Chinese Gods in Creation Myths and Legends, Religions, and Folklore
Chinese gods are supreme deities who create, rule and bless the universe in ancient mythology and religion, and they are powerful, virtuous, responsible, and righteous.
As a polytheistic culture, Chinese gods from mythology mainly come from three systems:
Chinese Gods in Creation Myths and Legends
In creation myths and legends, Chinese Gods and Goddesses are about forming primitive culture and society.
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Those stories were inherited from ancestors more than 5,000 years ago; none were written or created by professional authors or religions.
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Most Chinese gods in creation myths and legends are regarding creating the world, maintaining justice and order, cooperating with and fighting against nature, and helping and protecting humans from survival and development.
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Significant characters are diligent, brave workers, sometimes with miraculous power. They became well-respected, important gods because of their outstanding contributions, hard work, and spirit of sacrifice.
Crushing of Mount Bu Zhou — Gong Gong
Creator of Human, and the Savior of Sky — Nv Wa
The Ancestor of Chinese Culture and Sacred Creator — Fu Xi
Creator of Chinese Characters — Cang Jie
Father of Agriculture and Herb — Shen Nong
Shooting the Suns and Flying to the Moon — Hou Yi and Chang E
Creator of the World — Pan Gu
Once upon a time, the whole world was like a giant egg, all dark and blurry.
Pan Gu has been growing and nurturing inside, and 18,000 years later, he woke up.
Pan Gu felt it was pretty uncomfortable staying in these dim and breathless surroundings, so he grasped an ax next to him and broke the eggshell.
After a big explosion, the bright and clear debris rose and became the sky, while those dark and turbid ones went down and turned into the earth.
Pan Gu was quite happy about the clear and spacious world he created; therefore, he stood between the sky and earth, hoping they won't mix again.
He grew taller as time passed while the sky and earth became further apart.
Another 18,000 years later, Pan Gu felt exhausted and fell.
His left eye transformed into the sun, and his right eye turned into the moon. His breath became the wind and cloud, and his voice became the thunder. Shining stars are his hair and beard, and the Five Great Mountains in China are his head and limbs.
His blood turned into rivers, lakes, and seas, and his muscles became mud and road. Plants are his skin, rain is his sweat, and mineral treasures are his teeth and bones.
As the first human being, Pan Gu dedicated his entire life to creating a beautiful world.
Crushing of Mount Bu Zhou — Gong Gong
In ancient masterpieces, the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Mount Buzhou was an essential pillar between heaven and earth. It was covered by snow and ice all year round and was the only path for humans to get to heaven.
Gong Gong was sometimes respected as the God of Water, with a human head with red hair and a snake's body; in other folklore, he was a lord of a vast tribe.
One day, Gong Gong crashed Mount Buzhou and changed the whole world.
Gong Gong Crushing Mount Buzhou, Painted by Snow Fish.
In some legends, he collided with the mountain accidentally when he was escaping during a war with the God of Fire or competing for the throne with King Zhuanxu.
Other versions record that he wanted to adjust the geographical landscape, which is of great help to agricultural irrigation.
An evil lost in wars, or a true hero that sacrificed to save people; either way, after Gong Gong's huge crush, the sky leaned to the northwest, and the earth inclined to the southeast.
Afterward, the sun and the moon rise from the east and descend to the west, while all the water in China runs toward the east and, in the end, merges into the sea.
From then on, natural phenomena in China followed these laws and never changed again.
Creator of Human, and the Savior of Sky — Nv Wa
After the world was created, it was a pity that there were no lives in such a wonderful place.
Therefore, a Chinese goddess named Nv Wa made some animals and human forms with clay. After a slight blow, they became active humans who could talk and run.
Nv Wa was excited about her magic and kept creating lives.
Then, she taught them to get married and reproduce offspring on their own. In some legends, she invented ancient musical instruments and taught humans to sing and dance.
Since then, Nvwa has been respected as one of the essential mother goddesses, and this new alive world seemed perfect.
One day, a big hole appeared in the sky, followed by massive disasters after the God of Water Gong Gong crushed Mount Buzhou.
The sky was shaking, and everlasting fire and flood were devouring lives.
