In the primordial era of the world, long before the rise of the great dynasties and the carving of the Middle Kingdom's borders, the structure of the heavens was governed by a family of celestial beings. At the center of this cosmic order were the ten suns, who were not merely spheres of burning gas, but sentient, divine creatures known as the Golden Crows, or Jinwu. These creatures were the offspring of the sun goddess Xihe and the god of the eastern heavens, Dijun. Each crow was a magnificent sight to behold, possessing feathers made of pure, liquid gold that radiated a heat so intense it could melt stone, and three legs that symbolized the number three, an auspicious figure representing the essence of the sun and the ultimate expression of Yang energy.
The home of these ten sun-crows was the mythical Valley of the Sun, located far beyond the horizon of the East China Sea. In this valley stood the Fusang tree, a colossal mulberry of such immense proportions that its roots reached into the depths of the underworld and its highest branches brushed against the vaults of the highest heaven. Every night, the ten suns would rest among the shimmering leaves of the Fusang. The tree acted as a cosmic anchor, grounding the solar spirits so they would not drift aimlessly through the void. While nine suns rested in the lower branches, one would perch on the very top, preparing for the journey of the coming day.
The ritual of the sunrise was a meticulous affair overseen by their mother, Xihe. Each morning, she would arrive at the Fusang tree in a chariot pulled by six dragons. She would take the crow whose turn it was to shine and bathe it in the Gan Gulf, a sacred body of water that purified the crow’s fire and prepared its spirit for the arduous flight. Once cleansed, the Sun-Crow would mount the chariot or take flight on its own wings, soaring from the eastern reaches toward the Mount of the West. As the crow flew, the golden light from its body illuminated the world below, allowing the crops to grow, the animals to hunt, and the humans to perform their daily labors. The three legs of the crow were said to represent the three phases of the day: morning, noon, and evening, or perhaps the three realms of existence over which the sun exerted its influence.
For countless eons, this cycle maintained the harmony of the universe. The brothers took turns with perfect discipline, ensuring that the Earth received exactly the right amount of heat and light. However, as the ages passed, the sun-crows grew weary of their repetitive duties. They began to feel that the system imposed upon them by Xihe and Dijun was a cage. They whispered to one another among the leaves of the Fusang tree, wondering what it would be like if they all flew together. They imagined a world where their collective brilliance would make the darkness vanish forever, creating a realm of eternal noon.
One fateful morning, instead of waiting for their mother's signal, all ten sun-crows burst from the branches of the Fusang tree at once. They took to the sky in a chaotic swarm of gold and fire. The result was immediate and catastrophic. The combined heat of ten suns was more than the Earth could bear. The rivers and lakes began to boil, turning into steam before they could reach the sea. The fertile fields turned into cracked, barren deserts, and the forests ignited into massive conflagrations that choked the air with ash. Humans and animals alike sought refuge in deep caves, but even there, the rocks became so hot they burned the skin. The harmony of the world was shattered, and the extinction of all life seemed inevitable.
The cries of the suffering reached the ears of the Emperor Yao, who prayed to the gods for salvation. Dijun, the father of the crows, saw the devastation his children had wrought. Though he loved his sons, he knew their arrogance was destroying the creation. He summoned the divine archer, Hou Yi, and gifted him a magical red bow and a quiver of white arrows. Dijun’s initial hope was that Hou Yi would merely frighten the crows into returning to the Fusang tree, but the archer soon realized that the crows were too intoxicated by their own power to listen to reason.