The Legend of Nezha, animated cartoon series
Produced by CCTV
52 episodes, 26 pieces of VCDs
Mandarin Chinese
ISRC CNA030332100.order info
The Legend of Nezha
Nezha is the name of a Chinese mythological figure, a child warrior deity. Nezha's exploits are told in many stories, most notably in the Creation of the Gods from the Ming dynasty, where they form the basis of at least three chapters.
Nezha was the third son of Li Jing, a military officer who commanded the garrison at Chentang Pass under the last ruler, the most notorious tyrant Zhou, of the Shang dynasty.
Nezha's birth was a miracle story in itself. After giving birth to his elder brothers Jinzha and Muzha, Nezha's mother Yin Shi bore him in her womb for three and a half years, until one night when she had a strange dream in which a Taoist rushed directly into their bedroom. "Hurry, Madame, and receive this excellent baby," the Taoist called her, and threw something at her belly. Greatly startled, she woke up and quickly woke her husband. Soon afterwards, she felt pains in her belly and gave birth to a fleshy ball with two maidservants' service. Shocked at the sight, Li Jing moved forward and struck the fleshy ball with his sharp sword. As it split in two, a baby boy jumped out amidst the red light. He had a white, beautiful face, wore a gold bracelet on his right wrist, and his belly was covered with a piece of red damask silk that shone with golden light.
The next day a Taoist came to Li Jing's mansion and requested to see him. A Taoist himself, Li Jing quickly invited the man in and treated him as master. The master was Fairy Primordial from the Golden Light Cave on Qianyuan Mountain, whose magical weapons, the Universal Ring and the magic Sky Muddling Damask, had been bestowed on Nezha when he was still in his mother's womb. After congratulations, Fairy Primordial requested to see the child, give him a name and take him for a disciple. In doing so, he had a mission to help a sage ruler to supersede the tyrant ruler of the Shang. Nezha was the avatar of the celestial being Lingzhuzi ("The Pearl Spirit"), disciple of Fairy Primordial. He was destined to become a vanguard fighter defeating the army of the Shang.
Havoc in the Eastern Sea
When Nezha is seven years old, the region is struck by a long drought, and the greedy ruler of the East Sea, who is in charge of rain, shows little mercy to the people. Instead, he demands children to be sacrificed. In order to save the people, Nezha kills the Dragon King’s third and favorite son. When the old king comes to General Li to seek revenge, he lays siege to the General’s palace and orders torrents of rain to pour down from the sky for three days and nights. In order to save the people from the flood, Nezha has to sacrifice himself, and then his ghost goes to his old master, who recreated his body from the stalks, leaves and blossoms of the lotus plant and armed him with a fiery spear and a pair of wind-and-fire wheels that served as a vehicle. A new Nezha is reborn.
A Warrior Deity
When King Wu (Ji Fa) of the Zhou in the West of the Shang Kingdom made the expedition to the ruler of the Shang, immortal Jiang Ziya was conferred commander of the army assembled from the nobles. Nezha and his father joined the expedition. Nezha was commander of the vanguard. He fought by bravery and strategy. After overthrowing the Shang he and his father were both canonized as deities. The story of Nezha does not end here. As a warrior deity, Nezha continued to take part in many battles against demons and evil spirits, and in the Ming dynasty novel Journey to the West, he was among the deities who were summoned to overcome a rebellious Monkey King.
