Five Heavenly Emperors: Chinese Myths of Creation

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

“In the beginning the universe was a cloud of mist in the shape of a
giant egg.” Thus begins this delightful compendium of the Chinese
myths of creation. Yin and Yang emerged from the mist, becoming the
earth and sky, and earth spirits moved up to the sky and became the
first gods. Each controlled one of the five elements and created an
empire: they became the five heavenly emperors.

This wonderful introduction to Chinese mythology is easy to follow:
after people are created in one myth, the next provides them with homes,
the next with agriculture, and so on. The five heavenly emperors appear
regularly, tying the myths together. One of their acts provides the
author with an opportunity to challenge the reader: An emperor discovers
the secrets of existence and encodes them in a chart; the reader is
invited to decode it. Zhang’s exquisite watercolor paintings adorn the
myths. The rich, glowing colors and the intricate detail are reminiscent
of traditional Chinese art. Highly recommended.