《山海經》Vol. 11

The eleventh chapter of the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing) records extraordinary tales and geographical features of the region north of the southwestern corner within the Central Plains (west of the heartland). Several key myths and landmarks are described here:

The celestial deity Erfu had a minister named Wei, and together they plotted to murder another deity, Yayu. Enraged, the Heavenly Emperor imprisoned Wei on Mount Shushu, shackling his right foot, binding his hands behind his back along with his hair, and tethering him to the trees on the mountain. This place lies northwest of Mount Kaiti. During the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, a stone chamber was discovered in Shangjun County containing a statue of a man with bound hands and disheveled hair—likely the legendary Wei.

The text also documents several significant locations: the Great Marsh, spanning a hundred li, was a breeding and molting ground for countless birds, located north of Mount Yanmen; Gaoliu was situated in the Dai region (modern-day Hebei); the burial site of Houji (ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty) was surrounded by mountains and rivers; and the capital of the Liuhuang Fengshi Kingdom covered three hundred li, with roads on all sides and a central mountain.

Geographically, it mentions the Flowing Sands originating from Mount Zhong, first flowing westward before turning south and eventually emptying into the Blackwater Mountain southwest of Mount Kunlun. The Donghu tribe lived east of the Great Marsh, while the Yi people resided further east of the Donghu.

This account blends mythology with geographical knowledge. The discovery of the stone chamber statue during the Han Dynasty and the "immortal woman" found in the tomb of King Zhou of the Wei Dynasty suggest that ancient people viewed these supernatural phenomena as beyond ordinary explanation. Guo Pu, in his annotations, emphasized that while these records may seem fantastical, they might hint at extraordinary transformations of Qi (vital energy) between heaven and earth.

The Kingdom of Mo was located northeast of the Han River (in the area of the ancient Fuyu Kingdom in today's northeast China, homeland of the ancient Weimo tribes, about a thousand li north of Xuantu County beyond the Great Wall). This region produced precious red jade, sable furs, and exceptionally large pearls the size of wild jujubes. Bordering the Yan state, it was eventually annexed by Yan. Northeast of Mo lived a rare bird called Mengniao (also a bird name), with yellow-green patterned feathers that always roosted facing east.

The Kunlun Mountains within the Seas (specified as "within the Seas" to distinguish from another Kunlun beyond the seas) stood in the northwest, serving as the earthly capital of the Heavenly Emperor. Kunlun spanned eight hundred li in circumference and rose ten thousand ren high (describing the massive base). From base to summit measured 2,500 li, with sweet springs and magnificent pools atop. Located 50,000 li from Mount Song, it was considered the cosmic axis (as recorded in the "Annals of Yu"). The mountain grew muhe grain (an edible cereal plant by the Black River, documented in the "Chronicles of King Mu"), standing five xun tall (about 8 meters) with trunks five arm-spans thick.

Nine jade-rimmed wells surrounded Kunlun, guarded at nine gates by the enlightened beast Kaiming. This sacred peak housed hundreds of deities distributed across its cliffs. The perilous bluffs along the Red River could only be scaled by someone as virtuous and skilled as Houyi (the archer who sought immortality herbs from the Queen Mother of the West, later achieving Daoist transcendence - some texts call him "Sage Yi").

The Red River originated southeast, flowing northeast before turning southwest to empty into the South Sea east of the Flame-Doused Kingdom. The Yellow River rose northeast, coursed north then southwest into the Bohai Sea before continuing overseas west then north, ultimately merging with Mount Jishi where Yu the Great dredged channels (referring to flood control works).

The Yang River (pronounced "xiang") and Black River emerged northwest, running east then northeast before turning south to the sea past the southern Featherfolk Kingdom. The Weak River and Blue River sprang from the southwest, flowing east then north before curving southwest past the eastern roosts of the Bifang bird (per the "Western Regions Records," the Wuyi Kingdom lay over 15,000 li from Chang'an; traveling west 100+ days reached Tiaozhi near the Western Sea).

According to ancient legends, there exists a place in the West called the Weak Waters, where the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) resides. Tales from the eastern Yi region also speak of Weak Waters lying thousands of miles beyond the Great Wall, though none have witnessed it firsthand. The Huainanzi records that the Weak Waters originate from Mount Qiongshi—now identified with the Naran region of the western commanderies—which serves as the source of its tributaries.

