Ancient Chinese Flood Stories and Similarities to Biblical Account
by Owen Borville
November 9, 2018
Archaeology, History, Bible
The Miao (Miautso) tribes of southwest China have flood and creation stories that closely resemble the Book of Genesis, including the creation week, the creation of man, the flood, the Tower of Babel, and their decedents. The Miao have no written records, but they have many legends in verse, in which they learn to repeat and sing.
Part of the Miao legend is as follows:
Who made heaven and earth?
Who made insects?
Who made men?
Made male and made female?
I who speak don't know.
Heavenly King made heaven and earth,
Ziene made insects,
Ziene made men and demons,
Made male and made female.
How is it you don't know?
How made heaven and earth?
How made insects?
How made men and demons?
Made male and made female?
I who speak don't know.
Heavenly King was intelligent,
Spat a lot of spittle into his hand,
Clapped his hands with a noise,
Produced heaven and earth,
Tall grass made insects,
Stories made men and demons,
Made men and demons,
Made male and made female.
How is it you don't know?
Later the legend explains how the heavens were created and how the sun was made, in addition to a description of a great flood:
Who came to the bad disposition,
To send fire and burn the hill?
Who came to the bad disposition,
To send water and destroy the earth?
I who sing don't know.
Zie did. Zie was of bad disposition,
Zie sent fire and burned the hill;
Thunder did. Thunder was of bad disposition,
Thunder sent water and destroyed the earth.
Why don't you know?
A portion of a Miao Legend reads:
Who came to the bad disposition,
To send fire and burn the hill?
Who came to the bad disposition,
To send water and destroy the earth?
I who sing don't know.
Zie did. Zie was of bad disposition,
Zie sent fire and burned the hill;
Thunder did. Thunder was of bad disposition,
Thunder sent water and destroyed the earth.
Why don't you know?
The legend later describes two people surviving the flood, A-Zie and his sister, who survived on a boat. After the flood, A-Zie married his sister, but after having a deformed child, the child was killed and the remains were thrown over a hill, which were later transformed into men and women who would repopulate the world.
Source: E. T. C. Werner, Myths and Legends of China (London: George G. Harrap and Company, 1922), pp. 406-408.
Other Ancient Chinese Flood Stories
A well-known ancient Chinese flood story involves the two great rivers that flow through mainland China: the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, both of which flow eastward from their sources in the Himalaya mountains toward the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. These stories, however, are likely to be based on events that occurred after the Biblical flood and are likely the result of the emergence of the Himalaya mountains, of which young earth creationists believe were formed during the Biblical Flood. In addition, the melting ice from the mountains from the ice age also would cause major flooding. Throughout the history of China, the Chinese have had to deal with major floods as a result of these two river basins. One of the ancient stories that involves these floods is the story of Yu. In this story, the Emperor Yao of China appointed a man named Gun who tried unsuccessfully for nine years to build dams using soil in order to control the floodwaters. Because of his failure, the supreme god executed him, while other versions of the story say Gun was banished from the kingdom. A new emperor named Gun's son Yu to assume the task of controlling the floodwaters but, unlike his father, Yu decided to build a system of channels and drainage systems in order to divert water flow away from the cities instead of building dams. A flying dragon helped Yu mark the channel path and Yu was successful in controlling the floodwaters. Because of his success, Yu was named emperor of China.
by Owen Borville
November 9, 2018
Archaeology, History, Bible
The Miao (Miautso) tribes of southwest China have flood and creation stories that closely resemble the Book of Genesis, including the creation week, the creation of man, the flood, the Tower of Babel, and their decedents. The Miao have no written records, but they have many legends in verse, in which they learn to repeat and sing.
Part of the Miao legend is as follows:
Who made heaven and earth?
Who made insects?
Who made men?
Made male and made female?
I who speak don't know.
Heavenly King made heaven and earth,
Ziene made insects,
Ziene made men and demons,
Made male and made female.
How is it you don't know?
How made heaven and earth?
How made insects?
How made men and demons?
Made male and made female?
I who speak don't know.
Heavenly King was intelligent,
Spat a lot of spittle into his hand,
Clapped his hands with a noise,
Produced heaven and earth,
Tall grass made insects,
Stories made men and demons,
Made men and demons,
Made male and made female.
How is it you don't know?
Later the legend explains how the heavens were created and how the sun was made, in addition to a description of a great flood:
Who came to the bad disposition,
To send fire and burn the hill?
Who came to the bad disposition,
To send water and destroy the earth?
I who sing don't know.
Zie did. Zie was of bad disposition,
Zie sent fire and burned the hill;
Thunder did. Thunder was of bad disposition,
Thunder sent water and destroyed the earth.
Why don't you know?
A portion of a Miao Legend reads:
Who came to the bad disposition,
To send fire and burn the hill?
Who came to the bad disposition,
To send water and destroy the earth?
I who sing don't know.
Zie did. Zie was of bad disposition,
Zie sent fire and burned the hill;
Thunder did. Thunder was of bad disposition,
Thunder sent water and destroyed the earth.
Why don't you know?
The legend later describes two people surviving the flood, A-Zie and his sister, who survived on a boat. After the flood, A-Zie married his sister, but after having a deformed child, the child was killed and the remains were thrown over a hill, which were later transformed into men and women who would repopulate the world.
Source: E. T. C. Werner, Myths and Legends of China (London: George G. Harrap and Company, 1922), pp. 406-408.
Other Ancient Chinese Flood Stories
A well-known ancient Chinese flood story involves the two great rivers that flow through mainland China: the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, both of which flow eastward from their sources in the Himalaya mountains toward the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. These stories, however, are likely to be based on events that occurred after the Biblical flood and are likely the result of the emergence of the Himalaya mountains, of which young earth creationists believe were formed during the Biblical Flood. In addition, the melting ice from the mountains from the ice age also would cause major flooding. Throughout the history of China, the Chinese have had to deal with major floods as a result of these two river basins. One of the ancient stories that involves these floods is the story of Yu. In this story, the Emperor Yao of China appointed a man named Gun who tried unsuccessfully for nine years to build dams using soil in order to control the floodwaters. Because of his failure, the supreme god executed him, while other versions of the story say Gun was banished from the kingdom. A new emperor named Gun's son Yu to assume the task of controlling the floodwaters but, unlike his father, Yu decided to build a system of channels and drainage systems in order to divert water flow away from the cities instead of building dams. A flying dragon helped Yu mark the channel path and Yu was successful in controlling the floodwaters. Because of his success, Yu was named emperor of China.
