Mythemic Structures in Chinese Creation Myths: Cosmogony, Anthropogony and Inter-Ethnic Interaction

Abstract

This essay analyzes the mythemic structures present in the cosmogonic and anthropogonic myths of three ethnic groups of the People's Republic of China: the Lahu, the Wa, and the Han. Through the identification of shared mythemes — the separation of sky and earth, divine duality, and the creation of human beings through divine agency — it argues that their similarities reflect historical dynamics of cultural diffusion and long-duration interethnic interaction in Yunnan Province and southern China. The methodology is comparative and descriptive, drawing on specialized literature in Chinese mythology and cultural anthropology. The findings reveal a common mythic substrate that transcends ethnic boundaries and functions as a cohesive axis among diverse communities, while simultaneously allowing each group to reaffirm its identity through the resignification of shared elements.