South of Mount Kunlun lies an abyss three hundred ren deep (one ren equals approximately eight feet), home to the Kaiming beast. This divine creature, resembling a tiger, possesses nine heads, each bearing a human face, and stands facing east upon Kunlun (as a celestial guardian of the heavenly realm). Inscriptions describe the Kaiming beast as embodying the essence of heaven and earth, its gaze capable of awing all beings on the mountain.

To its west dwell phoenixes (fenghuang) and luan birds, both adorned with snakes coiled around their necks, treading upon serpents, and entwined with crimson snakes across their breasts. To the north lie shirou (a self-regenerating flesh), the Pearl Tree, the Jade-Patterned Tree (adorned with five-colored jade), and the Yuqi Tree (a type of red jade). During the first year of the Wu dynasty's Tianxi era, the official Wu Yao of Linhai Commandery discovered a three-foot-tall stone tree by the shore, its stems and leaves purple, branches sinuous and lustrous—likely a specimen of these jade trees. There also grows the Immortality Tree (symbolizing eternal life), phoenixes and luan birds bearing shields (ancient weapons), as well as Lizhu, the Grain Tree, cypresses, Sweet Waters (the "Nectar Spring"), the Sage Tree (whose fruit grants wisdom), Mandui (unknown), and alternatively Tingmu Hujiao (called the "Jade-Pivot Tree" in the Huainanzi, a jade-like variety).

East of the Kaiming beast reside the divine healers Wu Peng, Wu Di, Wu Yang, Wu Lü, Wu Fan, and Wu Xiang (the Shiben credits Wu Peng with inventing medicine, while the Chuci recounts how the Heavenly Emperor commanded Wu Yang). They gather around the corpse of Yayu, each holding elixirs of immortality in an attempt to revive it. Yayu, a serpent-bodied, human-faced monster, was slain by a vassal of the deity Erfu.

Perched atop the Fuchang Tree (unknown) sits a three-headed man, tasked with guarding the Langgan Tree (langgan being a pearl-like treasure; the Erya notes that the finest treasures of the northwest include Kunlun's langgan). Zhuangzi once mentioned these three-headed beings who take turns sleeping and waking to watch over the langgan and yuqi fruits—precisely such creatures.

To the south of the Kai Ming Beast (a mythical divine creature), there grows a six-headed monstrous bird and jiaolong (dragon-like creatures resembling snakes with four legs). The area is also inhabited by venomous snakes, long-tailed apes, and leopards. There stands the Bird Rank Tree (species unknown), arranged around a pond to form a splendid waterside landscape, where dwells a species called the "Chanting Bird" (appearance unknown) alongside white eagles.

Legend speaks of the miraculous "Flesh-Vision" creature—when its flesh is cut off, it regenerates instantly. The "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Western Regions" records that Wei, a minister of the deity Er Fu, was imprisoned within a boulder, a reference only identifiable by the Han Dynasty scholar Liu Xiang. The mythic kingdom of Liuhuang Fengshi spans three hundred li in circumference, with structures lining its riverbanks like a continuous shoreline, often shrouded in mist and dust.

The Great Marsh stretches a hundred li and is known as the "Feather Accumulation," a gathering place for flocks of birds whose wingbeats create thunderous echoes. King Mu of Zhou once rode his legendary steed Lü'er, one of the Eight Chargers, through this region. The Flowing Sands serve as a natural boundary, meandering westward into the Black Water River. On the southern slopes of Mount Kunlun grows the miraculous "Grain Tree" (a blessed cereal), which flourishes without cultivation.

The Kai Ming Beast, a celestial guardian with a tiger's body and human face, stands watch over Mount Kunlun, awing all spirits. The intertwined branches of the Wen Jade and Yu Qi trees shimmer with exquisite beauty, their emerald leaves and crimson stems glowing translucently. The Immortality Tree (a mythical plant of eternal life) outlasts heaven and earth itself, while the Queen Mother of the West controls the elixir of immortality—though the archer Hou Yi once sought it in vain.

Sweet springs and the Xuan Tree (a divine plant) prolong life by harmonizing primordial Qi. The innocent creature Ya Yu was wrongfully slain by Er Fu, prompting the Heavenly Emperor to command shamans to revive it with medicine—ultimately transforming it into a dragon-headed monster. The Fu Chang and Lang Gan trees (marvels of Mount Kunlun) bear pearl-like crimson fruits amid jade-green leaves, guarded in shifts by three-headed beings.