Classic of Mountains and Seas
| Classic of Mountains and Seas | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scrollable pages from volume five of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, a Ming dynasty (1368–1644) woodblock printed edition | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 山海經 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 山海经 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Classic of Mountains and Seas" | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
The Classic of Mountains and Seas, also known as Shanhai jing (Chinese: 山海经), formerly romanized as the Shan-hai Ching, is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. Early versions of the text may have existed since the 4th century BCE, but the present form was not reached until the early Han dynasty. It is largely a fabulous geographical and cultural account of pre-Qin China as well as a collection of Chinese mythology. The book is divided into eighteen sections; it describes over 550 mountains and 300 channels.