China's version of Genesis-Pangu splits the heavens and the earth-The Birth of the World

In the vast universe, there initially existed only a chaotic entity, known as "the beginning of chaos." Within this chaos, all elements were mixed together; there was no heaven and earth, no shape, and no life. This state lasted for an immeasurable and boundless span of years.

Until one day, a life form was conceived within the chaos, and this was Pangu. Pangu slept in the chaos for eighteen thousand years and finally awoke. Upon awakening, he found himself trapped within the chaos, so he wielded his giant axe and fiercely chopped at the chaos around him.

After eighteen thousand years of relentless effort, Pangu finally split the chaos into two parts: the light, clear qi ascended to form the heavens, and the heavy, turbid qi descended to form the earth. From then on, heaven and earth were divided, and the basic structure of the universe was established. Pangu stood between heaven and earth, using his strength to support them and prevent them from merging again. With the passage of time, the heavens grew ten feet higher each day, and Pangu also grew taller by the same amount, continuing for another eighteen thousand years.

During this lengthy period, Pangu finally exhausted his strength and died. His body transformed into all things: his breath became the wind and clouds; his voice became thunder and lightning; his left eye became the sun, and his right eye became the moon; his limbs and torso became the extremes and the great mountains; his blood became the rivers; his sweat became the dew and rain; and his hair turned into the stars, scattering across the sky.

The story of Pangu creating the heaven and earth not only paints a grand picture of the origin of the universe but also embodies the ancient people's beautiful vision of an orderly and harmonious development of all things in the world. This myth has become an extremely important part of Chinese culture, with a profound impact.