The first creature on earth, Nu Kua was half human and half dragon--serpentine from the waist down and with a magnificent womanly form from the waist up, but with the power to change her shape. Existence as the only creature on earth was lonely and she longed for the company of others until one day, while regarding her reflection in the water, she had an idea.
Gathering clay mud from the pond's bottom, she molded it into a little being. When she placed this creation on the ground, it came to life. Completely overjoyed, she made more, working on her creations until exhaustion took her.
Then--an idea. She retrieved a vine and after dipping it into the wet clay, whipped it around. As the droplets of wet clay fell to the earth, they became people.
Nu Kua, although proud of her creations, realized that she alone could not be responsible for creating the beings. She then divided them into male and female so they could reproduce on their own.
According to legend, the gods Kung Kung and Zhurong had agreed to battle to see who was the stronger of the two and after many days of fighting, Kung Kung was defeated. So distressed was he by the loss that he rammed his horned head into Mount Pu Chou Shan. The impact caused massive destruction by fire and flood, endangering the Nu Kua's precious creations. Her immediate response was to replace the damaged areas of the mount with smooth rock and to place the legs of a slaughtered turtle at the four points on the compass to support heaven.
Kung Kung's blow had caused the heavens to tilt northeast, causing all rivers to flow east, into the ocean. Despite the destruction, he is honored as a water god.
The goddess of creativity, Nu Kua is often considered the one responsible for marriage and is linked by some tales to Fu Hsi, the first legendary first emperor of China.