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Myths and Legends
(10) The Rat and the Ox 

     Ancient Chinese astrology was a mathematical estimation of cosmic events based on the moon calendar and time. It began in the Han Dynasty about 200 BC. By coincidence, the 12-year Zodiac Cycle (生肖) is an approximation of the 11.86-year cycle of Jupiter, the largest planet of the solar system.
    To enable convenient and interesting calculation, the ancient Immortal Sage decided to attach an animal to each of the 12-year cycle. A person born of a particular year, say, the year of the dragon, will have the dragon as his/her zodiac sign.
     The Immortal Sage had chosen the 12 animals. He began to place them in positions when he heard the rat and the ox argued loudly.

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On that date, she summoned all the magpies on earth to fly to the celestial river to form a bridge for the couple to meet. There, the parents and children would have a time together. They shed tears as they expressed their longings for one another, and their wish to be united again.
On earth, the Chinese, later also the Japanese, had since celebrated the Double Seven Festival (七夕) to remember the tragic event. At night, people would search the sky for the Celestial River, known as the Milky Way, and point to two bright stars with blinking eyes…..

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Myths and Legends
(8) Celestial Lonely Regrets 

   After the Great Archer Yi (羿) shot down the nine playful suns, Tien Di (天帝) banished him and his beautiful wife Chang O (嫦娥) from heaven.
   They settled down on earth amid people who respected him for saving the universe. They had a son and a daughter in a few years, and lived happily in central China.
   However, Chang O had always a complaint for being changed to be a human when she was born a goddess. She was particularly concerned that she would die one day, being human. Yi tried all he could to comfort her, and to make life easy for her.

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Myths and Legends
(7) Wisdom of the Yellow Emperor

In the mythical times of Yandi (炎帝), a child was born when thunder continuously lit the sky. He grew up to be Huangdi (Yellow Emperor/黃帝), a much accomplished scholar, technologist and political leader. Together, Yandi and Huangdi are recognized as the common ancestors of the Chinese people.

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He is remembered as one of the three legendary kings of prehistoric China, and one of the two ancestors of the Chinese people, Yandi and Huangdi. Today, regardless of where they are born, or what nationality, ethnic Chinese all over the world are proud to declare they are the descendants of Yandi and Huangdi (炎黃子孫). Every year, tens of thousands of people converge at the Great Temple to pay respect to these mythical god-man creators and heroes.

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But, Gun’s spirit lived. A drop of his blood flowed in a stream. A peasant woman drank it. She became pregnant. Ten months later, a baby was born in a hut above which a dragon circled round and round for three nights. The baby was named Yu (禹). He grew up to become an expert on water works. He worked so hard to build up such a good water system for China that he was made an Emperor in the Xia(夏)Dynasty.

He was remembered as the Great Yu and Father of Irrigation. Because of the legendary story of his birth, the Chinese people have been proud to call themselves “descendants of the dragon” (龍的傳人) ever since.

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This is a narration of a passage in the book 《符子》 which told us how the universe was kept in order through the endeavors of great heroes. The original title 后羿射日 is commonly used to denote great acts of benevolence and courage.

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(3)  Fuxi: Creator and Emperor
After Pangu opened the universe, and Gun-Yu (鯀禹) channeled the flood into the sea, the earth became a suitable habitat for the ancient Chinese. Gods and human beings intermingled in heaven and earth in all kinds of activities, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in conflict. Events in the universe were not as defined as we know them today.
Legends were described in many classic books, like Lie Zi 《列子》and Boshu 《帛書》, a piece of cloth unearthed from an ancient tomb.
Fuxi (伏羲) was one important legendary god-man figure. His birth was an unusual event, and his life a signal contribution to Chinese civilization.

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