Typically the first story of any civili-zation’s mythology involves an expla-nation of how the universe was created. In Chinese mythology, this is the story of how Pan Gu created the world by separating the Heavens and Earth from chaos. Pan Gu, humankind’s first ancestor, enjoys an eminent and holy status in the pantheon of Chinese culture and civilization. It was he who, it is said, created the universe and all the creatures who would inhabit it. Myths associated with this deity are still passed on from generation to generation in Chinese households all over the world.
In primordial times, the Heavens and Earth were one, both coexisting in essential unity like the yolk and the white of a great egg. There was no east, no west, no south or north, no back or forth, left or right; there was no sun, no moon, no stars. There were most definitely no living beings let alone humans. But deep inside the egg’s yolk over millennia of millennia grew our great ancestor, Pan Gu. There he lived, without sustenance or fluid, sleeping the sleep of ages for some 18,000 years.
One day, his slumber ended. He woke up suddenly and opened wide his eyes, seeing nothing but darkness and obscure chaos all around him. “Where is here? Why so dark?” he wondered. As he had for so long inhabited this humble eggshell, Pan Gu felt very constrained and claustrophobic. He longed to stretch out his numbed limbs. “What an oppressive place!” he cursed. Angrily, he laid hands on a big axe, which came from he knew not where, and slashed madly with all his might at the dark chaos which swirled all around him.
With an enormous, universe-shaking crash, the eggshell cleaved in two. The elements of light drifted up to form the Heavens while the dark elements descended below to form the Earth. It was in this way that what had been primordial, unitary chaos was separated by Pan Gu’s great slash of the axe.
“How much better things are now!” Pan Gu exclaimed contentedly after the Heavens and Earth had separated themselves into distinct entities. He drew a deep breath and made to stand up, but found he could not do so. the Heavens had formed itself at a distance so close to the Earth that the great Pan Gu could not stand up to his full height. This was most unsatisfactory for Pan Gu. Not only could he still not stretch himself out fully but he also realized there was a danger that the Heavens and Earth could reform into unitary chaos in the future if greater distance was not put between them. Never one for delaying a necessary action, Pan Gu pushed up against the Heavens with his enormous hands, simultaneously pushing the whole weight of his body down through his feet to the Earth in order to further separate the duality of the universe.
With the enormous strength of Pan Gu, the Heavens was raised another zhang (3.3 meters) and the Earth lowered by the same distance. The effort resulted in the huge frame of Pan Gu’s body being extended by one zhang also.
This was the situation that pertained for the following eighteen thousand years. The enormous Pan Gu, now some ninety thousand li (two li equal one kilometer) in height propped up the sky like a towering giant pillar, personally ensuring the separation of the Heavens and Earth.
Millennia passed and the essential structure of the Heavens and Earth solidified to such an extent that there was now no possibility of them reuniting and plunging the universe back to primordial chaos. Pan Gu had utterly exhausted his vast reserves of physical strength. The utterly fatigued god loosened his hands from the Heavens and laid down to rest. He never woke again.
His enormous body underwent a profound metamorphosis: his head, feet, torso, left arm and right arm became great mountains in the east, the west, the centre, the south and the north respectively. These five holy mountains, which formed a matrix defining the four corners and the center of the land formed huge columns of stone soaring to the sky from the land, continuing Pan Gu’s arduous mission to separate the Heavens from the Earth. Meanwhile, Pan Gu’s left eye became the sun in the sky, providing warmth and life to the Earth; his right eye became the silvery moon ensuring that the land would never plunge into complete darkness when the left eye had to rest. The moon is full and round when Pan Gu’s right eye is wide open and is in crescent every time he blinks.
His countless hairs on Pan Gu’s body were transformed into a myriad of stars adorning the night sky with flashing fire. His blood became the foaming rivers, lakes and seas that covered much of the land; his flesh became the bounteous land rich enough to support all creatures; his bones became the trees, grass and flowers; his teeth the metals and minerals deposited in the Earth’s crust; his innards formed all starry pearls, jades and precious stones; his sweat ran into the rain, dew and showers falling lovingly on the seedlings of life-giving crops; his very dying breath called into existence the light wind and the cotton clouds drifting lazily across the azure skies. Every part of his body metamorphized into the elements that make up our world. Thus Pan Gu essentially gave birth to the Earth and the Heavens and through his selfless sacrifice brought into being all things that make existence possible and delighful.
The myth of Pan Gu has been in circulation in countless different variations for millennia. The spirit of his sacrifice, his willingness to perish that others, indeed all, might live and prosper is a spirit cherished by the countless offspring who owe their existence to our great ancestor, Pan Gu the ninety-thousand li tall life-bringing giant.
