Kuafu is a giant who chases the sun in ancient mythology. Why does Kuafu chase the sun?
In ancient times, in the northern wilderness, there was a majestic mountain that towered into the clouds. Deep in the mountains and forests, there lived a group of powerful giants. Their leader is the grandson of "Houtu", the god of the underworld, and the son of "Xin", named Kuafu. Therefore, this group of people is called the Kuafu tribe. They are strong, tall, strong-willed and extraordinary in spirit. Moreover, he is kind-hearted, hard-working and brave, and lives a carefree and carefree life. At that time, the land was desolate, poisonous beasts were rampant, and people's lives were miserable. In order to let the people of his tribe survive, Kuafu led the people to fight against the scourge every day.
Kuafu often hung the vicious yellow snakes he caught on his ears as a decoration, and waved them in his hands, taking pride in them. One year the weather was very hot. The scorching sun shone directly on the earth, killing crops, scorching trees, and drying up rivers. The heat was unbearable, and people from the Kuafu tribe died one after another. Kuafu was sad to see this scene. He looked up at the sun and told his tribe: "The sun is really hateful. I will catch up with the sun, catch it, and make it obey people's commands." After hearing this, the tribesmen tried to dissuade him. Some people said: "You must not go, the sun is so far away from us, you will be exhausted." Some people said: "The sun is so hot, you will be baked to death."
Kuafu made up his mind and vowed to catch the sun and make it obey people's instructions and serve everyone. He looked at the miserable tribesmen and said: "For everyone's happy life, I must go!" As soon as the sun rose from the sea, Kuafu said goodbye to his people. With great ambition, he strode towards the direction of the rising sun from the sea and started his journey day by day. The sun moved rapidly in the sky, and Kuafu chased and chased on the ground like a strong wind. He passed through mountains and rivers, and the earth was shaken by his footsteps and swayed back and forth.
When Kuafu was tired from running, he took a nap and shook the dirt in his shoes to the ground, forming a big mountain of dirt. When he was hungry, he would pick wild fruits to satisfy his hunger. Sometimes Kuafu would also cook. He used three stones to hold the pot, and these three stones became three mountains standing on a tripod, several thousand meters high. Kuafu ran after the sun. Seeing that he was getting closer and closer to the sun, his confidence became stronger and stronger. The closer you get to the sun, the more thirsty you will become. It is no longer possible to quench your thirst by just holding a cup of river water. However, he was not afraid and kept encouraging himself, "Soon, we will catch up with the sun, and people's lives will be happy." After nine days and nine nights, Kuafu finally caught up with the sun where the sun set. The red, hot fireball was right in front of Kuafu's eyes, and thousands of golden lights bathed Kuafu's body on his head.
Kuafu opened his arms with great joy and wanted to embrace the sun. But the sun was extremely hot, and Kuafu felt thirsty and tired. He ran to the Yellow River and drank up the Yellow River water in one breath; he ran to the Weihe River and drank all the Weihe River water, but still could not quench his thirst; Kuafu ran north again, where there was a large swamp stretching thousands of miles away, and the water in the Daze was enough to quench Kuafu's thirst. However, before Kuafu reached Daze, he died of thirst on the way.
When Kuafu was dying, his heart was full of regrets. He still cared about his own people, so he threw the wooden stick in his hand. Where the wooden stick landed, a large lush peach forest suddenly grew. This peach forest is lush all year round, providing shade for passers-by, and the fresh peaches produced quench the thirst of hard-working people, allowing them to eliminate fatigue and embark on their journey with energy.
The story of Kuafu chasing the sun is mainly recorded in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas·Overseas Northern Classic" and "The Great Wilderness Northern Classic". There is also a record in "Liezi Tangwen", but there are some discrepancies in the issue of the walking stick turning into a peach forest. "Liehzi" says that Kuafu "abandoned his staff and soaked it with corpse paste and flesh, and gave birth to Deng Lin". According to research by Bi Yuan, a scholar from the Qing Dynasty, the pronunciation of the words "Deng" and "Tao" are similar. Therefore, Deng Lin is the Taolin mentioned in the previous two books.
Although Kuafu failed to pursue the sun, future generations are still inspired by his spirit.Jin Tao Yuanming once wrote in "Reading the Classic of Mountains and Seas": "Kuafu's ambition is to race against the sun." There are many explanations and evaluations about Kuafu's pursuit of the sun. Whether correct or not, they have not weakened the influence of "Qi Fu's pursuit of the sun".
Although Kuafu Chasing the Sun is a myth, it may have been fabricated by the ancients. But this pursuit of a happy life, indomitable spirit, and strong will! It is the soul of our Chinese nation! Living requires spiritual strength so that we can continue to make progress.
