Pangu Created the Universe

Pangu（盘古），known as Chinese Adam in the West，was considered to have made the world in Chinese ancient mythology.

In the beginning,the heavens and earth were one big mass and all was in chaos.The universe was like a big black egg,carrying Pangu inside.After 18 thousand years,Pangu woke from a long sleep.He felt suffocated,so he took up a broad-axe and wielded it with all his might to crack open the egg.The light,clear part of the egg floated up and formed the heavens,the cold,turbid matter stayed below to form earth.In the middle stood Pangu,head touching the sky,feet planted on the earth.The heavens and the earth began to grow at ten feet per day,and Pangu grew along with them.

After another 18 thousand years,the sky was higher,the earth thicker,and Pangu stood between them like a pillar 9 million Li(roughly 30 thousand miles)in height so that they would never join again.

When Pangu died,his breath became the wind and clouds;his voice became the rolling thunder.One of his eyes became the sun and the other the moon.His body and limbs turned to five big mountains and his blood formed the roaring rivers.His veins became far-stretching roads and his muscles fertile land.The innumerable stars in the sky came from his hair and beard,flowers and trees from his skin and the fine hairs on his body.His marrow turned to jade,diamonds and pearls.His sweat flowed like the good rain and sweet dew that nurtured everything on earth.According to other versions of the Pangu legend,his tears flowed to make rivers and radiance of his eyes turned into thunder and lighting.

The Pangu story is well established in Chinese culture."Since Pangu created the earth and the heavens"is a Chinese version of"from the beginning of time".

Practice Telling a Good Story

Using the list of words and expressions given below,retell the story you have just read.

1.In the beginning;darkness;chaos

2.An extremely large egg

3.Wake up;suffocate;crack open

4.Hammer;chisel;with all his strength

5.Divided;light;heavy

6.Body dissolved

7.Limbs;veins;muscles;fine hair;marrow

8.Mountains;roads;fertile land;flowers and trees;jade,diamonds and pearls