Caste System In Chinese Mythology

Many myths show the creation of the caste system and social hierarchy. We see the creation of a caste system in Hindu mythology with Brahmin being the highest and Shudra being the lowest. In Chinese mythology we see the creation of a social hierarchy with differences between the rich and the poor. In both these traditions, superior beings are responsible for the creation of a social hierarchy. In Hinduism, the myth of Purusha, the cosmic man, explains the creation of the caste system, and in Chinese mythology, the story of the goddess of creation, Nü Kua, explains the creation of humans and why all humans are different, essentially creating a social structure in the Chinese tradition. The creation myths with Purusha and Nü Kua provide justification
In the story, Nü Kua created humans from yellow earth and mud. “In the Nü Kua myth, humans are polarized into ‘rich aristocrats’ made from yellow earth and ‘poor commoners’ made from mud” (CM, 34). In many portraits of Nü Kua, she is seen holding a builder’s cord. With this cord, Nü Kua created the commoners. She was originally creating humans by carefully molding them from yellow earth. Realizing this takes to long, she dips the cord in mud and shook it off, and the drops created human beings. The myth of Nü Kua provides justification for social, religious, and cultural traditions because it gives an explanation for the reason as to why there is a social hierarchy in the Chinese tradition. Nü Kua had created the commoners in a quick and somewhat lazy manner, which shows how they may not be as important because they were not created in a careful way. Those of higher status were carefully molded from yellow earth. This can go along with current society and how these social traditions are carried on. Those born into higher class families usually have more opportunities and resources to succeed than those who are not in a higher class. It is sometimes hard for those who are of lower status to move up the social pyramid than it is for those who are already high up to remain in their position. The way the goddess created humans can also be an explanation for why there are more commoners than there are wealthy people in society. The mandate of heaven in Chinese tradition is also significant when discussing a social system. Those who were able to govern well and fairly were given the power to be the emperor. The power was given to them by the Gods and heaven. This created a difference in power between the emperor and his people. The myth of Nü Kua creating people also gives an explanation for why there is a difference in the people who are higher up in society compared to those