Chinese cosmology is very sparse regarding creation, however, a myth dating from the 3rd century states that in the begining, heaven and earth were joined as one vast nebulosity in the shape of an egg. The first man on earth was Pangu, and it was he who separated the two. Some say he did this by cutting them apart with an axe, while others say he did this by growing taller and taller until the two were divided. In any event, the lighter portion ascended above to become the heavens, while the heavier portion settled below to become earth. When Pangu passed away, his head became the mountains, his eyes the sun and the moon, his arteries and veins the seas and rivers, and his hair and skin plants and vegetables. Notwithstanding, his remains are said to have been buried somewhere on a mountain in Guangdong province.
Another myth from before the 3rd century B.C. relates the tale of how the Minister of Public Works Kang Hui attempted to seize the throne, but failed. In his anger, he threw all his might against the Uncircumscribed Mountains, causing the earth to be inclined toward the southeast. This is why the west and northwest are of higher altitude, and why all rivers either flow south or east.