Small Wander. Chinese Small Wander: Legend.
Flood Myths: Kun And Yu Fought The Flood
It is said that during the reign of the sage ruler Yao, Man offended the Heavenly Emperor Tien Di by their vices. The Emperor started a flood as a warning to Man. Soon Earth was turned into a vast expanse of water. People suffered torments from hunger and soaking in the muddy water. They had to protect themselves from venomous snakes and beasts of prey. Some hid themselves in caves. Some built nest-like shacks on trees for shelter.
The many deities in Heaven were afraid that Man would become extinct if the situation should continue for long. They implored the Emperor of Heaven for mercy. Among them was one named Kun, who deeply sympathized with Man intheir sufferings. He took the initiative in asking to be sent to bring back to Heaven this huge body of water. And the Emperor of Heaven gave his consent.
Kun stole from Heaven the xi rang (hsi jang)the swelling mold, a magic kind of soil which had the property of ever swelling in size on its own. A handful of it, when cast on the ground, would instantly turn into a high mountain. With this, Kun tried to hold back the waters, but, on the contrary, the water rose higher and higher. Kun failed and was executed at Yu Shan (Feather Mountain) at the order of Emperor Yao.
Failing in the efforts did not in the least make Kun resign himself to this tragic end. Instead, having a great and firm heart of universal love, his body remained for three years growth, Yu possessed various kinds of magic force, surpassing even his father.
When Tien Di (Emperor of Heaven) learned of this unusual outcome, he sent a deity to cut open Kuns belly. Lo and behold, Yu jumped out of it, and Kun instantly became transformed into a yellow bear and plunged into Yu Yuan(Feather Gulf) with no trace left.
Yu rose to the sky and was granted an audience with Emperor Shun in Heaven Court. He pledged to continue his fathers work, and conquer the flood. Emperor Shun was moved. He not only awarded Yu the xi-rang (the swelling mold), but also sent Ying Long (the Winged Dragon) to help him accomplish his mission.
Learning from his fathers failure, the resourceful Yu, instead of trying to dam up the waters, used a new technique of channeling passages. First, he used the swelling mold to fill up the extremely deep springhead of flood to give Man a place to stay. Then, he asked Ying Long, the dragon to go ahead of him trailing its tail over the ground to mark the places where channeling passages were to be dug to let waters drain into the sea.
He was so busy that he was already over thirty before he got married with the Girl of the Tu Mountain (Mud Mountain). Just four days after their marriage, Yu hurriedly left his newly, wed bride for work in other regions fighting the flood. He labored so intensely that, though many times passing his house, he could not afford even a few minutes to visit his wife within.
Once, Yu was digging a passage through Xuan Yuan Mountain (Execution Cart Mountain), not far from his home. His wife saw he was so absorbed in his work that he forgot meals and sleep. This made her heart ache. She then brought the meals to him. And it happened that to exert the utmost strength, Yu was taking the form of a bear and was hewing at the mountain with might. Being surprised to see that her husband turned out to be a bear, she was ashamed and nettled, and herself became changed to stone to ignore him.
Yu knew his wife had misunderstood his new form, and having no time to explain, he just called out, Give me my son!, when the stone split open and a son, Chi (open) came forth.
Yu went to every part of Earth, through the numerous states under heaven, and at long last conquered the flood, relieved the distress among the flood victims and thus won the love from the people and the trust of Emperor Shun. Consequently, Shun abdicated in favor of him. Then Yu became the founder of the Xia(Hsia) Dynasty.