CHIN 50 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Fuxi, Chu Ci, Heavenly Questions
Document Summary
Mythological origins of the world and the creation of the earliest humans. Mythology how, through the deeds of supernatural beings, a reality came into existence, be it the whole of reality, the cosmos or only a fragment of reality e. g. an island, an institution. China"s creation myths: human beings as opposed to gods. Hundun means primordial chaos or deity of chaos. The world was formed through his death. Semi-divine, first human. he crashed out of a massive primordial egg and caused heaven and earth to divide, forming the world. When pangu lay dying after 18000 years, his breath became the winds and clouds, his voice became thunder. One eye became the sun, one the moon, his limbs became mountains. His flesh became soil, his bodily fluids turned into rain and rivers, the hair on his body became plants and trees, and the insects on his body became humans.
