Kuafu Chasing the Sun

"Kuafu Chasing the Sun" is a well-known Chinese myth that originated from the Shan Hai Jing or the Classic of Mountains and Seas. The myth tells the story of Kuafu, a giant who lived on a vast mountain in the northern wilderness. In the north, the summer was brief, and the winter was long and icebound. Every day, the sun would rise in the east and swiftly set in the west. Kuafu wished to catch the sun and prevent it from setting to bring perpetual light and warmth to the land. So Kuafu set out westwards on his quest to chase the sun. When he arrived at the valley where the sun had set, he was already exhausted and thirsty. So he drank all the water from the Yellow River and the Weihe River, but this was not enough to quench his thirst. Undeterred, he continued the chase and eventually died of thirst on his way to the northern lake. Before he died, he discarded his peach wood staff, which miraculously sprouted into a lush peach forest. The forest provided shade and shelter for travelers, and the peaches quenched their thirst.

The story embodies the ancient Chinese desire to understand nature and the unwavering determination to conquer it.

夸父追日

夸父追日是出自《山海經》的古代神話。夸父是遠古時期的一位巨人，住在北方荒野的一座大山上。北方夏季短暫，冬季漫長寒冷，太陽每天從東方升起，又匆匆向西邊落下。夸父希望太陽永不落下，不斷地給大地帶來光和熱，讓寒冷的北方和江南一樣溫暖。于是他大步朝太陽落山的方向追去。當夸父追到太陽落入山谷之際已是口干舌燥，便喝干了黃河和渭河的水，卻還是沒有解渴，后來在去北方大湖找水的途中不幸干渴而亡。夸父臨終前拋掉手里的桃木杖，木杖落地的地方頓時生出一片茂盛的桃林并結出鮮桃，為后來追求光明的路人遮陰、解渴。

夸父追日的故事，反映了中國古代人民了解自然、戰勝自然的樸素愿望和頑強精神。