Personal Library -- Shan Hai Jing

Author: Xia Yu, Chen Weili, et al. (Spring and Autumn Period)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-07-01
Features: The Classic of Mountains and Seas has long been regarded as a "wondrous book," being the most comprehensive extant work preserving ancient mythological materials and serving as a treasure trove of China's ancient mythology. Literary master Lu Xun was deeply captivated by this book in his youth. A crudely printed facsimile edition of The Classic of Mountains and Seas left him utterly enchanted, and even after achieving fame, he never forgot it. He devoted great effort to meticulously sketching the human and animal illustrations in the book and wrote a special article in its honor. In Tao Yuanming's poem Reading the Classic of Mountains and Seas, there is the line, "Gazing broadly at the King of Zhou's records, I perused the maps of mountains and seas. Looking up and down across the universe, what greater joy could there be?" This glimpse reveals the extraordinary charm of The Classic of Mountains and Seas.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas also holds certain historical value. Since Sima Qian, scholars have been skeptical of the book due to the sheer strangeness of its described creatures. However, Fu Siye, a modern historian who studied in Europe for many years, believed that this ancient text contained invaluable material. He deliberately emphasized that orthodox history may not always be trustworthy, while mystical classics like The Classic of Mountains and Seas and Heavenly Questions from the Chu Ci possess significant historical meaning precisely because they have not been embellished or altered by historians. Over the course of long historical evolution, myths gradually blended with history and legends, and through the additions passed down orally in the folk, myths grew from a tiny seed into a towering tree laden with fruit.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas has also become a cultural classic with temporal and spatial resonance, profoundly influencing China's ancient culture. The figures, creatures, spirits, and animals depicted in the myths are vivid and lifelike, the plots brimming with romantic and fantastical imagination, and the colors rich and varied. It serves as the spiritual ancestor of poetry, prose, quatrains, and other literary forms. The national character, the life of primitive ancestors, and the psychological archetypes of modern people reflected in it will undoubtedly shine even brighter in the years to come.