CHINESE MYTHOLOGY

Group 11

THEME: The creation of the universe from chaos

SETTING: The beginning of time.

KEY FIGURE: Pangu The first living being; creator of the Earth; a semi-divine human portrayed with
animal qualities.

THE CREATION:
According to the most commonly
accepted (Daoist) Chinese creation
story, before the creation of the
universe there was only formless
chaos. Eventually, a cosmic egg
emerged from the chaos, and
coalesced over the course of 18,000
years. Inside the egg was the first living
entity, Pangu: a semi-divine human
who, according to Xu Zheng’s account
of his myth, took the form of a horned,
furry giant. Other descriptions of
Pangu portrayed him with the head of
a cat, the trunk of a serpent, and the
paws of a tiger. His name, “Pangu”,
literally translates to “coiled antiquity”
in Chinese, because prior to his
hatching from the egg, his body had
been twisted around to fit inside its
confines.
 RISING HEAVENS

Pangu could not stand to be constrained inside

the egg so he smashed his way out. The whites
became heaven and the yolk, the earth, while
the larger pieces of the shell became the sun
and moon, and the smaller pieces, the stars.

In one version of the myth, after Pangu

hatched, he split dark Yin from light Yang – the
oppositional principles of nature, which were
born from chaos. Over the next 18,000 years,
Pangu transformed nine times each day. Every
day the ethereal Yang rose three metres (10 ft)
higher, forming heaven, while the heavy Yin
sank three metres (10 ft) deeper and became
the earth. Pangu, who stood between the two
to keep them apart, grew three metres (10 ft)
taller each day, becoming a giant. He grew to
be 45,000 km (28,000 miles) tall – the distance
between Yin and Yang. Pangu was more divine
than heaven and more sacred than the earth,
but some accounts suggest that he had divine
assistance in his creation of the universe. He
was aided by cosmic beings: a unicorn, a tortoise, a phoenix, and a dragon.

SHAPING THE EARTH

Once the heavens and earth had formed, Pangu began

to die. His body divided up to create the most important
features of the universe. His breath became the wind
and the clouds, and his voice, the thunder. His right eye
became the moon and his left, the sun. His hair became
the stars, while his sweat and bodily fluids became the
rain. Pangu’s blood and semen gave rise to the seas and
rivers, while his muscles and veins acted as tunnels in
the earth. His teeth and bones became metal and rock,
and his bone marrow, pearls and jade. Pangu’s body hair
became the plants and trees. Some accounts say that
the small fleas that lived on his body became people after being touched by the wind; others suggest
that Pangu formed the human race from clay.

Pangu’s arms, head, belly, and feet became China’s five sacred mountains – sites of religous ceremony
connected to one of the five elements and the five cardinal points. Mount Taiwas believed to have been
formed from Pangu’s head, because of its location in the east, where the sun rises.

NÜWA'S OPPOSITION

Goddess Nüwa find the earth and heaven which Pangu

created to be beautiful and decided to live there. After a
while, she felt lonely and decided to make people. She took
up the yellow earth and began to make people in her hands.
The work is tiring and exhausted her so she grabbed a leather
cord and drag it to the earth. Shaking off the pieces of earth
from it and creating the rest of the people that way. Now, she
no longer had to be alone. But after a while, the humans
began to die. So Nüwa started to form new people again. She
knew she could not be bothered to keep forming new people
constantly so instead, she gave humans the way to
reproduce. After, she withdrew being content with what she
made. Little did she knew that her work isn't done yet.

THE GREAT FLOOD

Many years later, a terrible flood cast

over the entire land and only two people
survived, a brother and a sister. Both of
them wanted to reproduce and ensure
that humanity will survive. However, they
felt great shame because they knew they
were siblings and should not intertwine.
They call to the heavens and received no
answer and they decided to do two tests.
First, they went up a high mountain
rolling down two stones, one on each
side. Only if the stones landed next to
each other could they then marry. Second, they went to separate locations and made fire. If the smoke
from the fires intertwine with each other, they could have children and would be able to repopulate the
desolate earth. Both tests are able to accomplish and they infer that they have the blessings of heaven.
And so, they had children. However, when the sister finally gave birth, a spherical piece of flesh had been
born. They wept together and as they wept, Nüwa heard them and appeared before them. She then
took a knife and cut open the spherical piece of flesh and formed not one child but many.

