Fuxi; alongside his wife/sister Nuwa; was an important deity in Chinese mythology and folk religion. Like his sister; he is often depicted with serpentine qualities; sometimes with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a snake or just a human head on a snake's body. He is counted as the first of the Three Sovereigns at the beginning of the Chinese dynastic period.

After Pangu created the universe and the world; he birthed a powerful being known as Hua Hsu; who in turn birthed the twins Fuxi and Nuwa. They were said to be the 'original humans'; and together they forged humanity out of clay. They subsequently became two of the Three Emperors in the early patriarchal society in China (c. 2;600 BCE). Fuxi also invented hunting; fishing and cooking; teaching these skills to humanity; as well as creating the Cangjie system of writing and marriage rituals.

Fuxi is still considered to this day as one of the most important primogenitors of Chinese civilisation and culture; and is considered the originator of the 'I Ching'. Fuxi was said to have died after living for 197 years in a place called Chen (modern Huaiyang); where there is now a monument to him which has become a popular tourist attraction.