Fantastic Creatures of the Mountains and Seas

Sun Jiankun

Sun Jiankun is a graduate student at the Institute of History， Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. He excels in research on The Classic of Mountains and Seas （Shanhaijing） and was a first-prize winner of Fudan University’s Boya Cup National Essay Competition for his essay on The Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Chen Siyu

Chen Siyu， whose inspired illustrations provided the spark for this new edition， is a freelance illustrator. She graduated from Tsinghua University in Beijing with a bachelor’s and master’s degree， then studied illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City， where she received her second master’s degree. Her illustration work has been selected for the American Illustration Archive.

Fantastic Creatures of the Mountains and Seas is a new translation for contemporary readers of a classic Chinese text that is at once the geography of an ancient world， a bestiary of mythical creatures， and a book of cultural and medicinal lore. Illustrated throughout with more than 180 two-color drawings， it is a work for lovers of fantasy and mythology， ancient knowledge， fabulous beasts， and inspired art.

Fantastic Creatures of the Mountains and Seas

Written by Sun Jiankun

Illustrated by Chen Siyu

Tsinghua University Press

November 2015， Translated and with an Introduction by Howard Goldblatt

199.00 （CNY）

Xiwangmu

Yu shan， known as Jade Mountain， 1，300 li west of Kunlun Mountains， was the home of Xiwangmu， Queen Mother of the West， a spectacularly arresting， some would say mesmerizing， creature. Not the actual beautiful woman of legend， this “Queen Mother，” while possessing the upper form of a woman， had a leopard’s tail， a tiger’s fangs behind seductive lips， and the howl of a wild animal. Her tangled hair was held in place by jade ornaments. Charged with arranging calamities， pestilences， and punishments among earthlings， she functioned like an ominous constellation.

While not manifestly unattractive， the nontraditional， almost feral beauty of this daunting creature exuded an inauspicious aura， owing to the dreadful events under her charge. In late stories， King Mu， fifth ruler of the Zhou， visited Xiwangmu and enjoyed an intimate encounter， but if he had seen her like this， he would not likely have chosen to dally with her. It would assuredly "have proved disastrous.

Fusangshu

There was a mountain valley north of Heichi Guo called Yang Gu. It was where ten suns went to bathe， naturally turning the water there boiling hot. A mulberry tree， the Fusangshu， stood in the water at the edge of the valley. Another giant tree was where nine suns rested on the lower branches and one on an upper branch. They changed places on a rotating basis every day.

Ershu

The mammoth Guo mountain range， which stretched north to south some four hundred li， was three hundred eighty li north of Zhuoguang Mountains. Two hundred li farther north stood Danxun Mountains. One of the strange creatures that lived on this mountain was the Ershu， an oversized rat with the head and ears of a hare， the fawn like body of an elk， and the bark of a hound. The extraordinary tail served as a wing， allowing the Ershu to soar through the air， its flight stabilized by a pair of long， pliant ears. The animal's meat had a variety of applications， including the reduction of abdominal swelling as an antidote for many types of venom， and as a tonic that eliminated nightmares. Modern medicine would classify its flesh as a rare multipurpose therapeutic capable of curing disease， preventing epidemics， and boosting mental health.

Gudiao

Six thousand li east of Yaoguang Mountain， one arrived at Luwu Mountain， a barren mountain where not a blade of grass grew， though it was rich in valuable ores. It was the source of the Zegeng River， which flowed east and emptied into the Pang River， where lived a strange man-eating creature that resembled， but was not， an ordinary bird. A horned vulture， the Gudiao had a richly feathered body， a serpentine tail， and a head with a hooked beak and a single horn from which several pointed ends bent backward. Like the nine-tailed fox， it feasted on human flesh and had the fetching cry of a whimpering infant. This cry drew victims into its trap to become its next meal.

Changfu

In the sky above the crags and precipices of Ji Mountain， over which the Boyi roamed， a peculiar bird called Changfu released three-note screeches as it hurtled through the air. The odd avian resembled a chicken， but one with three heads， three pairs of eyes， three pairs of legs， and three wings. Unlike a bird's， its single tail curved， functioning as a counterbalance to its forward-leaning body. There is evidence that the body with its trinity of physical features， was at the core of religious beliefs of an ancient race of people. Local residents who were willing to brave the dangers of climbing Ji Mountain hunted the Changfu for a medicinal stimulant found in its flesh that lessened or even eliminated the desire and the need to sleep.

Jiuweihu

Deep in the bowels of Qingqiu Mountain， another 300 li east of Ji Mountain， lived the fabled Jiuweihu. It looked like an ordinary fox but sported nine extravagant tails. Its call of a whimpering infant could be fatally deceptive， for this animal was a man eater. When the tables were turned and the eater became the eaten， the meat was prized for medicinal properties that inhibited the effects of toxic insect bites and， it was believed， prevented evil spirits from possessing the eater's body， in much the same way that later generations of Taoists employed magic talismans and charms. Folklore proclaimed that any person who sighted a pristine white nine-tailed fox would ascend the throne. According to legend， when the Great Yu was out for a stroll on Tu Mountain， he actually spotted a white nine-tailed fox and in fact became king. Depictions of the creature appeared on ceramics from the Western Zhou Dynasty and later joined toads and three-legged crows in images of the Queen Mother of the West. From uncanny animal to propitious symbol， it gained immortality through ascetic practices and was consecrated to live on the magical Kunlun Mountains.