Chinese Mythology

Visit the links to learn about Chinese myths related to objects in the sky, the Earth, and aspects of their world.

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In ancient times, Chinese people believed that there were twelve Moons as there were twelve months in one year. It was believed that the Moons were made of water. The name "mother of moons" is associated with that of <a href="/mythology/moon_china.html&dev=1">Heng-o</a>. This image shows the detail of an eighteen-century embroidered emperor's robe including a white hare, which was believed to have lived in the moon.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.</em></small></p>

Explore Chinese Mythology

The Ten Suns

Chinese people believed that there existed ten suns that appeared in turn in the sky during ...Read more

The Moon: Heng-O

In ancient times, Chinese people believed that there were twelve Moons as there were twelve ...Read more

The Creation: Pan-Ku

According to a primitive Chinese myth, at the beginning of time, the universe had the shape ...Read more

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Aa
xAa : Hawaiian name for a type of lava flow with a surface that is broken into rough angular fragments which develop during cooling and loss of gas from pahoehoe flows.

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Research Highlights

Deadly Tonga Earthquake Revealed as Three Big Quakes

Geologists have learned that a magnitude-8.1 earthquake and tsunami that killed 192 people on September 29, 2009 in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga was in fact a triple-whammy. The 8.1 "great earthquake"...Read more


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