The Gun Yu Myth is a story that explains the origin of the Chinese dynasties. In the 24th century BCE an emperor battles flooding that is tearing his society apart. Through the use of magic self-expanding soil Gun tries to hols back the flood waters. His failure to control the inundation leads to the appointment of a new emperor and the banishment of Gun. His son Yu hailed as a genius engineer, with the aid of water spirits diverts the flood waters into the ocean. A regional story from the south of China, called the Miao Flood Story, tells about the capture of Lei Gong. the god of thunder. Through the compassion of the hero of the story, Lei Gong escapes and mankind is saved from a worldwide flood meted out in punishment by Yu Shi god of rain.