Epic of Darkness

The Epic of Darkness (traditional Chinese: 黑暗傳; simplified Chinese: 黑暗传; pinyin: Hēi Àn Zhuàn) is a collection of tales and legends of primeval China in epic poetry, preserved by the inhabitants of the Shennongjia mountain area in Hubei. It is composed of numerous Chinese myths relating to the creation of the world, containing accounts from the birth of Pangu till the historical era. It dates back to the Tang Dynasty of China. It was translated and published by Hu Chongjun after the discovery of a manuscript in 1982.

Like the Homeric epics, the written poem was likely preceded by an oral tradition dating back to at least the Tang Dynasty. Wooden copies of Darkness are said to have survived to the Ming Dynasty but none have been found today.

The origin of Darkness dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). At least eight manuscripts have survived today, most of which come from Shennongjia in China's Hubei Province. The tales told in the story have survived in the folk songs of the region.

On August 1982, Hu Chongjun was given a songbook by an old local farmer. The booklet, written in brush and ink with about 3,000 lines of seven Chinese characters each. The Book is split into 4 sections; the beginnings of the Universe, the Birth of Pangu, the Great Flood, the birth of mankind till the beginnings of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Hu began to study and gather the manuscripts from accounts of old people living in Shennongjia.

Liu Shouhua, a professor at the Chinese Culture Department at the East China Normal University, read the ballad and believed that the Epic of Darkness may represent the Han Chinese creation myth that has been handed down in oral form.

...
Wikipedia