《山海經》Vol. 10

Book 10 of the Classic of Mountains and Seas (combined with Book 11) concludes here. This section contains Guo Pu's annotations, primarily documenting the contents of the "Classic of Regions Within the Seas: South."

Beginning from the southeastern corner westward: The Ou territory lies within the sea (present-day Linhai Yongning County, with Eastern Ou located within Qihai). The Min territory is also in the sea (Min-Yue refers to Western Ou, corresponding to present-day Jian'an Commandery, similarly situated in Qihai). There is a mountain in the sea.

Mount Three Heavenly Princes (the character "鄣" is pronounced "zhang") lies west of Min territory and north of the great sea (present-day east of Xin'an She County, called Mount Three Kings, where the Zhe River flows past its slopes). Legend states the Yellow Emperor visited this place, considered the capital of the Three Heavenly Princes. Another account claims this mountain is located in the sea.

In the Guilin region, eight giant trees can form a forest (indicating their extraordinary height), situated east of Panyu.

The states of Bolü (details unknown), Li'er (where people pierce their ears to hang ornaments, inhabiting Zhuya Island and subsisting on clams and yams rather than grains), Diaoti (with tattooed faces resembling fish scales, possibly the legendary merfolk), and Beiqu (details unknown) are all located south of the Yu River. The Yu River originates from Southern Mountain in Xiangling, also called "Xianglü" by some.

West of Beiqu lies the state of Xiaoyang, whose inhabitants have human faces, long lips, black bodies covered in hair, and backward-facing heels. They mimic human laughter when seeing people smile, holding bamboo tubes in their left hands (the Zhou Documents describe these creatures as "zhoumi fangfu." Similar beings inhabit the deep mountains of Jiaozhou's Nankang Commandery—standing about ten feet tall, nimble, with disheveled hair who love to laugh. Females can spray harmful fluids, called "shandu" by locals. Nankang's Gan River derives its name from these creatures).

The Classic of Mountains and Seas records several marvelous geographical features and creatures:

In the southern wilderness stands Mount Yu, inhabited by a mythical beast called the si (兕). Resembling a massive blackish-blue ox, it possesses only a single horn and dwells along the southern bank of the Xiang River east of Emperor Shun's mausoleum. Emperor Shun was buried on the southern slopes of Mount Cangwu (also known as Mount Jiuyi), while his son Danzhu was interred on the mountain's northern side. Though exiled during his lifetime, Danzhu was posthumously honored as an emperor, much like how the Duke of Shanyang in the Han dynasty was posthumously titled Emperor Xian after death.

Three hundred li westward lies the Si Forest, home to intelligent creatures called xingxing (狌狌, "orangutans"). These beings resemble boars but bear human faces (some records describe them as yellow dogs) and comprehend human speech. Local legends claim their cries sound like infants wailing, and consuming their flesh can cure insomnia. Further northwest reside rhinoceroses—black ox-like creatures with three horns.

During the Xia dynasty, Minister Meng Tu administered justice west of Mount Danshan for Emperor Qi. He determined legal cases by observing whether litigants' garments bore bloodstains. The city of Danyang was located in this region, governed by Jianping Commandery.

The Ruo River basin is home to the monstrous yayu (窫窳), a man-eating creature with a dragon's head and serpent's body. Legend states it was originally a deity with human face and serpent form before being slain by the treacherous minister Erfu and transforming into this monstrosity. The area also grows peculiar trees shaped like oxen (similar to the "numinous mushroom grass" described in Hetu Jade Tablet, which occasionally manifests as chariots, horses, or dragon-serpents).

The Classic of Mountains and Seas records several mythical creatures and geographical phenomena:

The Jianmu is a divine tree whose bark resembles the shed skin of a yellow snake or the tassels of ancient ceremonial hats. Its leaves are like fine silk, and its fruits resemble those of the Luan tree (a tree with a yellow trunk, red branches, and blue-green leaves, found on Mount Yunyu). Its trunk is similar to the Ou tree (though the exact nature of the Ou remains unclear). This tree grows by the Ruo River, west of the mythical beast Yayu, and possesses the peculiar trait that no echoes are heard beneath it, nor do shadows appear under its branches.

West of the Jianmu lies the kingdom of the Direns, whose people have human faces and fish bodies, lacking legs (human above the waist, fish below). Legend says they are descendants of the Flame Emperor (Yandi), and upon death, they can revive, their bodies transforming into scaly forms.

The Bashe is a colossal serpent capable of swallowing elephants, taking three years to digest them before spitting out the bones. It is said that consuming these bones can prevent heart and abdominal ailments in noble individuals. This serpent has a multicolored body—green, yellow, red, and black—though some accounts describe it as black with a blue-green head. It dwells west of the lands where rhinoceroses roam.

The Maoma resembles an ordinary horse but has long hair growing from its leg joints (similar to the Haoma mentioned in The Travels of King Mu and the Maoniu, a hairy ox). It inhabits the southern slopes of high mountains northwest of the Bashe.

The Xiongnu (also called Xianyun), the kingdom of Kaiti, and the kingdom of Lieren all lie to the northwest (these three nations are located northwest of the Maoma's habitat).

Later passages describe other mythical beasts:

• The Xiaoyang is a wild, disheveled creature that carries bamboo stalks. When it captures a person, it laughs, its lips so long they cover its eyes—but it ultimately wails and is killed by humans.
• The Xingxing resembles a dog, possesses knowledge of past events, and is highly alert, yet it is easily lured by wine, leading to misfortune.
• Meng Tu, a minister of the legendary ruler Qi of Xia, governed legal disputes in the land of Ba. He could reveal guilt by causing bloodstains to appear on the clothing of wrongdoers, displaying supernatural judgment.

The passage concludes with a poetic summary:

The divine Jianmu, with purple trunk and yellow fruit,

Its bark like serpent skin, its leaves like white silk,

Stands by the Ruo River, where only the virtuous may pass.

The Direns, heirs of the Flame Emperor,

In death are reborn, their bodies clad in scales.

This passage comes from the tenth volume of the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing), describing a marvelous biological phenomenon.

In the south, there exists a giant serpent called the "Ba Snake" (a legendary serpent in ancient tales) capable of devouring massive creatures like elephants. After swallowing an elephant, it takes three years for the snake to expel the elephant's bones. The text uses a tone of wonder to express the author's amazement: Just how enormous must this snake be? Even a sage like Qu Yuan (referred to here as "Qusheng") found this phenomenon perplexing.

The phrase "drifting upon the Celestial Ford (Tianjin)" may suggest that this serpent dwells in the waters of the southern regions (in ancient times, "Tianjin" could refer to the Milky Way or bodies of water). This passage showcases the imaginative depictions of colossal creatures in Chinese mythology, reflecting the ancient people's exaggerated and mystical interpretations of the natural world.