THE JADE EMPEROR, SHANGTI

After humanity had been created and reproduced, the Jade Emperor
ShangTi, Lord of Heaven, sent three emperors to rule over them.

First Emperor: TIAN GUAN - ruler of heaven; brings happiness,

freedom and riches

Second Emperor: DI GUAN - ruler of earth; judges over the people

and their actions

Third Emperor: SHUI GUAN - emperor of water; controls the rivers

and overcome diseases

When the Jade Emperor saw humans on earth and saw how they
were living, he decided to give them some RULES ON FOOD. He called
the beetle which mistakenly told the humans to eat three times a day
instead of saying to eat once every three days. Humans feasted away,
gorging themselves with food and excrete a vast amount of wastes. At
this time, heaven and earth were closely link, held together by great
pillars. The Jade Emperor was horrified on how revolting the humans
were and could not stand the stench so he separated Heaven and
Earth to get away from the smell. To punish the beetle, he made it eat
the dung that the humans excreted.

CHINESE GODS & GODDESSES:

SHANGTI

Shangti was the supreme god of law, order, justice, and creation. He is
also known as Jade Emperor, Yellow Emperor, or Yu Huang Shang-Ti,
although there are sometimes important distinctions made between
these names and Jade Emperor can mean another deity. Shangti was
considered the great ancestor of all Chinese, who gave the people
culture, architecture, skill in battle, agriculture, controlled the weather,
regulated the seasons, and was king over the other gods, human beings, and nature. He was worshipped
primarily during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE) when he was considered a deified king who ruled c.
2697-2597 BCE and was included in the mythical or semi-mythical grouping of the Three Sovereigns and
Five Emperors, demi-gods who ruled China between c. 2852-2070 BCE. During the Zhou Dynasty (c.
1046-226 BCE) Shangti was replaced by the concept of Tian (Heaven) but re-emerged as Shangti during
the Warring States Period (476-221 BCE). The Zhou developed the concept of the Mandate of Heaven
which legitimized the rule of a certain dynasty. Tian judged who was worthy to rule and for how long,
and when a dynasty was no longer fit, it fell and another took its place.

QUEEN MOTHER OF THE WEST

She was the queen of the immortal gods and

spirits, especially female spirits who lived in the
mystical land of Xihua ("West Flower"), and
goddess of immortality. She is also known as
Xiwangmu or Xi-Wang-Mu and lived in a castle of
gold in the Kunlun Mountains, surrounded by a
moat which was so sensitive that even a hair
dropped on the waters would sink. This moat
served as protection for her Imperial Peach
Orchard where the juices of the fruit of the trees
gave immortality. Xiwangmu is shown as a beautiful woman with sharp teeth and a leopard's tail, or as
an old, unattractive woman with a hunched back, tiger's teeth and a leopard's tale, depending on her
mood. She rewarded her followers with eternal life but punished those who angered her. During the Han
Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) her cult was very popular and shrines were built for her by the government.
She is the wife of Mugong, Lord of the Spirits, who watches over male spirits in the land of Donghua
("East Flower") but is sometimes seen as the wife of Shangti.

GUANYIN
Guanyin was the goddess of mercy and compassion who became
the patron of sailors and fishermen. She was originally a deity in
India known as Avalokitesvara whose name means "One Who
Gazes Down Upon the World and Hears the Cries of the People".
She came to China from India through trade via the Silk Road
during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). She was so
compassionate that she incarnated as the maiden Miaoshan in
order to experience life as a human being and offer service to
others. Miaoshan's father wanted her to marry a wealthy priest.
Miaoshan refused to marry unless the marriage could end the
sufferings caused by illness, aging, and death. When her father
told her no marriage could end such things, she replied that a
doctor could, but her father did not want her marrying someone
of such a lowly occupation. She was allowed to enter a temple instead of marrying, but her father made
sure that she was given all of the worst work, which she accomplished with the help of the nearby
animals who responded to her goodness. Her father then tried to burn the temple down but Miaoshan
put the fire out with her bare hands. He then had her executed, but when she went to hell, she released
all of the goodness she held inside and turned it into paradise. The king of the dead, Lord Yama, sent her
back to earth before she ruined his realm, and she lived afterwards on Fragrant Mountain where she
watched over human beings. From her mountain home, she would often notice people in trouble on
their boats at sea and rescued them, which is how she became patron goddess of sailors and fishermen.
She was one of the most popular deities in all of China, and both men and women adored her.

