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">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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Did you know that lunar eclipses are produced by the Earth casting its shadow on the Moon?

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Rayleigh wave
xRayleigh wave : A Rayleigh wave is a seismic surface wave causing the ground to shake in an elliptical motion, with no transverse, or perpendicular, motion.

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Research Highlights

Scientists Find Signs of “Snowball Earth” Amidst Early Animal Evolution

There used to be sea ice floating on the tropical ocean, according to new evidence found by geologists. This was quite a long time ago, 716.5 million years ago, during a time known as Snowball Earth. This...Read more


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