body hair became
the grass and herbs, and his skin the same, while precious stones and
minerals were formed from his bones and teeth. His sweat became the dew
and the hair of his head became the stars that trail throughout heaven. As
for the parasites on his body, these became the divers races of humankind.
Although Pangu is dead, some say he is still responsible for the weather,
which fluctuates according to his moods.