YAN WANG

Yan Wang is the god of death and king in the afterlife. He is the
greatest of all the Lords of Death who rule the regions of the
underworld. He is also known as Yang-Wang-Yeh, Lord Yama, and
Lord Yama King. Yan Wang presides over the judgment of souls and
decides whether they will be punished for their crimes in life, go
on to live with the gods, or be reincarnated. In one famous story, a
soldier named Commandant Yang, who had caused a great deal of
suffering and misery in his life, died and appeared in the court of
Yan Wang. Yan Wang asked him how he had managed to build up
so many sins on his soul in the short time he was on earth. Yang
claimed he was innocent and had done nothing wrong. Yan Wang
commanded the scrolls of Yang's life to be brought in where the
date and time of his sins were read along with who was affected and how many had died because of
Yang's selfishness. Yang was condemned by the Lord of Death, and a great hand appeared which
snatched him up and crushed him. It was said that one could escape punishment for one's sins on earth
but no one could escape justice in the court of Yan Wang.

NUWA & FUXI

Nuwa and Fuxi were the mother and father deities of human beings. Nuwa was born at the beginning of
creation and fixed the mistakes made at first so that everything was perfect. She built a palace for
herself, which became the model for Chinese architecture, and lived there with her friend and brother
Fuxi, both depicted as human-dragons with human heads and dragon bodies or human bodies to the
waist and dragon legs and tails. Nuwa became lonely and created human beings for company from the
mud of the Yellow River. She breathed life into them and they moved and lived. She continued to make
more and more human beings but it was tiring work and so she created marriage so that they could
reproduce themselves. The humans were alive but had no knowledge of anything and so Fuxi gave them
the gifts of fire, writing, how to get food from the sea, and all the other skills they would need to live. He
also gave them the gifts of music, culture, and divination so they could make good decisions by knowing
what the future held.

CAISHEN

Caishen, the god of wealth, was one of the most popular

gods of ancient China and still is today. Statues of Caishen
(also known as Ts'ai Shen) can be seen in businesses run by
Chinese merchants all around the world and in Chinese
homes. His statue shows a wealthy man seated in a silk robe
holding riches in both hands. He is sometimes accompanied
by two attendants carrying bowls of gold. He was not just the
god of material wealth but of a rich life which meant a happy
family and a secure, prosperous, and respectable job. Caishen was very generous to his followers but
was not foolish and did not give out his wealth to just anyone. People had to prove themselves worthy of
his generosity by working hard, praying to him regularly, and thanking him for his gifts. Temples and
shrines to Caishen were probably the most numerous in
ancient China.

CHANG'E

Chang'e, the goddess of the moon, was another of the most

popular deities in ancient China and is the most often
mentioned deity in Chinese poetry and literature. She was
the consort of the archer god Hou Yi who saved her during a
lunar eclipse and brought her back safely. Chang'e betrayed
him by stealing from him the elixir of immortality, which the gods had given him, and ran across the
night sky with it, pursued by Hou Yi. She reached the moon where she transformed herself into a toad to
hide from him until his rage passed. Hou Yi had been stopped in his pursuit by a hare who would not let
him pass until he calmed down and promised he would not harm her. When Hou Yi reached the moon,
Chang'e had remained in her toad form too long to change back and so, when one looks at the moon,
one sees the outline of a toad on its surface. The story of Chang'e and Hou Yi was celebrated at the Mid-
Autumn Festival in ancient China which is known today as the Moon Festival when people go outside at
night to appreciate the moon, eat moon cakes, and give gifts to friends and family.

