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EAST ASIAN MYTHOLOGY MEME:
[8/9] CHINESE GODS AND GODDESSES | KANGHUI
Gong Gong [共工] also known as Kanghui, is a Chinese water god or sea monster who is often depicted in Chinese mythology, folktales, and religious stories as having red hair and the tail of a serpent (or dragon). He is often seen as destructive and is blamed for various cosmic catastrophes. In all accounts, Gonggong ends up being killed or sent into exile, usually after losing a struggle with another major deity.
In one legend, Gong Gong was ashamed that he lost the fight to claim the throne of Heaven; in a fit of rage he smashed his head against Mount Buzhou, a pillar holding up the sky. The pillar suffered great damage and caused the sky to tilt towards the northwest and the earth to shift to the southeast. This caused great floods and suffering to the people. Nüwa, an important and benevolent goddess, cut off the legs of a giant tortoise and used them to supplant the fallen pillar and alleviate the situation, but she was unable to fully correct the tilted sky. This explains the phenomenon that the sun, moon, and stars move towards the northwest, and that rivers in China flow southeast into the Pacific Ocean.