The most well-known of China’s ancient legends is that of Nu Wa creating human beings. According to the myth, all Chinese people are her descendants. The first batch of clay people made by Nu Wa, were just like puppets, with no life, thought, or movement. Nu Wa was not satisfied with them, so she breathed into the clay people, giving them a soul. Immediately, they transformed into lively human beings.
But these human beings lacked wisdom and the ability to bear external changes. They could not restrain their emotions and had no understanding of how to cope with the changes in their environment. They had no logic or ordered thinking and tended to die easily. When one batch of the people died, Nu Wa had to create another batch. The work was tedious and nonstop.
Nu Wa gave the human beings some wisdom and created musical instruments for them. With music, song and dance developed. The human beings could then express their feelings by singing and dancing. From then on, they had culture to order and enrich their lives. NuWa established marriage to have male and female live together and breed their own generations, thus solving the problem of the people dying out.
Gradually the people learned to discipline themselves and handle unexpected changes in their environment. Over time, human history, culture, and other aspects were established and grew bit by bit. With time, their simple life was enriched and grew from nothing into a rich culture and civilization.
女娲是一位善良的神，她为人类做过许多好事。比如说她曾教给人们婚姻，还给人类造了一种叫笙簧的乐器。而使人们最为感动的，是女娲补天的故事。 传说当人类繁衍起来后，忽然水神共工和火神祝融打起仗来，他们从天上一直打到地下，闹得到处不宁，结果祝融打胜了，但失败的共工不服，一怒之下，把头撞向不周山。不周山崩裂了，撑支天地之间的大柱断折了，天倒下了半边，出现了一个大窟窿，地也陷成一道道大裂纹，山林烧起了大火，洪水从地底下喷涌出来，龙蛇猛兽也出来吞食人民。人类面临着空前大灾难。 女娲目睹人类遭到如此奇祸，感到无比痛苦，于是决心补天，以终止这场灾难。她选用各种各样的五色石子，架起火将它们熔化成浆，用这种石浆将残缺的天窟窿填好，随后又斩下一只大龟的四脚，当作四根柱子把倒塌的半边天支起来。女娲还擒杀了残害人民的黑龙，刹住了龙蛇的嚣张气焰。最后为了堵住洪水不再漫流，女娲还收集了大量芦草，把它们烧成灰，埋塞向四处铺开的洪流。 经过女娲一番辛劳整治，苍天总算补上了，地填平了，水止住了，龙蛇猛兽佥欠迹了，人民又重新过着安乐的生活。但是这场特大的灾祸毕竟留下了痕迹。从此天还是有些向西北倾斜，因此太阳、月亮和众星辰都很自然地归向西方，又因为地向东南塌陷，所以一切江河都往那里汇流。
中國上古神話中，有一位化育萬物、造福人類的女神，這就是女媧。
據說天地開闢以後，大地上雖然有了山川、湖泊、花草鳥獸，可是還沒有人類的踪跡。大母神女媧想創造一種新的生命，於是她抓起了地上的黃土，仿照自己映在水中的形貌，揉團捏成一個個小人的形狀。這些泥人一放到地面上，就有了生命，活蹦亂跳，女媧給他們取名叫做“人”就這樣，她用黃泥捏造了許多男男女女的人。但是用手捏人畢竟速度太慢，於是女媧順利拿起一截草繩，攪拌上深黃的泥漿向地面揮灑，結果泥點濺落的地方，也都變成一個個話蹦亂跳的人。於是大地上到處都有了人類活動的踪跡。女媧還使男女相配，叫他們自己生育後代，一代一代綿延。在神話中女媧不單是創造人類的始祖母，而且是最早的婚姻之神。
後來不知什麼原因，宇宙突然發生了一場大變動，半邊天空坍塌下來，露出一個個可怕的大變動，半邊天空坍塌下來，露出一個個可怕的黑窟窿，地上也也出現一道道巨大的裂口，山林燃起炎炎烈火，地底噴湧出滔滔洪水，各種猛獸、惡禽、怪蟒紛紛竄出來危害人類。女媧見人類遭受這樣慘烈的災禍，就全力補修天地。她先在灌河中挑選許許五彩石，熔煉成膠糊，把天上的窟窿一個個補好。又殺了一隻大龜，砍下它的四隻腳豎在大地四方，把天空支撐起來。接著殺了黑龍，趕走各種惡食禽猛獸，用蘆葦灰阻塞了橫流的洪水。從此災難得以平息，人類得到拯救，人世間又有了欣欣向榮的景象。為了讓人類更愉快地生活，女媧還造了一種名叫“笙簧”的樂器，使人們在勞作之餘進行娛樂。
女媧是產生的母系氏族社會的神話人物。這個神話，反映出當時人類對自身起源和自然現象的天真認識。至今在我國西南的苗族、侗族中還流傳著女媧的神話傳說，並把她作為本民族的始祖加以崇拜。
