Deep within the collective memory of the Chinese nation flow countless ancient and brilliant myths and legends. Among them, Nüwa Mends the Heavens is undoubtedly one of the most magnificent and creatively spirited chapters. It not only tells the grand narrative of human origins but also closely links jade, the essence of heaven and earth, with the birth of civilization and the harmony of nature. As a cultural heritage protector, I deeply understand that these myths are not vague fantasies but profound reflections and artistic expressions of our ancestors about the world, life, and their own existence. They embody the core values and aesthetic tastes of the Chinese nation.
The story begins with a catastrophic scene of heaven and earth collapsing, floods raging, and all living beings suffering. The "Huainanzi: Lan Ming Xun" records: "In ancient times, the four pillars collapsed, the nine provinces split, the sky could not cover everything, and the earth could not support everything; fires blazed endlessly, and waters surged without ceasing; fierce beasts devoured the people, and raptors snatched the old and weak." Faced with this impending doom, a great goddess – Nüwa – stepped forward. She refined five-colored stones to mend the sky, cut off the feet of a giant turtle to establish the four cardinal points, killed a black dragon to save Jizhou, and piled up reeds and ashes to stop the floods. These "five-colored stones," in many interpretations, are the concretization of jade. Jade, since ancient times, has been regarded as the essence of heaven and earth, the brilliance of the sun and moon. Its warm, tough, and understated qualities perfectly align with Nüwa's great spirit of overcoming hardness with softness and sacrificing herself for others. She melted these five-colored jade stones, imbued with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, into mending stones, repairing the broken sky, allowing the sun, moon, and stars to resume their operation, and enabling all living beings to live in peace and contentment. This was not merely a physical repair but a reconstruction of order in a chaotic world and a rekindling of hope for life.
The myth of Nüwa mending the heavens profoundly influenced the Chinese nation's perception and emotion towards jade. Jade was no longer just a beautiful mineral; it was endowed with sacred creative power, becoming a medium connecting heaven, earth, and humanity. From archaeological discoveries, we can glimpse the long history of this concept. Large quantities of exquisite jade artifacts, such as jade dragons, jade cong, and jade bi, have been unearthed from late Neolithic sites of the Hongshan and Liangzhu cultures. These jade artifacts, with their unique shapes and exquisite craftsmanship, were by no means simple ornaments but ritual objects used for sacrifices, communicating with heaven and earth, and demonstrating divine power and tribal status. For example, the jade cong of the Liangzhu culture, square on the outside and round on the inside, symbolized the cosmic view of "round heaven and square earth," and the beast masks carved on them were believed to be images of deities. These jade artifacts were early material carriers of the sacred power of the "five-colored stones" in the Nüwa mending the heavens myth, a material manifestation of our ancestors' understanding and worship of cosmic order and the origin of life.
Jade in Chinese culture was thus endowed with the symbolism of "virtue." In the "Book of Rites: Pin Yi," Confucius discussed jade: "In ancient times, gentlemen compared their virtue to jade." He corresponded the eleven physical and spiritual qualities of jade with the gentleman's benevolence, wisdom, righteousness, propriety, music, loyalty, trustworthiness, heaven, earth, virtue, and the Way. Nüwa mending the heavens is the ultimate embodiment of this "jade virtue": its unyielding toughness symbolizes courage in the face of adversity; its warm and understated nature represents the quality of selfless dedication; its five brilliant colors signify the beautiful vision of harmonious coexistence of all things. This concept of integrating natural objects with moral sentiments is a unique wisdom of Chinese civilization.
In modern society, the story of Nüwa mending the heavens and jade culture still possess strong vitality. It is not merely a myth in textbooks but a spiritual treasure that inspires our national self-confidence and cohesion. We continuously revisit and interpret this ancient story through various forms, such as literary creation, film and television works, art exhibitions, and even the inheritance of jade carving art. For example, many modern jade carving artists incorporate the theme of Nüwa mending the heavens into their creations, combining the natural beauty of jade with the profound meaning of the myth through exquisite craftsmanship, creating artworks that possess both traditional charm and contemporary spirit. These works are not only an inheritance of traditional culture but also a modern interpretation of excellent Chinese traditional cultural concepts such as "unity of heaven and man" and "harmonious coexistence." As cultural heritage protectors, our duty is to safeguard these precious cultural heritages, allowing the creative light of Nüwa mending the heavens to continue illuminating our nation's path forward, and letting the eternal mark of Chinese civilization carried by jade shine even brighter in the new era.