ZAO-SHEN

Zao-Shen (or Tsao Shen and Tsao Wang), also known as The
Kitchen God, lived in the kitchen above the stove of every
home. He was represented by a paper image made by the
most prestigious woman of the household and was kept in
the same place throughout the year. Zao-Shen was
responsible for the happiness of the home and the prosperity
of the family, but this depended on their behavior and
values. Every month Zao-Shen left the home to report to the
local gods and spirits on the family's conduct. If they had
behaved well, he was instructed to increase their riches and
happiness; if they had behaved badly, he was told to
withdraw riches and happiness. "Riches" meant not only material wealth but comfort and well-being,
which was further assured by his warding off evil spirits. When he left the home to make his report,
families were especially anxious because they had no household protector. At the end of the lunar year,
on New Year's Eve, Zao-Shen had to leave to report to Shangti himself and the universal gods on how the
family had behaved throughout the year. At this time, more incense was burned than usual in front of
the paper statue and its mouth was smeared with honey so that only sweet words about the family
would be reported to the gods. Offerings of fine foods and good wine were placed before him to thank
him for his protection. The paper figure was then burned and firecrackers set off to speed him on his
way. The next morning, the first day of the New Year, a new paper statue was made and placed above
the stove.

NIU LANG & ZHI NU

The god and goddess of love. Zhi Nu was the

goddess of weaving for the gods and daughter of
Shangti. Every day she wove the beautiful robes the
gods wore and looked down on earth from her place
among the stars and wished she could visit. She was
finally granted permission by her father and went to
earth where she left her clothes by the banks of a stream and went swimming. A cowherd named Niu
Lang saw her and fell in love with her so he stole her clothes so she could not run away from him. When
Zhi Nu came out of the water she was outraged that her clothes were gone but when Niu Lang explained
himself she fell in love with him. She forgot all about her home in the heavens and her duties as divine
weaver and stayed on earth with Niu Lang. They were very happy together, every day they were more in
love, and they had many children. Shangti was not pleased, though, and neither were the other gods and
so soldiers were sent to bring Zhi Nu back home. Niu Lang tried to follow but Shangti threw a wall of
stars across his path and stopped him; these stars are known on earth as the Milky Way. Once a year,
magpies fly from earth to the Milky Way and form a bridge the two can cross to be with each other on
the evening known as the Seventh Night of the Seventh Moon. This became a very popular story
referenced by writers and poets in many different eras of China's history. The Lady in the famous poem,
Song of Everlasting Sorrow, references this story toward the end when she is on the island in the
afterlife. The myth was the basis for the Festival of the Seventh Night of the Seventh Moon which
officially was dedicated to women's art in sewing and weaving but unofficially was a night for romance.
Zhi Nu is the star Vega in the constellation of Lyra, and Niu Lang is the star Altair in the constellation of
Aquila, separated by the Milky Way except for once a year.

MENSHEN

Menshen, the guardians of the door, known as "Gods

of Peaceful Sleep" who protect a room, house, or
building from evil spirits and ghosts, originated in the
early Tang Dynasty (618-901 CE). The emperor Taizong
(626-649 CE) was having a hard time sleeping because
of nightmares. He consulted a doctor who blamed the
bad dreams on evil spirits. Taizong's nightmares were
so real he thought people were actually in the room
trying to kill him, and so two of his most trusted
guards were posted outside the door of his room, one
standing on each side. Taizong began to sleep better
with the guards outside and so ordered that their images be painted on the doorway. News of Taizong's
painted soldiers spread and soon more and more people were painting guardians on their doors and
rooms. These images can be seen on many buildings and homes in China and elsewhere. Part of the
Chinese New Year celebration is cleaning and re-painting the Menshen on doorways.
P'AN KU

The god of creation, P'an Ku (also known as Pan Gu and Pangu) is

pictured as a hairy dwarf with horns. Once there was only
darkness everywhere in the universe and in this grew a cosmic
egg which was kept warm for thousands of years until it broke
open and P'an Ku appeared. He cut through the darkness and
separated the yin from the yang principles; then he made the yin
into earth and the yang into sky and pushed them apart from
each other. Every day he stood on the earth and pushed the sky a
little higher, and each day he grew taller and taller until he was a
giant. P'an Ku then began to add pretty details to his creation like
mountains and valleys, which he made according to the
principles of yin and yang so that everything would be balanced.
He worked on his creation for thousands of years until it was
perfect, and then he died. His breath became air and his blood the rivers and streams. The fleas from his
body ran off and became animals while his body hair became forests of trees and bushes. His left eye
became the sun and his right eye the moon. Many centuries after his death, Nuwa appeared and created
human beings and Fuxi taught them how to survive in the world P'an Ku had created. In another version
of the myth, human beings are the fleas which run from P'an Ku's body after he dies.

