Culture

Chinese gods and goddesses

Tai Yi

People were stealing from the House of Fan, but the new authorities stopped it and said that anyone who was caught stealing would be killed. Chin was going to steal the bell by breaking it into pieces. When he hit the bell with a hammer it made a very loud sound, so Chin blocked his ears. He thought it had muted the sound, but it had only been muted to himself.
The moral of this story is that everything exists to everyone, so if you make yourself not hear or see something it does not mean it does not exist to everyone else.

Qu Yuan was an aristocrat, official and poet. He wanted the best for his country, but when he didn’t agree with how it was being ruled he was exiled. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated to honour Qu Yuan because he was loyal to the country. People make rice dumplings because they were used to distract the fish, while the villagers searched for Qu Yuan’s body. People also watch dragon boat races because they represent the boats searching for the body.

Many years ago, the heaven and the Earth were one, and there was an egg. Inside the egg, Pangu was sleeping. When Pangu woke up, the egg cracked and Pangu got out. He held up the heavens and grew every day. As he grew, he raised the heavens higher until he decided they were high enough. His breath became the wind and the clouds; his ears the sun and the moon; his hair the stars; his hands, body and feet mountains; and his eyebrows and the hair on his feet and hands the flowers and trees.

A boy who dreams of becoming a famous painter doesn’t have a paintbrush. A ghost comes out of one of his drawings and gives him a magic paintbrush. The boy discovers that the brush can make paintings that come alive. He is captured and asked to draw a sword. When he refuses he is thrown into a prison. He draws some food, but he is caught. He draws a ladder and a hole to get away, but he is followed by the one who imprisoned him and his servant. He gets rid of them by drawing a fire in the way. Later, he is captured and taken to the evil king. The king takes the brush and paints gold, but the gold turns into a snake. The king tells the boy to draw a room of gold, but the boy suggests an island with a tree of gold. The boy draws the island and the tree, and also a boat. The painting comes to life and the king goes inside. The boy draws so much wind that the king gets on the island, but the boat is destroyed. The boy doesn’t draw a way back and imprisons the king in the drawing.
The moral of this story is not to be greedy.