In the beginning, the world was chaotic, with no light to be found. There were no mountains, rivers, flowers, trees, birds, beasts, fish, insects, nor humans—the spirits of all things. The entire universe was tightly compacted together, like a giant egg.
Millions of years passed, and within this cosmic egg, life began to form. After another few million years, that life evolved into a creature resembling a human, with two hands and two feet, and the ability to think. This being, named Pangu (盘古), was a giant of unimaginable size. Pangu had slept for 18,000 years within the cosmic egg.
One day, Pangu suddenly woke up. He opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by darkness, unable to see anything. His joints ached from lying still for so long, and he could feel his body begging for movement. Stretching, he tried to raise his arms, but the hard shell of the egg blocked him. He tried to stand up, but even lifting his head seemed impossible. Pangu was furious and thought to himself, “This damn egg has trapped me for 18,000 years. Now, I want to move, and it won’t let me! It’s time to break this thing open!”
With this thought, Pangu slowly moved in the cramped space, positioned himself, and used his powerful hands to lift the upper half of the egg. With all his strength, he pushed upwards with his arms and kicked down with his legs. It was incredibly difficult because the shell of the egg was so hard, but Pangu did not give up. He kept struggling, his only focus on breaking the “cage.”
Finally, his efforts paid off. Pangu heard the sound of the egg cracking and knew success was near. He pushed harder, and with a deafening roar, the cosmic egg shattered.
Chaos and darkness spilled out from the egg, swirling around Pangu, wrapping tightly around him. Furious, Pangu didn’t understand why these cursed things wouldn’t leave him alone. He decided to fight back. Pangu raised his iron-like fists and lifted his steel-like legs, kicking and punching at the chaos and darkness.
The chaos and darkness were crushed by Pangu’s blows, gradually separating into two distinct elements. The lighter, purer elements rose up and became the sky, while the heavier, muddier elements sank down and became the earth. Thus, the sky and earth were separated.
Now, with space around him, Pangu stood up and stretched in joy. He was relieved, no longer confined by the “egg” and freed from the chaos and darkness. However, just as he was celebrating, something heavy struck his head. When Pangu reached up, he realized with dread that the sky, which had once risen, was falling back down, perhaps wishing to reunite with the earth.
This infuriated Pangu. He thought, “Now that I’ve separated the sky, I know I can hold it up again, but it might fall again. I need a permanent solution!” Determined, Pangu raised the sky once more. To prevent the sky from ever falling again, Pangu decided to act as the “pillar holding up the sky,” supporting it until it was no longer in danger of falling. He stood firm, his hands holding the sky and his feet planted on the earth, remaining like this for 18,000 years.
During these 18,000 years, Pangu endured great hardship. He could not eat, as his hands were always busy holding up the sky, and the only relief he got from hunger came from the faint mist that occasionally drifted into his mouth. He could not rest because any movement might cause the sky to fall, so the only thing he could do was occasionally switch hands.
Over these 18,000 years, the world changed every day. Pangu grew taller, gaining a foot in height each day, and with him, the sky also rose a foot higher. The distance between the sky and earth grew longer, and after 18,000 years, Pangu had grown into a giant 90,000 miles tall, and the sky and earth were separated by a distance of 90,000 miles.
With the sky and earth now separated, Pangu looked around and smiled contentedly. He was happy that the world had become less cramped because of his efforts, and the sky and earth would forever remain apart, a significant achievement. However, there was still a lingering regret in his heart—while the world had taken shape, it lacked sunlight, water, mountains, minerals, and life… there was still much to be created.
Pangu, however, had no time or strength left. With a final breath, he opened his eyes wide, smiling faintly. In his heart, he still carried a sense of regret as he let out a mighty roar, slowly falling to the ground.
Before his death, Pangu’s final wish was granted. The universe underwent a miraculous transformation. His last breath became the wind and clouds; his roar turned into thunder. His left eye became the bright sun, and his right eye became the beautiful moon. His tears transformed into rivers on the earth, and his gaze became lightning.
Pangu fell, never to rise again. His body became the famous mountains of the five directions, his limbs formed the four corners of the earth, and his muscles turned into fertile soil. His veins became countless roads, and his blood became the vast seas. His hair became the plants on the land—flowers, grass, trees, and forests. His bones, teeth, and marrow turned into treasures of the earth—gold, silver, copper, iron, gemstones, pearls, and jade. Even his sweat was not wasted—it rose to the sky and fell as rain, bringing moisture to the land.
The world had become rich and vibrant. There was sunlight, high mountains, rivers, and a variety of plants. The spirits from Pangu’s essence roamed the earth, gradually transforming into all kinds of living animals—birds, beasts, fish, and insects. These animals brought life and vitality to the world, but there were still no humans.
This is the story of Pangu creating the world—the tale of a great, fearless figure who is worshipped by humanity as the ancestor of all beings.