OTHER GODS & GODDESSES:

These gods and goddesses and many others were worshipped by the Chinese people for centuries. Some
developed later than others but all were important to the people. There were many other notable gods
who deserve mention:

Guan Gong (also known as Guandi), the god of war, who was a great warrior and hero deified after his
death;

Sun Wukong, the god of mischief, who ate the peaches of immortality and tricked the gods into giving
him eternal life;

Fu-Shen, the god of happiness;

Hou-Ji, god of Millet and grains;

Kailushen, "Spirit Who Clears Roads", a protector against ghosts and evil spirits;

Sheji, god of soil and grain, a harvest fertility god;

Wen Chang (also known as Wendi), god of literature who was the patron of scholars and writers and
kept accounts of how well writers used their talents in life; and
Cheng Huang, "God of Wall and Moat" who protected the walls and gates of the cities. Although
worship of these gods was outlawed as "superstition" when the communist party took control of the
Chinese government in 1949 CE, they continued to be worshipped privately by the people and are still
honored in many homes all over the world today.

Tian Guan – ruler of heaven; brings happiness, freedom and riches,

Di Guan- Ruler of earth, judges over the people and their action

Shui Guan - emperor of water; controls the rivers and over comes diseases

Xihe – A solar deity

Di Jun – Xihe’s husband, god of the eastern sky, and an agricultural deity

Yao – A legendary Chinese Emperor who served as a model of wisdom and virtue

Yi – A skilled bowman

Fengmeng – Yi’s apprentice

The Buddha – The founder of Buddhism, who lived and taught in India from the 6 th – 4th century

Xuanzang – A Buddhist monk

Zhu Bajie – A half-pig, half-man; Xuanzang’s disciple

CHINESE GODS & GODDESSES WITH THEIR GREEK COUNTERPARTS

CHINESE GODS & GODDESSES GREEK COUNTERPARTS
Jade Emperor Zeus

Chang’e Titan

Yan Wang Hades

Niu Lang Aphrodite

Pangu Gaia

Guan Gong Ares

Sun Wukong Aite

Fu-Shen Eutychia

Sheji Dionysus
CHINESE MYTHICAL CREATURES:

Chinese Dragon (龙 )

 First appeared to the mythical emperor fu-shi and filled

the hole in the sky which made by the monster kung kung
 Made up of nine entities Head of camel, the eye of demon
,the ears of cow, the horn of stag, the neck of snake , the
sole of his feet is from tiger and 117 scale that cover its
body.
 equated by weather
 transform a large universe or small silk worm

Baize (白泽 )

 yellow emperor encountered baize at the east sea

symbolize as good omen
 know human language
 great of wisdom
 knowledgeable of the nature
 He thought the yellow emperor all the supper
natural creature of all world and how to overcome
them.
 has lion body,two horn and chain hair of a goat

Kui (夔 )

 beast living in mt. Liubo in the eastern sea

 skin used by yellow emperor to make drum to
invoke rain and wound
 who only
had a one
foot

Feng Huang (凤凰 )

 Symbol of summer and spiritual balance

 Feng "male" Huang "female"
 Composed of male and female bird
 Fenghuang is a female with in relationship with a male dragon
 beautiful, graceful, loyal, honest
 higher level of life Justice and peace -prosperity and faith

Qilin (麒麟 )

 a chines unicorn Combine with two character qi "

male" Lin "female"
 has a single horn on its forehead and a yellow
belly a multi color back hoove of a horse and the
body of the dear ,tail of an ox
 it never walk on verdant grass or eat living
vegetation
 justice, and good wisdom

Xiezhi (獬豸 )

 abulous beast called xiezhi

 like a unicorn and dragon
 had ability to discriminate between the wrong
and right
 upright, honest, justice
 with a singular horn and cleff foot like a goat

Hou (吼 )

 Lord yi or yi yi
 Known for his famous of the world that was treated to be
burnt by the rise of the ten sun.
 He shot down the nine sun and it fall down from the sky
and transform into nine island in the sea
 He also kill all harmful animals to help mankind.
 Ten sun was a son of emperor jun

 Bifang (毕方 )
 If Bifang apeared and their would a big fire .

 bifang is quite similar to a white crane in

appearance but only one foot.

 he was a protector of yellow emperor

 Taotie

 One of the four evil creature of the world

 its a face mask that have been worn by either shamans or
god king

Chinese zodiac sign

 a race of animals on the birthday of jade to

create the Chinese new year
 To create time measure for people
 Should cross a rapid current river and reach the
finish line on the shore

