Page 1
When the world was still young, Nüwa traveled across vast plains, towering mountains, and winding riverbanks, tending to every living thing on Earth with great care.
Page 2
She taught humans to build sturdy homes, find clean sources of water, and live in harmony with nature. Whenever anyone faced hardship, she would always listen to their needs first, then use her divine powers to help them with great caution.
Page 3
Peaceful days were suddenly shattered. The earth shook violently, and with a deafening roar, the huge heavenly pillars that held up the sky tilted and snapped. Terrible, long tears ripped open the bright blue sky.
Page 4
Freezing cold rain poured down from the cracks, wildfires in the forests raged in the fierce wind, and rivers swelled to flood low-lying land. Panicked people and animals hurried to higher ground to take shelter.
Page 5
Nüwa immediately flew up into the sky to survey the damage. When she returned to the ground and saw living beings still trapped in danger, she knew she could not mend the sky first—she had to make sure every life was safe.
Page 6
She summoned a water dragon to divert the surging floodwaters into empty lakes, asked elephants to use their massive bodies to drag logs and block the spread of the fires, had birds carry rescue messages between villages, and people worked together to build safe temporary shelters.
Page 7
Once all living beings were properly settled, Nüwa set out to find the materials to repair the sky. She needed five-colored stones that represented earth, water, plants, fire, and light. These stones were scattered across the land, so everyone had to work together to gather them.
Page 8
Everyone sprang into action right away: children picked up blue stones along clear streams, miners hunted for yellow stones in deep caves, birds carried red stones down from hillsides, giant tortoises swam across waters with black stones on their backs, and potters brought forth precious white stones.
Page 9
Nüwa carefully inspected every stone that was brought to her. She valued the balance of nature above all else, and only accepted stones that had not destroyed any bird nests or disturbed any water sources—she would not harm the earth even as she mended the sky.
Page 10
Nüwa built a huge furnace in an open field. The water dragon blew out warm currents, craftsmen worked hard to keep the temperature steady, and villagers took turns pumping the bellows. The five-colored stones melted under the high heat into a glowing liquid, which was poured into round molds.
Page 11
But the crack at the highest point of the sky was out of reach. A divine tortoise volunteered to lift it up with its four legs as a temporary support, but Nüwa refused at once. She would not let any living being suffer for the sake of mending the sky, and set out to find a safer way.
Page 12
Working with skilled carpenters, Nüwa built tall scaffolding out of tough bamboo. They tied the shaped stone securely with strong vines, and Nüwa used her wind magic to lift the heavy mending stone smoothly up into the sky.
Page 13
Nüwa set the blue stone in the spot where rain had been leaking through, the red stone where sparks of fire had seeped out, and the yellow stone in the area where light had grown dim. Each stone fit perfectly into place, leaving only one long crack in the west still trembling.
Page 14
People on the ground pulled together on the ropes to steady the scaffolding against the strong wind. Finally, Nüwa set the last stone, blended from all five colors, into the long crack in the western sky.
Page 15
The sky lit up like a rainbow. The rain slowed, the wildfires died out, and rivers returned to their original courses. Only the heavenly pillars that held up the sky still tilted slightly toward the west.
Page 16
Nüwa considered forcing the sky back to a straight position, but that would have set off violent earthquakes across the earth again. Instead, she chose to reinforce the pillars in their new position. From that time on, the sun, moon, and stars gradually drifted westward, and rivers flowed eastward along the land’s natural slope.
Page 17
Nüwa did not leave. She stayed to help the villagers replant forests, repair damaged riverbanks, build safer homes on higher ground, and teach them to read the signs of the sky and earth to stockpile food ahead of time.
Page 18
The leftover stones from mending the sky were turned into warning lights for the villages, which would change color before a disaster to warn people to evacuate. Every village formed teams whose sole job was to care for the elderly, the sick, and animals.
Page 19
The divine tortoise, water dragon, and birds all returned to their own homes. Nüwa carved the names of every living being and village that had taken part in the disaster relief onto a five-colored stone monument in the center of the main square.
Page 20
Later, whenever the sun came out after rain, a beautiful rainbow would appear in the sky—it was the trace left by the stones that mended the sky. Only by standing together and helping one another can we protect our homes. Only by preparing ahead of time and respecting all lives can we keep our peaceful days lasting forever.