An Overview on Ancient Chinese Mythology

Chinese mythology, throughout the long centuries, have been influenced by different cultures and by its own people; the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism, and then later Islam, founded in West and Central Asia gradually travelled eastwards until they reached the great land of China. Even the native deities that travelled with these religions all had a direct impact on the religious belief systems of the Chinese people who adopted, adapted and then embraced them as their own deities.

The new deities that travelled to China via the Silk Road were not seen as a threat; the stable structure that was ancient Chinese society simply absorb these outside deities into their own pantheon whilst still retaining their own culture.

Chinese mythology has its roots in several different religious belief systems; not only did Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism play a part, but also the ancestral worship which was widely venerated. During the ancient Shang dynasty, we have archaeological and literary evidence that ancestral worship (the worship of one’s ancestors) was practiced to a great extent. Indeed, these mortals were, upon their deaths, venerated as gods, including the great Shang Di. He had great influence in the religious doctrines after this own dynasty came to an end; for example, when the Zhou invaders overthrew the Shang dynasty around 1050 BCE, they venerated a deity known as Tian or ‘Heaven’.

Other important gods played vital roles in Chinese mythology and society. For example, one of the most important Daoist deities was the goddess Nu Wa, also known as the mother goddess as it was said that she and her husband, Fu Xi, fashioned the first people out of mud. She was also said to have repaired heaven when it was destroyed by the god Gong-Gong.

During the 6th century BCE, Confucianism arose, which was founded by Master Kong (Confucius is the Latin spelling of Master Kong) but it wasn’t until the Han dynasty that his philosophy became the official belief of the state. Although Master Kong’s belief system stressed the ideal of family life, he remained somewhat unclear on supernatural beings and their worship.

At this time, Daoism (also spelt Taoism) was also emerging in China and making an impact on the religious beliefs of the ancient Chinese people. This religion and its deities seemed to have great appeal to the underprivileged classes of society. It was a nature religion, its participants seeking the Dao, the principle underlying nature. It wasn’t until the first millennium CE that Daoism developed a vast array of deities for the people to worship, all who had many different myths and legends to promote their message.

As with every culture in the world, Chinese mythology has its own creation myth. Unlike other creation stories, however, the world (according to Daoist belief) did not emerge out of nothing - instead it was created by the turning of formlessness into an ordered pattern. The existing elements mixed together in chaos were mouldered into a fashion which is the resulting world. The ancient Chinese people imagined that the primeval chaos was a large cloud of moist vapour which was suspended in darkness.

The most common creation myth in Chinese mythology is that of Pan Gu, a deity that came rather late into the Chinese pantheon. The legend states that before heaven and earth separated the universe was chaos, which finally came together to create a giant egg. In the middle of this egg lay a giant named Pan Gu who slept in the egg for 18,000 years before breaking the egg open. This sent the elements of creation flying in all directions; the lighter elements (yang) travelled upwards and became heaven whilst the heavier ones (yin) flew downwards and became earth.

With the sky resting on his head and his feet firmly on the ground, Pan Gu pushed, separating heaven and earth, with his size growing at the same rate. After another 18,000 years he finally lay on the ground and died, his body becoming all the natural things in the world.

These gods and goddesses all symbolised different aspects of nature but the key deity was the ‘Jade Emperor’. His heaven was modelled on that of the emperor on earth, who had his own divine officials and ministries.

Buddhism was introduced into China via the Silk Road in around the 2nd century CE where it was not welcomed with loving arms. Its lack of deities to worship did not appeal to the majority of the people. However, Buddhism incorporated the native deities of the people it met along the way and it was this assimilation of deities, and the introduction of bodhisavattas (buddhas-to-be), as well as the similarities with Daoism that Buddhism survived in China. Because of this, certain Daoist gods have Buddhist qualities and vice versa.

Chinese mythology has survived throughout the long centuries to produce some of the world’s most interesting and entertaining myths, legends and gods. The gods of these religions affected nearly every aspect of Chinese society and culture and have been the basis for many entertainment purposes, whether it is literature, visual art, sculpture or films.

Chinese mythology holds a vast amount of romantic and tragic legends and characters. One of the most recognisable creatures from Chinese mythology is the dragons. The dragon kings ruled the seas, the lakes and the rivers where they lived during the winter. In the spring and summer they would bring rain to those who paid them respect. Powerful creatures, they were also seen as stupid.

One legend tells how a dragon living in the ocean noticed that his wife was unwell. Hoping to make her feel better he asked whether there was anything particular that she wanted to eat, who said she fancied a monkey’s heart. Unsure of how to grant his wife’s request, the dragon nevertheless went to shore and spotted a monkey in a tree. He asked the monkey whether he would like to be carried across the sea to a forest where fruit grew on every tree.

The monkey agreed and climbed on top of the dragon’s back. However, when the dragon dived down into the ocean, the monkey asked what was happening. The dragon replied apologetically that he needed a monkey’s heart for his sick wife. The monkey then told the dragon that if that was the case they needed to go back to the forest because he had left his heart in one of the trees. Believing the monkey, the dragon flew back to the forest where the monkey climbed back onto the branches and called down to the dragon that dragons must be stupid for falling for a story like that.