Beetle
 Food of human
 Must eat 3 times a day

Golden crow
known as the Sun Crow (阳乌) or the Three-legged Crow (三足
乌). A divine beast which symbolizes fire and the Sun.
In mythology, there were originally ten Suns in the form of ten
Golden Crows. They one day went on a rampage and scorched
the earth, which led to the godly archer Houyi slaying nine of
them to put an end to the crisis.
 Sun Wukong
known as the Monkey King
Knows the 72 Earthly Transformatin, which allow him
to transform into various animals and objects
skilled fighter, capable of defeating the best warriors of
heaven.
Each of his hairs possesses magical properties,
capable of being transformed into clones of the
Monkey King himself, and/or into various weapons,
animals, and other objects.
He knows spells to command wind, part water, conjure
protective circles against demons, and freeze humans,
demons, and gods alike.

The Great Race (CHINESE ZODIAC SIGN)

The great race loomed just on the horizon and the Cat and the Rat were best of friends.
Together, the two of them hatched a plan to ride the Ox across the river together. They knew the
large and hardy Ox was accustomed to crossing rivers and would likely finish first.

At the start of the race, the two animals slipped atop the Ox. Being rather thick-headed, the Ox
was oblivious to the two animals atop him. But, as the Cat and the Rat rode atop the Ox, the Rat
jolted abruptly forward. The sudden force sent the Cat flying off the Ox and into the river. The
Cat let out a piercing hiss directed at the Rat, but by then, it was too late, and the Ox, with the
Rat atop, was already too far ahead of the Cat.

Even to this this day, Cat still holds a grudge against Rat. This is why Cat hates water and hunts
Rat every time he sees him!

The Ox lumbered towards the finish line. The Ox was going to come first. Suddenly, the Rat
leapt from Ox's back and crossed the finish-line first. The Ox crossed the finish line a moment
later. However, the Ox was too composed a sort to make a big fuss.

Water splashed forth from the river. The Tiger had burst from beneath the water, his coat
sopping wet. The water had weighed the proud Tiger down, but the well-muscled Tiger pushed
forth in spite of the burden, hind legs rippling with tense firmness. His huge paw prints bore
down on the damp muddy shore and with one final fierce stride, the Tiger claimed the third spot
in the Zodiac.

The Jade Emperor watched as the trio of Rat, Ox, and Tiger crossed the finish. He applauded
them. They would be the first three animals of the Zodiac.

The Rabbit stood perched upon a rock in the river. He was only lagging slightly behind the Tiger.
River water lapped up at his paws. The Rabbit let out soft huffs and heaves. He had been trying
desperately to keep up with the Tiger. Despite the Rabbit's small stature, he had kept pace,
leaping from one rock to another so he could quickly cross the river. A long trail of rocks jutted
up from the river bed. As worry overtook the Rabbit, the Rabbit hastened his motions, pulling
back hurriedly on his strong hind legs.
The Rabbit feared that if he did not pick up his pace, another animal might seize the fourth spot
from him. Suddenly, the Rabbit slipped, tumbling back-first into the murky waters of the river.
The Rabbit's thoughts began to race. Would he even be able to finish in time?

A moment later the Rabbit's eyes widened. A log was floating slowly by. Nearly leaping up from
the river, the Rabbit sped into a wild paddle, water flying up around him. He pressed both paws
to the log, clinging on as tightly as he could muster.

Alas, the log was barely moving, bobbing complacently in the water. A sudden gust stirred
thickly in the air, sending the log hurdling down the river. The Rabbit's heart throbbed in slow
motion as the log drifted towards the shore where the finish line was. The Rabbit's pulse
gradually slowed, seemingly one beat at a time, as he neared the shore, a deep-seated feeling
of relief overtaking him. The Rabbit peered backwards as he floated closer to shore. No other
animals were in sight. The Rabbit hopped right across the finish line

The Rabbit did not stop as he passed the Jade Emperor. The Emperor was smiling at the Rabbit
with a generous grin. The Rabbit passed rice paddies as he made his way towards the forest.
Reaching a shaded and secluded thicket the Rabbit collapsed into a tiny heap of white fur. A mix
of relief and exhilaration had seeped through his being, replacing the disappointment he had felt
about only getting fourth place.

