Shanhai Jing: Mountains & Seas

TipTinker

Contains adsIn-app purchases

About this app

Classic of Mountains and Seas is an ancient text from the pre-Qin period of China, with an unknown author. It is a remarkable book that compiles ancient myths, geography, ethnic groups, products, and shamanic practices, and is regarded as one of the "Three Great Ancient Marvel Books" along with the I Ching and the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. It was not the work of a single person or era but was gradually accumulated and expanded from the Warring States period to the Qin and Han dynasties. During the Western Han, Liu Xiang and his son Liu Xin collated it into eighteen chapters, which have been passed down to the present day.

Structured around the layout of mountains and waterways, the book is divided into sections such as the Classic of Mountains, Classic of Seas, and Classic of the Great Wilderness, recording hundreds of mountains, rivers, and strange kingdoms, supernatural beings, mythical birds and beasts, and legendary figures. Stories such as Kua Fu chasing the sun, Jingwei filling the sea, Xing Tian brandishing his shield and axe, Nüwa mending the sky, and Yu the Great controlling the floods all originate from this text, making it a vital source of Chinese cultural mythological memory.

Throughout history, interpretations of the Classic of Mountains and Seas have been diverse: some view it as a geographical treatise or a record of local products, others as a collection of myths or a shamanic manual. Lu Xun called it an "ancient shamanic book," while modern mythology regards it as a precious document for studying early Chinese thought and culture. Its fantastical imagination has profoundly influenced later literature, painting, religion, and folk customs.

As a foundational text of Chinese mythology and geographical concepts, the Classic of Mountains and Seas reveals the ancient people's understanding and imagination of the world. Reading this book allows one to step into a world of ancient myths and monsters, experience the splendor and mystery of China's childhood civilization, and understand the deeper origins of many idioms, allusions, and cultural symbols.

What’s new

E-book data correction.