With the assistance of her magical guardians, Teng She and Bai Xi, Nv Wa fought bravely and defeated many monsters that had killed many people in the catastrophe.
She defeated a giant, magical tortoise that had caused a vast flood, cut off its four legs, and used them as pillars to support the sky from falling on the earth.
Then, she collected 36,500 pieces of five-color stones and refined them into one giant magical stone to fill the big hole in the sky.
Afterward, the world became peaceful again.
There are many different versions of her appearance; the most common one is that she is a beautiful half-woman and half-snake deity.
As for her origin and end, however, it is still a mystery.
Gradually, Nv Wa was considered the sister or wife of Fu Xi. They had four sons that later guarded the four directions and invented four seasons; soon, they formed the land and heaven.
Together, they set and taught a series of basic etiquette to Chinese people and formed a decent, functional society.
Ancestor of Chinese Culture and Sacred Creator — Fu Xi
Fu Xi is the primogenitor of Chinese culture and one of the Great Three Sovereigns in ancient China.
In other versions, he was a deity with superpowers or an ingenious king of a big clan that used the Chinese Dragon as the totem. Either way, Fuxi made exceptional contributions to creating ancient Chinese culture:
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Discovered and concluded movements of Yin Yang and Five Elements;
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Created Tai Ji and Eight Diagrams, the essential foundation ideologies of Chinese philosophy, mythology, divination, and Chinese Religion, based on his continued observation of nature;
Fu Xi Painted by Artist Ma Lin of Southern Song Dynasty (1127－1279) － Taipei Palace Museum
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Taught people to keep livestock and invented the net for fishing. From that time on, besides hunting, Chinese people were able to get more types of food and gained better chances to survive;
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Established some positions, divided land, and assigned people to manage professionally;
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Helped people with nomenclature family names and named everything in the world;
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Set basic wedding ceremony rules, including not marrying very close kin and standard betrothal gifts;
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Determined dragon as the totem of his kingdom;
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Invented some musical instruments (Xun and Qin) to entertain people and wrote songs to accompany those compositions.
Ancient Chinese Traditional Instrument Qin
In many legends, Fu Xi was the older brother or husband of Nv Wa. Together, they raised four sons on Mount Kunlun.
After they grew up, they were in charge of four seasons, went to four different places, and developed four giant tribes.
Today, many memorial activities are held near his mausoleum every year on the 18th of March in the Chinese Calendar, the day believed as Fu Xi's birthday, showing people's gratitude and respect for this mysterious and exceptional ancestor of Chinese Culture.
Creator of Chinese Characters — Cang Jie
Cang Jie was a lord of a tribe, or a historian of the Yellow Emperor.
He invented some sophisticated signs based on the unique characteristics of each item. From then on, tying knots on strings to record events in history was replaced.
The Chinese Characters that he created were known as Pictograms.
After the invention, people saw a rain of maize in the daytime and heard the ghosts crying at night for several days.
Some people considered the invention an outstanding achievement to celebrate, after which all culture and history could be documented and well preserved.
Cang Jie Creating Chinese Characters, Painted by Snow Fish.
Others thought that with the development of people’s intelligence and enrichment of knowledge, their desire would keep expanding, which might lead to gaps, hierarchy, competition, fights, and wars.
Hence, the maize rain was to celebrate the extraordinary achievement, as a symbol of the more rapid progress of agriculture, or as a sign to prepare for people that will suffer hunger in the upcoming, endless battles.
But for ghosts that represent the dark and evil side, their behaviors would be recorded and disseminated permanently. Therefore, they cried because they could no longer fool and manipulate humans as easily as before.
Father of Agriculture and Herb — Shen Nong
Shen Nong, one of the Great Three Sovereigns in ancient China, was the father of Chinese Medicine.
It is believed that Shen Nong had two horns on his head, and his body was transparent. Hence, it's pretty easy to see the changing colors of his internal organs after he ate herbs and food.
Because of his magic, Shen Nong was a genius who knew what was suitable for people and what was not good to eat.
He gradually taught people many better methods to increase agricultural production and use herbs to cure some diseases and intoxications.
To save more people and learn more about botany, Shen Nong started to investigate herbs on his own.
