Shan Hai Jing
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The Shan Hai Jing or Classic of the Seas and Mountains (}; }) is an ancient (2000 BC or even much earlier) Chinese book. It is largely a geographical and cultural accounts of pre-Qin China, with much emphasis on mythology. The book is about 31,000 words long, and is divided into eighteen sections; it describes over 550 mountains and 300 channels.
Authorship
The exact author of the book and the time it was written at is still undetermined. It was orignally thought that mythical figures such as Yu the Great or Boyi wrote the book. However, the consensus among modern Chinese scholars is that this book was not written at a single time by a single author, but rather by numerous people from the period of the Warring States to the beginning of the Han Dynasty.Its first known editor was Liu Xiang from the Western Han, who was connected to several works on Confucian classics. Later Guo Pu, a scholar from the Western Jin, made a further annotation to it, including a few others.
Overview
The book is not a narrative, as the "plot" involves detailed descriptions of locations in the cardinal directions of the Mountains, Regions Beyond Seas, Regions Within Seas, and Wilderness. The descriptions are usually of medicines, animals, and geological features. Many descriptions are very mundane, and an equal number are fanciful or strange. Each chapter follows roughly the same formula, and the whole book is extremely repetitious in this way.It does contains many short myths, and most rarely exceed a paragraph. The most famous ancient Chinese myth from this book is that of the ancient Chinese figures, such as Great Yu, who spent years trying to control the deluge. The account of him is in the last chapter, chapter 18, in the 2nd to last paragraph (roughly verse 40). This account is a much more fanciful account than the depiction of him in the Classic of History. In Anne Birrells translation, Nuwa is not present in a flood story, but another account of her is very briefly touched on in chapter 16.
Evaluation
Generally, the book is considered mythological classic. Earlier Chinese scholars referred to it as a bestiary, but apparantly assumed it was accurate. Some believe the author of this book was the first Chinese person to visit the American continent. [[Citing sources citation needed]]Contents
| ## | Chinese | Pinyin | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 南山經（次一至三） | Nanshan
Jing |
Classic of Mountains: South (Subsections:03) |
| 02 | 西山經（次一至四） |
Xishan Jing |
Classic of Mountains: West (Subsections:04) |
| 03 | 北山經（次一至三） |
Beishan Jing |
Classic of Mountains: North (Subsections:03) |
| 04 | 東山經（次一至四） |
Dongshan Jing |
Classic of Mountains: East (Subsections:04) |
| 05 | 中山經（次一至十二） |
Zhongshan Jing |
Classic of Mountains: Central (Subsections:12) |
| 06 | 海外南經 |
Haiwainan Jing |
Classic of Regions Beyond Seas: South |
| 07 | 海外西經 |
Haiwaixi Jing |
Classic of Regions Beyond Seas: West |
| 08 | 海外北經 |
Haiwaibei Jing |
Classic of Regions Beyond Seas: North |
| 09 | 海外東經 |
Haiwaidong Jing |
Classic of Regions Beyond Seas: East |
| 10 | 海內南經 |
Haineinan Jing |
Classic of Regions Within Seas: South |
| 11 | 海內西經 |
Haineixi Jing |
Classic of Regions Within Seas: West |
| 12 | 海內北經 |
Haineibei Jing |
Classic of Regions Within Seas: North |
| 13 | 海內東經 |
Haineidong Jing |
Classic of Regions Within Seas: East |
| 14 | 大荒東經 |
Dahuangdong Jing |
Classic of Great Wilderness: East |
| 15 | 大荒南經 |
Dahuangnan Jing |
Classic of Great Wilderness: South |
| 16 | 大荒西經 |
Dahuangnan Jing |
Classic of Great Wilderness: West |
| 17 | 大荒北經 |
Dahuangbei Jing |
Classic of Great Wilderness: North |
| 18 | 海內經 |
Hainei Jing |
Classic of Regions Within Seas |
Translations
- ISBN 0140447199 Anne Birrell, Classic of the Mountain and the Seas, 276 pages. This translation literally interperets the obscure characters, adding much more meaning for the non chinese reader. However, the text itself is basically a manual, so repitition should be expected and considered before attempting to read it.
External links
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