Chinese Myth Figures 中国神话人物 14 Gong Gong - the God of Water 共工

Gong Gong is the God of Water in ancient Chinese mythology and also believed to be the descendant of the Yan Emperor. The archetype of Gong Gong dates back to a powerful tribal leader in the period of  "the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns". Gong Gong is said to be the earliest flood-control hero. He led people to combat floods bravely and put floods under control by  "blocking", rather than "dredging". Though he failed to tackle the root causes, he accumulated a lot of experience in flood control for later generations. So, Gong Gong was later honored as the God of Water. He was also an expert in agriculture and invented the method of  "building embankments for water storage", improving farming productivity. In the end, Gong Gong's tribe lost to the tribal coalition led by Yu the Great in a war.