Wonderland in Shan-hai 山海奇妙游

The Classic of Mountains and Seas, also known as Shanhai jing, formerly romanized as the Shan-hai Ching, is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. It is largely a fabulous geographical and cultural account of pre-Qin China as well as a collection of Chinese mythology. The descriptions of the book are usually of medicines, animals, and geological features. Many descriptions are very mundane, and an equal number are fanciful or strange. Particularly in the descriptions of animals, it has provided endless reveries for many artists.

先秦时期的古籍《山海经》，是一部载有怪奇悠谬之说、荟萃珍奇博物的神话地理志。神话学学者将其当作远古的神话，寄托了华夏先民奇幻瑰丽的想象。该书涉及的古代神兽曾给众多美术爱好者、艺术家提供无尽的遐想。