So I'm going to start on this book today and will also give a go at translating it from Chinese to English to share it with others. :) I've always benefited a lot from English translation in my kpop fandom (watching dramas/variety shows) and will like to give back somehow.
Will see how this goes. It will be a new side project for me to distract me from my ruminations.
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to whoever it should belong to. The Chinese work to Tong Hua and the translation here to me :)
Some Chinese folklore and mythology background related to the book:
Although there is no myth (shenhua 神話) of a god having created the universe like in most other cultures and religions, there are lots of popular tales of persons that helped to build up and to repair the world during a time of chaos and uncertainty. A lot of such myth originate in southern China whose cultures and phantastic beliefs differed from the more "realistic" attitude of the northern peoples. Those mythical persons are by no means godlike, but are rather part of the world they helped to construct. The most famous of this persons is Pan Gu 盤古, but there are also smaller figures like Nü Wa 女媧 and her brother or husband Fu Xi 伏羲 who repaired the world with dividers and ruler, or the heroical archer Lord Yi 后羿 who shut down eight of the nine existing suns to prevent the soil from burning out.
The Yellow Emperor (Huang Di [Huangdi] 黃帝) is thought to be the ancestor of the Chinese people. The clan of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi zu 黃帝族) and the clan of Yan (Yandi zu 炎帝族) are thought to have represented the Qijia culture 齊家文化 in modern Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. Later these tribes might have moved to the east and founded the cultures of the Central Plain 中原 as basic cultures of Chinese civilization, with a people later named Huaxia 華夏 (or simply Hua 華 or Xia 夏) was told to have founded China's first dynasty, the Xia 夏. Other descendants of the Yellow Emperor's clan is a clan with the surname Ji 姬 who later founded the Zhou Dynasty 周. Ancestorship of the Yellow Emperor is often constructed to obtain legitimation for rulership. Even Non-Chinese tribes should later claim their descendency from the Yellow Emperor.
The Yellow Emperor's father was Shao Dian 少典, his actual name was Gongsun Xuanyuan 公孫軒轅 (Xuanyuan [Xuan Yuan] might also be a place name where his clan dwelled), his residence (or state) was Youxiong 有熊. The Yellow Emperor was the first of a line of cultural heroes that are venerated for their inventions. Xuan Yuan is said to has invented - also with the help of his ministers - wells, mortars, bow and arrow, cattle breeding, carts and ships, clothing, divination, mathematics, astronomy and calendar, musical notes (minister Ling Lun [Linglun] 伶倫), medicine and writing (minister Cang Jie [Cangjie] 倉頡). In early Chinese thought, every ruler is blessed by one of the Five Processes or Five Phases (wuxing 五行), that of Xuan Yuan was the earth (corresponding colour: yellow), hence his designation "Yellow Emperor".
As a universal ruler, the Yellow Emperor fought against and subdued improper and rebellious rulers and tribes, like Chi You (Chiyou) 蚩尤 in the battle of Zhuolu 涿鹿, the northern Hunzhou 葷粥 (said to be ancestors of the Xiongnu 匈奴), and the Red Emperor (Chi Di [Chidi] 赤帝, also called Yan Di, the "Emperor of the Fire") in the battle of Banquan 阪泉 (might be the same event as in Zhuolu). He replaced Shen Nong (Shennong) 神農 as the ruler of the world.
The main wife of the Yellow Emperor was Lei Zu (Leizu) 嫘祖 who invented spinning and weaving. The tomb of the Yellow Emperor(Huangdi Ling 黃帝陵) is in Qiaoshan 橋山, Huangling County 黃陵縣/Shaanxi. |
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Source: http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Myth/mythology.html |
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PROLOGUE
In the beginning, in this chaotic universe, there is a ruler. He is Emperor Pan Gu-the one who created the Heaven and Earth.
In those times, heaven and earth are not separated and of different realms. Humans lived on Earth and the Gods lived in the sacred mountains. Humans can meet the Gods by climbing the Heavenly stairs. And hence, the gods, the humans and the spirits coexisted and lived between the heaven and earth.
Emperor Pan Gu had three subordinates who he was closed to like siblings. Of them all, the one with the strongest magical powers was a women whose name has been long lost through the ages. It was only known that she established the Hua Xu Kingdom and hence future generations refer to her as Hua Xu. The other two subordinates were male, one was Sheng Nong who lived and protected the central Chinese plains and the other was Gao Xin who lived in the east and protected the place where the sun rose.
When Emperor Pan Gu passed away, the world was in chaos with wars. Hua Xu grew tired of the unending fights and hid herself by establishing the pretty and harmonious Hua Xu Kingdom. However, the reason she was remembered by future generations was not because she created Hua Xu Kingdom, but because of her son Fu Yi and her daughter Nv Wa.
Fu Yi and Nv Wa were judicious in their rule and were respected by all, finally putting an end to the war. From then, they became Emperor Fu Yi and Emperor Nv Wa. When peace was restored, the lands began to prosper.
A few thousand years later, Emperor Fu Yi passed away. Emperor Nv Wa was devastated and left the Hua Xu Kingdom, never to be seen again. This resulted in the decline of the FuYi and Nv Wa people.
In the Northwest deserts, there is an inconspicuous mountain, known as Mountain Xuan Yuan. At its foot lived the small and unknown heavenly clan known as the Xuan Yuan people. After a great ritual, the elder of the Xuan Yuan clan made the youngest hero of the clan the leader, against the wishes of the majority. Even then, he could not expected what will become of this young leader and the fine accomplishments that he would have achieved later on.
In just a few thousand years, the young leader expanded the Xuan Yuan clan so much that it became a threat to Shen Nong and Gao Xin. However, the two of them realised this too late and missed the best opportunity to kill him, unwillingly seeing Xuan Yuan achieve its status of becoming the third clan of great Gods, together with the Shen Nong and Gao Xin clans.
Among these three great clans, Shen Nong was the greatest and its leader was Emperor Yan and he ruled with kindness. Gao Xin clan was second to Shen Nong and its leader was Emperor Shun and he ruled respectfully. The last was the new comer Xuan Yuan and its leader was known as Huang Di (The Yellow Emperor) and he ruled with laws.
Since then, Shen Nong from the Central Plains, Gao Xin from the South East and Xuan Yuan from the Northwest each ruled over their lands and world was divided into three.
