The legend of Pangu separating heaven and earth is widely spread in China, expressing in a simple and plain way the profound understanding of the Chinese ancestors about their own creation history, where Pangu is the primordial ancestor who opened up this world.
In the distant ancient times, there was no so-called heaven or earth; the sky and earth were a chaotic whole, like an egg without even a single hole, and no one could clearly say what it was, so people temporarily called it Dijiang. This chaotic Dijiang had two good friends: one named Shu and the other named Hu.
Shu and Hu saw that the Emperor Jiang was so chaotic and formless, so they discussed with it, wanting to help it open up its seven orifices so that its breath could flow in and out, and Emperor Jiang gladly agreed. Thus, Shu and Hu began their work, opening one orifice each day for Emperor Jiang; after seven days, all seven orifices were opened, but Emperor Jiang died as a result.
After Dijiang died, the essence in its belly transformed into a breath. Eighteen thousand years later, this breath took human form—Pangu.
Pangu slept inside the belly of the primordial being Dijiang for an unknown length of time, then suddenly awoke, opened his eyes, and found himself in total darkness. He wanted to escape this all-encompassing darkness, but as soon as he moved his legs, something blocked him, and when he stretched out his arms, he hit obstacles—he realized he was tightly wrapped in this darkness. Was he doomed to live curled up under the siege of this darkness? At this thought, rage flared in his heart. He pulled a tooth from his own mouth and turned it into a divine axe of immense power. He swung the axe with all his might at the chaos before him. Suddenly, there was a thunderous roar like a mountain collapsing, and a crack appeared in the dark chaos. Then, the light, clear gases rose gently upward to become the sky, while the heavy, murky substances slowly sank down to form the earth. From then on, the universe was no longer in a state of chaos and separation, and there was both sky and earth. Standing in the middle, Pangu felt completely refreshed and at ease.
Pangu stood up, and as he did, the sky rose higher while the earth sank deeper. Where the sky and earth were still connected, he took a chisel in one hand and an axe in the other, chopping and chiseling away at those links until the sky and earth were completely separated. Fearing they might merge again, he braced himself with his head against the sky and his feet on the earth, supporting the space between them. Using his magical powers, he made his body grow one zhang taller each day; as he grew, the sky rose one zhang higher, and the earth thickened by one zhang. Thus, after another eighteen thousand years, the sky had become impossibly high and the earth impossibly thick, and Pangu had transformed into a giant who held up the heavens and pressed down on the earth. How tall was this giant? It is said that his height reached ninety thousand li. Such a massive pillar propped up the sky and earth, ensuring they could never come together again.
However, this titan who had carved out a new world had held on for so long that he was utterly exhausted. He wearily opened his eyes, admired the new realm he had created, let out a sigh, and slowly collapsed to the ground, closing his eyes forever with a smile on his face.
His colossal body lay stretched across the earth: his head transformed into the Eastern Peak, Mount Tai; his feet into the Western Peak, Mount Hua; his left arm into the Southern Peak, Mount Heng; his right arm into the Northern Peak, Mount Heng; and his abdomen into the Central Peak, Mount Song. His final breath became the wind and clouds in the sky, his sigh turned into thunder, his left eye became the sun that illuminates the land, his right eye became the moon that lights up the night, his thick hair turned into countless stars, his rushing blood became rivers, lakes, and seas, his muscles became the fertile soil that nurtures all life, his bones became flowers, trees, and plants, his sinews became countless roads, his teeth and bones turned into jade and metals, and even the sweat from his body became sweet rain and dew, nourishing all things.
The great hero Pangu not only created heaven and earth for humanity but also adorned the world with his own body, making it vibrant and full of life.
Of course, this is just a myth; people do not truly believe that Pangu created the heavens and the earth. Through scientific research, archaeologists have discovered the remains of prehistoric humans such as Yuanmou Man, Peking Man, and Upper Cave Man, further unraveling the mystery of human origins and evolution. However, in the absence of written records, these myths and legends were passed down through oral tradition alone, which itself demonstrates that humanity's love for life and pursuit of beauty are enduring and unceasing. Pangu represents a spirit—he gave his all and sacrificed everything for the world where humans live, and this spirit of self-sacrifice became the highest ideal pursued by people of virtue and ambition throughout history.