nts the emptiness of the universe. The egg, the womb of creation, contained chaos and P’an Ku. Chaos, found in many creation myths, also gives Chinese Creation myths a connection to many other creation myths from around the world. In the Chinese creation myths there exists a connection between the myth and culture through the family structure. The idea of the yin and yang supports the structure of the Chinese family. We are introduced to the idea of the roles yin and yang play early in the myth of P’an Ku. When P’an Ku escapes from the egg, one part sinks and the other part rises. Yin, the half that sinks, in Chinese culture is thought of as female and submissive in nature. Therefore, the females in Chinese culture also should be submissive in nature. Yang, the half that rises, in Chinese culture is thought of as male and the aggressive principal in nature. Therefore the men of their society also should be aggressive and thereby dominant in the family. These two ideas form the basic family structure in Chinese culture. Males remain the dominant and controlling one in the family, while the female must obey the males and basically be subservient. The limit of the power of the males in the family seems almost nonexistent. In some cases the sons will have more power than the mother does. The creation myth of P’an Ku demonstrates for us the distinctive and complex structure of the Chinese family. The Chinese Creation Myth about P’an Ku has dozens of variations. The idea behind it helped to define Chinese culture and also the structure of the Chinese family. The Chinese Creation Myths throughout their thousands of years of existence survived a banishment from the culture of their orgin. Though their myths may not be considered as old and authentic or taken as seriously as other creation myths because of their banishment, it is a miracle that we have a collection of them whatsoever. However, t...
