Gun

The Great Flood

• A great flood occurred in ancient times and was so large it gushed up into the sky.
• Gun made it his mission to put an end to the flood.
• Gun was able to accomplish this by stealing from the supreme divinity what was known as Xirang, a mystical self- growing soil. 
• Gun used the Xirang as a barricade against the flood waters. 

The Fate of Gun

• The supreme divinity was so angry that Gun took the Xirang he sent the fire god Zhurong to kill Gun at the outskirts of Yushan. 
• Gun’s corpse was not moved for three years but when his belly was opened from a sword Gun’s son Yu emerged who became responsible for spreading the Xirang to control the floodwater and thus bringing stability to the world.

Significance Today

Yellow Dragon Temple

• A myth that surfaced during the six dynasties era was that after Gun was executed at Yushan, he turned into a yellow bear and dove into Yu spring. Because of this legend the Guiji ethnic group do not give bears as sacrifices at Yu temple. 
• Another myth recorded during the Jin dynasty is the reason why fisherman built Gun’s temple and offered sacrifices to him throughout the year. The myth describes how Gun committed suicide by sinking into the Yuyuan, and turned into a black fish. People who saw Gun in this form described him as the spirit of the river.  
• June 16^th every year people of various ethnic groups gather at the yellow dragon temple near the Min River built in honor of Gun to pray for happiness and worship Gun. This practice comes from the story of Gun saving his son Yu who had continued in his fathers place to battle flooding. Yu had been caught in a huge storm and was caught in a whirlpool, however at the last moment a yellow dragon, which was Gun, appeared and carried Yu’s boat to safety.