Scribd
Upload
147 views14 pages

Chinese Mythology 神话: By: Andy R. and Kyle A

Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down orally and through written texts for generations. Many myths concern creation stories and gods. Important myths include those about the creation of China and the founding of dynasties. Myths were also passed down through poems and plays. Dragons, heaven, and early gods like Shang Di played significant roles. Religions like Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism also influenced myths over time. Myths taught morality and cultural identity.

Uploaded by

sherry mae
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
147 views14 pages

Chinese Mythology 神话: By: Andy R. and Kyle A

Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down orally and through written texts for generations. Many myths concern creation stories and gods. Important myths include those about the creation of China and the founding of dynasties. Myths were also passed down through poems and plays. Dragons, heaven, and early gods like Shang Di played significant roles. Religions like Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism also influenced myths over time. Myths taught morality and cultural identity.

Uploaded by

sherry mae
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 14

Chinese Mythology

By: Andy R. and Kyle A.

神话
What is it? 这这是什么？

• Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural


history, folktales, and religions that have been passed
down through generations.

• Chinese mythology is passed down through speech or


written words.

• Much of Chinese mythology is about creation myths


(how the world and people were created) and gods

• Many myths concern the creation myths (创世神话) of


the Chinese state and culture.
How they were spread
他们是如何传播的

- Chinese mythology began in the 12th century BCE.

- The myths and legends were passed down orally for


thousands of years until they were written in books
like the Shan Hai Jing (山海经), which means Classic
of the mountain and Seas

- Other myths were passed down in the form of songs


and theater.

- Many myths were in the forms of poems(诗)


Examples of Chinese Myths

-- Poems like Heavenly Questions


and Jiu Ge- Investiture of the Gods,
are mythological fictional stories
dealing with the founding of the Zhou
dynasty

• -- Other important mythological


works are Journey to the West
and Bai She Zhuan
Creation Myth of China

http://www.mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/myths/english/2_chinese_ful
l.htm

- Recap: The world was created from an egg. Inside the egg was yin
and yang and they were constantly fighting. Yin and Yang fought so
much the egg cracked and out came a dragon called Pan-gu. The
dragon grew 10 feet a day until the sky was 30,000 miles above the
ground. When he stopped growing, he created the mountains, river,
and flat lands. One day he grew old and died, when he died his blood
became the rivers and one eye became the sun and the other became
the moon. Then a half-dragon goddess born after the dragon died was
lonely and made people out of mud.

THE END
Feng Shen Bang
The creation of the gods
• Yu Di (玉皇 or 玉帝 or Jade Emperor), appears in literature
after the establishment of Taoism in China.

• Tian (天, or Heaven) appears in chinese mythology in 700


BCE. Heaven is very important in some Chinese myths

• Shang Di (上帝) appears in mythology early as the Shang


dynasty. Is one of the first gods or heroes in Chinese
Mythology.

Important People and Things


An important message in Chinese mythology is the moral
issues which remind people of their cultural identities.
Importance of the Dragon in Mythology

• The dragon(龙) is a very important animal in


Chinese Mythology
• Believed to be the most powerful and divine
creature.
• Chinese people believe that dragons are the
controller of all water.
• The dragon symbolizes great power and is
supportive of gods and heroes in Chinese
mythology.
Myth of How Dragons are Created
龙是如何创建的神话
There is an ancient Chinese myth that there is a Dragon’s
Gate located at the top of a waterfall cascading from a
legendary mountain, and if a carp successfully makes the
jump through the Dragon Gate, it is transformed into a
powerful dragon. Many carp swim upstream against the
river’s strong current, but few are capable or brave
enough for the final leap over the waterfall. A Chinese
dragon’s large, conspicuous scales indicate its origin from
a carp. The Chinese dragon has long been an auspicious
symbol of great and benevolent, magical power.
Dragons were mythical creatures.
lóng shì shénhuà shēngwù 。
Importance of Religion in Mythology
在神话宗教的重要性

• Religions and belief has changed the myths of


China.

• Fear of outsiders have changed many of the myths


and changed the myths so that they do not include
outsiders. Happened during the medieval times.

• Some myths demonstrate fights between the


different beliefs in China.

• An example would be the Monkey King, which


reflects the conflicts between the Taoists and the
Buddhists.
Chinese Mythology 中国神话

• The ancient Chinese


taught their children
good behavior by using
folk tales to make a
point.
• When the Mongols ruled
ancient China, they
brought their folk tales
with them.
• Confucianism, Taoism,
and Buddhism also
influenced Chinese
myths
Confucianism 儒

• In the fifth century B.C.,


Confucius (kǒngzǐ) talked about
his ideas, which included
fulfilling obligations and keeping
proper conduct. Although
Confucianism is not a religion,
its influence is basic in Chinese
ideas about people’s behavior
and how government should
work and greatly
Taoism 道教

A main idea of Taoist practices is the search for


immortality.

Taoism searched for balance and believed that


change cannot be forced, only experienced.

Between 600–300 B.C. Taoism emerged. At first, it


was a philosophy that encouraged people to seek
harmony with the Tao, or the Way, a nature force.

Later, it evolved into a religious system involving


many gods, goddesses, spirits, ghosts, demons,
magical powers, and the quest for immortality.
Many Chinese myths talk about the meeting of rivers and the yin and
yang.

You might also like