Yunhua (Chinese: 云华; lit. 'Lady Cloudy Flower'), is a Chinese goddess and mother of the god Erlang Shen. She appeared in classical Chinese literary works such as Erlang Baojuan (The Precious Scroll of Erlang) and Journey to the West as well as in folktales. Several legends and folktales depict her as the third daughter of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West, while in Journey to the West, she is portrayed as the younger sister of the Jade Emperor.
Legend
According to the Ming dynasty classic Erlang Baojuan, Yunhua is one of the goddesses of the Three Flowers Gathering. Other two are her elder sister Tianhua and her second sister Jinhua. Yunhua fell in love with the Golden Boy. He later incarnated as a mortal named Yang Tianyou. After he had incarnated, Yunhua came down to earth, and star gods Erbasu and Jiuyaoxing followed her as her bodyguards. During a visit to the human world, Yunhua falls in love with Yang Tianyou, who is willing to use his own heart to save her after hers is damaged by a dragon. They soon get married and had a son named Yang Jian.
When the Jade Emperor discovered her marriage, he sent his the heavenly armies to kill the half bloods, her husband and son. She was imprisoned under Mount Tao as a punishment for violating the rules of Heaven. After Yunhua was imprisoned, the Queen Mother of the West took care of Yunhua's three-year-old son, and raised him in the Bullfighting Palace. When Yan Jian turned eight years old, he asked the Queen Mother of the West about his parents and learned about his life story. After being breastfed for three years, Yan Jian decided to rescue his mother. Years later, under the guidance of the Queen Mother of the West, Yang Jian used his axe to split Mount Tao, hoping to free his mother. He does successfully rescue his mother after he chases away the sun by carrying a mountain on his back.
Mythological site
The site of Banla Mountain (半拉山), where Yang Jian split the mountain to rescue his mother Yunhua, is located 1 km southeast of Dade Township, Zhangwu County, Liaoning Province. In ancient times, the mountain was called Taoshan. At the bottom of Banla Mountain, there are still remnants of Yunhua, with a turtle and an eagle guarding her.
Shiliu Mountain (石榴山), located in Baoji, Shaanxi Province, is associated with the legend of Yang Jian splitting Taoshan to rescue his mother. According to the legend, Taoshan transformed into present-day Shiliu Mountain. At the summit of Shiliu Mountain, there is a massive stone crevice, approximately 1 meter wide, 8 meters long, and seemingly bottomless. It is believed to be the mark left by Yang Jian. To this day, Erlang Temple stands on Shiliu Mountain.
Cixiao Pavilion, situated in the western part of Erlangshen Cultural Relic Park, is an impressive three-story building adorned with four-story double eaves, towering to a height of 30.6 meters. In ancient times, structures with more than two floors were commonly referred to as pavilions, and Cixiao Pavilion serves as a scenic spot dedicated to commemorating the legend of Yunhuanu and Yang Jian's heroic act of splitting the mountain to rescue his mother. Inside the Cixiao Pavilion, the statue of Yunhua is enshrined.
Mount Erlang is situated on the southern bank of Shimantan Reservoir in Wugang City, in close proximity to the urban area. It stands as one of the primary attractions within Shimantan National Forest Park. Spanning across 12 square kilometers, this scenic spot has been designated as a national AAAA-level tourist destination. Legend has it that Yang Jian, while pursuing the sun, traversed this region, resulting in the formation of seven peaks, including Jianshan, Pingshan, and Changlingshan, thereby giving rise to the majestic Erlang Mountain.
Yunmen Mountain (云门山), situated approximately 6 kilometers south of Qingzhou in Weifang, Shandong Province, is not only a national geological park but also a prominent national scenic spot and a renowned 5A-level tourist attraction. It is characterized by its four distinct peaks: Pifeng, Shenguifeng, Renzhongfeng, and Fobifeng. The main peak, Pifeng, boasts a distinctive shape resembling a distant knife and ax. This distinctive feature, believed by local legend to be the work of gods, originated from the famous "Legend of Erlang Shen Splitting the Mountain". In a poem by Huang Qing [zh] from the Ming Dynasty, the phrase "the year when the god ax splits the five peaks" refers to the splitting of the easternmost main peak into two separate peaks, thus earning the name "Split Mountain and Five Peaks."
Conflations
Yunhua is often mistakenly conflated with the Wushan goddess Yaoji, despite the fact that Yaoji has no connection to Yang Jian. None of the relevant ancient texts mention Yang Jian's birth mother's name as Yaoji. The misrepresentation that led to this conflation originated from the 2005 TV series Lotus Lantern, where Yang Jian's mother was mistakenly portrayed as Yaoji.
In popular culture
- Portrayed by Tang Bik-wan in 1959 Hong Kong film The Fairy Third Sister's Trip to the World of Men (三姐下凡)
- Portrayed by Liu Tianyue in 2019 Chinese television series Investiture of the Gods
- Portrayed by Weng Hong in 2021 Chinese film The Magic Lotus Lantren
- Appeared in 2022 Chinese 3D animated film New Gods: Yang Jian
References
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