Nüwa Mends the Sky

Smelting Five-Colored Stones

When the four poles collapsed and the sky could no longer cover the earth, Nüwa smelted five-colored stones to patch the heavens, raised the poles on a giant turtle's legs, and dammed the flood — saving all living things.

Huainanzi records the great rescue: in high antiquity the four poles collapsed, the nine provinces split, and fire and flood raged while beasts devoured the people. Nüwa smelted five-colored stones to mend the sky, cut off the giant turtle's legs to re-erect the four poles, slew the black dragon to save the land of Ji, and banked the flood with reed ash. Heaven mended and the poles upright again, the people lived — and honored her as the mother who saved the world.