Enduring Myths Chinese Mythology

1. CHINESE
MYTHOLOGY
By Emily Galow

2. Chinese History
• China is considered to be the first modern
state: it had a centralized government with
bureaucrats to carry out the wishes of that
government
• This system of government lasted from 150
BC all the way to 1911 CE
• China was advanced

3. Chinese History, Cont.
• Time periods were broken up by Dynasties
• Dynasties are ruling families who remained
in power as long as they produced Emperors
(no, not all of them were male; the Wu
Dynasty was founded by a female, and there
were a lot of super-powerful Empresses)
• All of the Dynasties were overthrown due to
rebellion and war

5. Chinese History, Cont.
• The concept of the Mandate of Heaven was
founded by the Zhou Dynasty
• It was a nifty way to explain why Dynasties
came to an end, also featured the concept of
Heaven and God
• If you’re a bad Emperor/Empress, then
you’ve lost the Mandate and should no
longer be in power

6. Chinese History, Cont.
• The Zhou Dynasty even made up a Dynasty
so as to show how the Mandate of Heaven
worked
• So some Chinese mythology was created for
political reasons and to explain historical
events

8. Chinese Mythology: Overview
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Often deals with themes such as:
Perseverance and Self-Sacrifice
Rising Up Against Oppression
True Love
Incorporates religious beliefs (Taoism and
Buddhism) into myths

9. Chinese Mythology: Overview, Cont.
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Features:
Ghosts
MANY Gods/Goddesses
Heroes
Foxes
Mythological Creatures

10. Who’s Who in Chinese Mythology
• Nu-Ka
• Goddess
• Creator of Humans
• Made humans out of yellow clay

11. Who’s Who in Chinese Mythology,
Cont.
• Lao-Tien-Yeh
• “Father Heaven”
• The Jade Emperor
• Represented the Emperor’s power

12. Who’s Who in Chinese Mythology,
Cont.
• Ao
• Four Dragon Kings who ruled parts of the
Earth and the Sea
• People prayed to them in times of drought

13. Who’s Who in Chinese Mythology,
Cont.
• Erh-Lang
• Shape-shifter, had 72 different forms
• Protected humans from evil

14. Who’s Who in Chinese Mythology,
Cont.
• Yinglong
• Dragon god of water
• Helped Huangdi gain power

15. Who’s Who in Chinese Mythology,
Cont.
• Huangdi
• Real-life Emperor and considered to be part
deity
• “Yellow Emperor”
• Cosmic Ruler

16. Chinese Myths v. Others
• Chinese myths do not have a unified creation
story, unlike Greco-Roman and Egyptian
Myths
• Na-Ku is considered the Creator of Humans in
only some areas of China, not all; that myth
was believed to have been invented by a
different country

17. Chinese Myths v. Others
• Very few mythological
heroes/gods/goddesses are universal
• Lots of fragmented stories that were
believed by only small parts of China
• Opposite of Norse, Greco-Roman, Russian,
and Egyptian myths

18. Chinese Mythology in Pop Culture
• Fox spirits and the Yin-and-Yang concept are
featured in the TV show Avatar: The Last
Airbender

19. Pop Culture
• Mulan
• Features the mythical warrior from a poem
called The Ballad of Mulan
• Features a dragon and ancestral spirits

20. Bibliography
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"Chinese Myths and Fantasies." Chinavista.com. China Virtual Tours, n.d.
Web. 21 Nov 2013.
<http://www.chinavista.com/experience/myth/myth.html>.
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Green, John, dir. 2,000 Years of Chinese History. Crash Course, 2012.
Video. 21 Nov 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ylWORyToTo4&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9>.
Elick, E., and L. Merchant. "The Gods and Goddesses of China." . N.p., n.d.
Web. 21 Nov 2013.
<http://www.scns.com/earthen/other/seanachaidh/godchina.html>.
Scribe, The. "The Real Story of Mulan." The Ancient Standard. N.p., 17 Jun
2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://ancientstandard.com/2011/06/17/thereal-story-of-mulan/>.
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