The Tempestuous Tale of Gong Gong and the Divine Nüwa
In the realm of Chinese mythology, Gong Gong is depicted as a fierce and discontented water spirit endowed with formidable power. Typically represented as an enraged black dragon or a turbulent water monster, Gong Gong often struggled against the strict hierarchical structures that governed the spiritual world. My previous discussions on the Black Mansion—the underworld within Chinese cosmology—highlight the meticulous order of existence across realms, including the earthly plane, heavens, and infernal domains. Frustrated with what he deemed trivial tasks and bureaucratic responsibilities assigned to him while serving in the celestial courts, Gong Gong’s dissatisfaction brewed into a fervent rebellion against the Jade Emperor.
The Uprising against Heaven
To assert his dominance in the heavens, he unleashed devastating floods and forged a dangerous alliance with a monstrous nine-headed demon known as Xiangliu. Together, this malevolent duo wrought chaos upon the world, leading to catastrophic loss of life. Despite the ruin they caused, they were ultimately powerless against the divine forces that opposed them. Zhu Rong, the southern god of fire and a master swordsman, valiantly faced them, riding his mystical tiger. After a fierce confrontation, Gong Gong and Xiangliu found themselves on the brink of defeat. Outraged at the thought of failure and humiliation, Gong Gong plunged into Mount Buzhou—a legendary mountain considered one of heaven’s pivotal supports. His actions resulted in the mountain’s partial collapse, creating a horrific rift in the sky, unleashing calamities far worse than those previously suffered.
The Aftermath of Destruction
As floods and fires wreaked havoc on Earth, monstrous entities from beyond the rift poured into the realm, inflicting further devastation. A wave of famine and despair swept through, placing all terrestrial beings in peril.
Nüwa: Restorer of Heaven
In the face of this catastrophe, with other deities rendered ineffective, the benevolent creator goddess Nüwa emerged as a beacon of hope. Displaying her divine ingenuity, she severed the legs of a giant turtle and utilized them to stabilize the shifting heavens. She then collected precious gemstones from a river, imbuing them with her magical essence. With these vibrant stones, she mended the celestial dome. Different interpretations of the myth have emerged; in some narratives, Nüwa vanquishes the black dragon Gong Gong, while other accounts suggest he evaded her wrath and continues to roam the Earth. Regardless, her repairs were imperfect; the sun and moon began their journey across the sky in a new direction, and the positions of the stars were disrupted, drifting with the changing seasons. Even the North Star was misaligned.
A Modern Reflection of Ancient Themes
Curiously, my favorite Chinese novel, which resonates deeply with this tumultuous myth, is “The Story of the Stone” by Cao Xueqin, penned in the eighteenth century as the Qing dynasty began its disintegration. This narrative chronicles the decline of an esteemed noble family, serving as a metaphor for the struggles of humanity and the inevitable changes we face in life. The novel encompasses around 40 principal characters alongside over four hundred minor ones, weaving an intricate tapestry reflective of Chinese history and culture that spans thousands of pages.
On the surface, the story captures the intricacies of social hierarchies and human relationships—battles of wits, romantic entanglements, and discord—yet beneath these interactions hints at an elusive divine structure that governs the universe. A significantly mysterious figure, a beggar afflicted with sores and limping with an iron crutch, intermittently appears, dispensing magical remedies. The poignant female lead is portrayed with an ethereal beauty, while the principal character, Jia Baoyu, is an aristocratic youth, ingeniously born with a jade stone in his mouth. The jade symbolizes a deeper connection, as Baoyu represents the very gemstone gifted life by Nüwa to mend the celestial breach, only to be excluded from divine utility due to an imperfection. Yearning to escape the confines of heaven, he reincarnates as a mortal, and the tale encapsulates his existential journey and, by extension, the narrative of all human experiences.
The nuances of “The Story of the Stone” present an extraordinary masterpiece, profoundly moving and indescribably brilliant, its melancholy wisdom resonating through the ages.
