Gonggong is the water god who fought the fire god Zhurong and damaged Mount Buzhou.
In the best-known version, Gonggong challenged Zhurong in a struggle for heavenly supremacy. After losing, Gonggong became so enraged and humiliated that he smashed his head into Mount Buzhou, a pillar believed to support the sky. The impact damaged the cosmic structure and caused the heavens and Earth to tilt.
The catastrophe explains why Chinese mythology associates the sky with the northwest and the land and rivers with the southeast. It also led to floods and other disasters. The goddess Nüwa later repaired the damaged heavens, traditionally using the legs of the giant turtle Ao as replacement supports.
A common mix-up is identifying Zhurong as the destructive figure. Zhurong is the fire god and Gonggong’s opponent; Gonggong is the water deity blamed for striking the mountain. Different ancient accounts vary over whether Gonggong fought Zhurong, Zhuanxu, or another ruler, but the Zhurong version is a standard telling and matches the question.