Cultural Significance and Analysis of the Book of Genesis
Genesis does not simply attribute the beginning of all things to a single god or divine act. Instead, it presents creation as the outcome of interplaying opposites—true and false, substance and emptiness, sound and breath, black and white, good and evil—whose mutual resonance and transformation produce the world. Embedded in this narrative is a rare, primitive form of materialist dialectical thought.
Through the description of the creation of heaven and earth, the Naxi people’s boundless imagination and indescribable wisdom are clearly revealed, along with their unyielding spirit of unity and perseverance. In addition, The Book of Genesis devotes considerable length to portraying the origin of humanity, the lineage of ancestors, and the hardships they endured in building their lives and sustaining themselves.
Among the fifteen generations of lineage mentioned above, the generation of Chongren Lien and the two generations of father and son Gaolequ hold exceptionally important significance in the historical legends of the Naxi people. Chongren Lien is the central figure of The Book of Genesis, around whom the main stories revolve. The era of Gaolequ and his son symbolizes the official beginning of the branching and expansion of the Naxi people.