January
18
/ 2016
In Chinese folklore, Shui-mu Niang-niang, or the Old Mother of the Waters, is a legendary spirit guardian of the waters surrounding the city of Sizhou (or Ssu-Chou, according to ETC Werner’s romanization), in Anhui province of China. Depicted as a smiling old woman carrying two buckets of water, Shui-mu Niang-niang is popularly credited with the destruction of the Sizhou by flooding it every year until eventually bringing it into complete submersion by the waters of what is now called the Hongze Lake. Devastating Floods The city of Sizhou was located in the intersection of three of the largest rivers in China - the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Huai River. According to historical records, Sizhou was buried after