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Shen Nong by Artist Guo Xu (1456－1529) － Shanghai Museum
He had tasted and recorded hundreds of floras and had been poisoned several times.
During this period, he found some teas that could be used to detoxicate.
Some years later, unfortunately, gelsemium elegant poisoned him to death.
However, hundreds of herbs and their application methods have already been documented and taught to others, and countless lives have been saved.
In some legends, people considered Shen Nong was also the Flame Emperor; but in other versions, Shen Nong was a more ancient deity or an ancestor of the Flame Emperor's tribe.
There is a big area named Shen Nong Jia, which was believed to be where Shen Nong had tasted those herbs and departed thousands of years ago.
Pursuing the Sun — Kua Fu
Once upon a time, there was a tribe that consisted of giant people.
One year, many people of this tribe died from a severe drought. Hence, Kua Fu, the lord of this tribe, told his people that he would catch the sun and make it stop burning.
Kua Fu was the most robust, bravest person in this clan, who wore two yellow snakes on his ears as decorations and held two giant snakes as walking sticks.
Soon, he started the journey of chasing after the sun, which was full of severe weather conditions and horrible monsters.
Kua Fu kept running while he defeated evil monsters, overcame all difficulties, and drank up water from some giant lakes.
Finally, he arrived at the magical mountain where the sun falls.
Seeing the bright and glowing sun, Kua Fu was exhausted and scorched.
The sun was so vast and powerful, which made him realize that he could not take it back or make it stop burning as he had expected, and he didn't have enough strength to return to his clan.
In the end, before he fell, Kua Fu used up his last strength to throw his stick toward the direction of his tribe.
Later, his stick transformed into a big peach forest containing plenty of tree shade and peaches.
People of his clan then happily lived in this forest. From then on, they never suffered from drought again, even though the sun was still shining.
Filling the Sea — Jing Wei
She was the youngest daughter of the God of the Sun or the Flame Emperor.
One day, while playing on a boat, she accidentally drowned in the sea.
Her spirit transformed into a bird with a colorful head, white beak, and red claws. People called the bird Jing Wei based on the sound of her tweets.
Jing Wei hated the sea for taking away her young life, especially after seeing more people had lost their lives there.
Hence, she used her beak to pick up branches and small stones and throw them into the sea, trying to fill them up.
Jing Wei Filling the Sea, Painted by Snow Fish.
She believed that after the sea was flattened, no more people would drown again.
In some other legends, her filling behavior was to stop a massive flood and to protect people.
Tens of thousands of years passed, and the sea was still there, but she never gave up.
Jing Wei believed that where there is a will, there is a way, no matter how hard this work is and how long it will take.
Apotheosize Prehistoric Kings as Chinese Gods
After more prominent clans and kings were formed in Chinese history out of primitive tribes, some exceptional kings are documented in historical and mythological stories.
Because of their remarkable accomplishments, they were respectable kings when they were alive and were memorized as honorable ancestors and powerful Chinese gods after they departed.
The Ancestor of Fire — Sui Ren
Brilliant Sovereign and Inventor of Agriculture — Flame Emperor
Culture Hero and Founder of Country — Yellow Emperor
Ideal Monarch and the Incarnation of Red Dragon — King Yao
Moral Model of Confucianism — King Shun
Until Yu the Great led the people, conquered a vast flood, and founded the Xia Dynasty (about 2070 BC — 1600 BC), the first empire in the history of China. He ended the prehistoric mythology and opened up the chapter of the historic Hereditary Kingdom.
Mythical Creatures Assisting Prehistoric Kings Fight in the Battle of Zhuolu, in Ancient Chinese Mythical Classic Shanhaijing.
Kings after Yu the Great were monarchs of the secular world that were granted by heaven, but they didn't become gods after departing.
Supreme God of Han Culture and Imperial Worship Rites — Hao Tian Shang Di
Hao Tian Shang Di is the supreme god in the Chinese Han culture, who rules everything in the world.
Hao Tian Shang Di is believed to be the supreme authority of the universe, or the anthropomorphized Hao Tian lives in upper heaven.
Throughout history, Chinese Emperors have been respected as "Sons of Heaven" who were obliged to rule the country by the Mandate of Heaven.