Over the finish line the Dragon soared swiftly, moving in a majestic aerial stride as it shimmied
through the clouds, his long tail streaming and lashing about the placid sky, wind racing past
him. As the Dragon made his rapid descent, the clouds seemed to part. The Jade Emperor
stood awaiting the great creature. Why has the Dragon not come in first place? he wondered.
When the Jade Emperor addressed the Dragon, he began to explain the circumstances that had
befallen him.

"Exalted Jade Emperor ~ on my way I saw several villagers that were in trouble. A fire had
ignited amidst their crops and they had been surrounded in a circle of blaze. I knew that my spot
in the Zodiac was on the line, but I could not stand by and watch. To put out the flames, I used
my breath to extinguish the blaze, snuffing it out like a flickering candle. I had to be careful
though. I did not want to also sweep the villagers up in this gale of my own creation. I also saw a
tiny Rabbit in the river clinging to a log, so I used my breath to push it to shore."

The Jade Emperor smiled again. He was well acquainted with the Dragon's nature. He was not
disappointed in him.

As the Dragon and the Jade Emperor spoke, the Horse was in the midst of galloping across the
river, splashing up water as her hooves moved like beating pistons through the ankle deep
water, beads of mist silhouetting her strong equestrian form.

The Horse burst from the river. Only a few strides separated her from the finish line. Something
slithered through the grass. From the grass the Snake surged out, approaching from behind the
Horse's hooves. Overtaken by shock the Horse recoiled, leaping backwards. A high nay exited
the Horse's mouth, hooves thrown up towards the sky. With a quick slither, the Snake crossed
the finish line.

The Jade Emperor watched the snake move past the finish-line, still smiling. He did not judge
the Snake. The Snake had merely been clever.
The Horse lowered her long-face, a tinge of shame lingering in her dark beady eyes as she
stepped slowly across the finish line. Fear had cost her the sixth spot. Her legs, which moments
ago had carried her in an untamed gallop were now locked in slow shaky steps, which barely
left imprints upon the dirt.

Back in the river, the Monkey, the Rooster, and the star of 2015, the Sheep, all floated atop a
raft, which the Rooster had found resting by the opposite shore - unclaimed by anyone.

Together, the three of them worked furiously, using lengthy branches as makeshift paddles.The
sticks would often get caught in tangles of unwieldy underwater weeds, which weaved up from
the riverbed, but the three of them did not stop paddling, severing the leafy binds with forceful
branch strokes. When the Rooster, the Monkey, and the Sheep reached the river's shore, they
let the Sheep cross first - claiming 8th place.

The Sheep had been so comforting and formed such harmonious bonds with them, that the
others felt it was only right to let the Sheep claim the 8th place. If the sheep had helped foster
these bonds, they may not have all made it to the finish-line.

The Monkey claimed the ninth place and the Rooster took the tenth place.

Coat sopping wet, the dog scrambled across the finish line next, panting as he did so, canine
tongue flapping from his open mouth. The dog was an adept swimmer, but because he had not
bathed for some time, he had over indulged in the river, frolicking without a care in the water.
The sun sat high in the sky today and had heated the water, making it pleasant to bathe in. And,
thus, the dog claimed the eleventh place in the race.

By the finish line stood the Jade Emperor. Eleven animals had already crossed. There was only
one spot remaining in the Zodiac now. What animal will conclude the race? the Jade Emperor
wondered.

Over the horizon, a loud exhausted oink sounded. The Pig waddled towards the finish line, pink
skin caked in dense layers of dirt, sniffling snout pasted brown with mud. Yet, the Pig moved at
a surprisingly swift gait, little feet locked in a tiny cyclical gallop.

The Jade Emperor gave the pig a sharp glance as he crossed the finish line. "How has one
such as you who possesses such surprising speed fallen so far behind?" he asked.

The Pig snorted as he readied himself to speak. "Sorry, Exalted Jade Emperor - I was hungry
and couldn't resist stopping to gobble something up. I felt sleepy after eating, and couldn't help
myself."

The Jade Emperor smiled again as he peered down at the dirt covered Pig. The race had
concluded. The Pig collapsed onto his side, lapsing back into sleep. Snorts that sounded like
snores sounded from the Pig's rotund heaving form. The 12 animals of the Zodiac had been
decided and so concluded the great race.