The"Heave" is Hao Tian Shang Di.
From Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC — 256 BC) to the last feudal empire Qing Dynasty (1636 — 1912), worshiping Hao Tian Shang Di was the most important and grandest imperial sacrificial ceremony held exclusively by emperors.
Tablet of Hao Tian Shang Di on Main Hall of Temple of Heaven, the Sacred Imperial Heaven Worship Altar.
Chinese Gods and Goddesses in Religion and Folklore
After Oracle Bone Scripts appeared and were used in Shang Dynasty (1600 BC — 1046 BC), history, national activities, myths and legends, and folklore were recorded by written Chinese Characters.
In Eastern Han Dynasty (25 — 220), Taoism Religion originated and was popularized, Buddhism was introduced, and more religious gods were included in the Chinese mythological world.
Centuries later, with the development of the economy since the Tang Dynasty (618 — 907), Novels became popular, which created and universalized more deities that are widely accepted and worshipped by civilians.
They together formed the polytheistic god system in Chinese culture.
Chinese Gods, Goddesses, Deities, and Immortals from Different Sources Gathering
Taoism Religion
Three Pure Ones or San Qing
Three Pure Ones, or San Qing, are the three supreme gods of the Taoism Religion: Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun.
They are representatives and incarnations of Dao, the law of nature, and the rule of the universe.
According to Dao De Jing (or Tao Te Ching), The Dao begets Taiji (one), Taiji begets Yin and Yang (two), movements of Yin and Yang generate a new status (three), and three begets everything.
The three means Yin and Yang and Qi, or Heaven and Earth and Human in other versions.
Hence, the Three Pure Ones are the highest gods who rule everything.
Chinese Gods the Three Pure Ones or San Qing of Taoism Religion
Jade Emperor or Yu Huang Da Di
In Taoism Religion, Jade Emperor or Yu Huang Da Di is a powerful god that subordinates to and assists the Three Pure Ones to rule the world.
In folk belief, Jade Emperor or Yu Huang Da Di is the supreme authority of heaven and rules all gods and deities, like emperors in the secular world.
Four Heavenly Ministers or Si Yu
Four Heavenly Ministers, or Si Yu, are four gods who assist the Jade Emperor in administrating the universe:
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The Great Emperor of North Polar, or Ziwei Emperor, rules celestial bodies and climates.
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The Great Emperor of Longevity of South Polar, or Changsheng Emperor, rules thunder, birth, and life.
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The Great Emperor of the Highest Palace, or Gouchen Emperor, rules heaven, earth, human, and warfare.
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Empress of the Earth, or Houtu, is the Chinese goddess who rules the earth and all gods of mountains, rivers, cities, etc.
Golden Hall or Jindian on Peak of Sacred Taoist Wudang Mountains, Photo from Official Site of Wudang.
Under their leadership, many gods are in charge of different aspects of the world, such as astrological Lunar Mansions, wealth, health, literature, marriage, season, weather, mountain, river, happiness, dragon, spirit, ghost, etc.
Taoism religion also included gods and goddesses from ancient Mythology, such as the Queen Mother of the West (or Xi Wangmu), and King Father of the East (or Dong Wanggong).
Together, they formed the polytheistic Taoism Religion god and deity system.
Murals of Some Taoism Religion Gods inside the Yongle Palace (Constructed in 1247 — 1358) in Shanxi
Buddhism
Meanwhile, Buddhism introduced, localized, and developed many sacred gods, such as Gautama Buddha and Four Great Four Bodhisattvas (Guanyin, Puxian, Wenshu, and Dizang).
Buddhism Gods Statue of Yungang Grottoes in Datong
Folk Religion
Throughout history, in folktales, legends, ancient novels, and in today's Xianxia stories, Chinese gods and goddesses from different sources have been integrated to some extent.
In contrast, more immortals with mystical power have been created and popularized, such as Lady White from White Snake story and Sun Wukong the Monkey King from the classic novel Journey to the West.
Sun Wukong and Other Characters of Journey to the West or Xi You Ji Painted on Corridor of the Summer Palace, A Classic Novel that Includes Created Folk Deities, and Gods from Religions and Ancient Mythology.
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