《山海經》Vol. 17

In the Great Wilderness of the northeast, where the Yellow River flows past Mount Fuyu, lies the burial site of the ancient Emperor Zhuanxu and his nine consorts (likely a local funerary custom). This sacred mountain is home to extraordinary creatures: the vividly patterned Wenjiu birds, auspicious symbols like the Liyu, Luan birds, and phoenixes of various sizes, along with azure birds, lang birds, black-feathered birds, yellow birds, and fierce beasts such as tigers, leopards, bears, and brown bears. The mountain also yields yellow snakes, the legendary "visionary meat" (said to regenerate when cut), and precious stones like Xuangui jade and Yaobi jasper. These creatures and treasures collectively guard this holy mountain (indicating their presence around its perimeter).

Nearby stands a three-hundred-li-wide hill. To its south grows Emperor Jun's (also known as Emperor Shun) bamboo grove, where the bamboo is so thick that a single joint can be hollowed into a boat. South of the grove lies a crimson-hued body of water called the "Fengyuan" ("Feng" meaning vast). By its shore stand three branchless mulberry trees, towering hundreds of ren high. To the west of the hill lies the Sunken Abyss, where Zhuanxu once roamed. Here also dwells the tribe of the "Hu Bu Yu Kingdom" ("Hu Bu Yu" being a phonetic transcription of their name), who subsist on millet.

Further into the Great Wilderness stands Mount Buxian, near which lies the Sushen Kingdom (as detailed in Guo Pu's commentary: the Sushen Kingdom was located three thousand li northeast of Liaodong, its people living in caves, wearing pigskin garments, and using animal fat for warmth in winter. They were skilled in crafting four-chi-long red-lacquered stiff bows, with arrow shafts made of arrowwood and heads of bluestone. Their bows and arrows were once tributed to the Central Plains. During the Han Dynasty, the region was called Yilou, known for its sable furs and red jade). This land is inhabited by the Feizhi, a creature with four wings (with variant readings "Fei" and "Zhi"), and the Qinchong, a serpentine being with a beast's head. There is also the Kingdom of the Elders, whose people bear the surname Li and eat millet. Another notable creature is the large yellow-headed green snake that preys on deer (similar to southern pythons). The passage concludes with a mention of Mount Yushan's geographic presence.

(Note: The text in parentheses expands on Guo Pu's original annotations, detailing the Sushen people's customs, weaponry, and historical tributary relations with the Central Plains.)

The Classic of Mountains and Seas records numerous fantastical mountains, rivers, and nations in the Great Wilderness (legendary distant lands). Xuan Gun (a mythical flood-control hero) once attacked Mount Chengzhou, which is how the mountain got its name.

In the Great Wilderness stands Mount Hengtian, near Mount Xianmin, where grows the twisting Panmu trees stretching for thousands of miles. The people of Shuchu State (pronounced similarly to "gan" or "chu"), descendants of the ancient Emperor Zhuanxu, subsist on millet and can command four fierce beasts: tigers, leopards, bears, and brown bears. There is also a black beast resembling a bear called Lielie (some versions record it as "wolf"). Another state, the Qi of the Jiang clan, also tames these four beasts.

Mount Guangjian and Mount Dafeng are located in the Great Wilderness, where the Yellow River and the Ji River flow into the North Sea. To the northwest lies Mount Yu’s Accumulated Stones (legend says Yu the Great piled these stones during flood control), with Mount Qingyang and Mount Shun nearby. The Shun River originates here. The State of Shizhou has Mount Dan (named for its abundance of cinnabar) and a vast marsh spanning a thousand miles, where flocks of birds molt (the Tale of King Mu records this as the "Great Plain of Feathers," where birds shed their plumage).

The people of the Hairy Folk are covered in fur, bear the surname Yi, eat millet, and also command the four beasts. Descendants of Yu the Great—the states of Jun, Yilai, and Xunta (pronounced similarly to "dan jia")—passed down their rule through generations. Later, Xunta killed a man named Chuo, and the Heavenly Emperor secretly aided in establishing this nation.

The people of the Long-Eared State, surnamed Ren, have enormous ears that hang down to their shoulders (later depictions of the Vermilion Bird with large ears may derive from this). Yu Hao (another name for the sea god Yuqiang) had a son who cultivated grain on the islands of the North Sea for sustenance. There also resides a deity with a human face and bird’s body, ears adorned with two green snakes and feet treading on two red snakes—this is Yuqiang, the god of the North Sea.

Farthest north stands Mount Beiji Tiankui (pronounced similarly to "yi"), where the seas pour northward into its depths.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas records numerous extraordinary deities and creatures. Among them is a deity called Jiufeng (Nine Phoenix) who has nine heads, a human face, and a bird's body. Another deity named Qiangliang has a tiger's head, human torso, four hooves, and elongated elbows, perpetually holding snakes in its mouth and hands.

In the remote wilderness stands Mount Chengdu Zaitian, where the giant Kuafu dwells. He wears two yellow snakes as earrings and grasps two more in his hands. Kuafu, descendant of the Earth Deity Houtu and ancestor Xin, overestimated his strength by attempting to chase the sun all the way to Yugui (where the sun sets). Parched, he tried drinking from the Yellow River but found it insufficient, then perished from thirst en route to the Great Marsh seeking more water. Alternate accounts state Yinglong (a divine dragon) first slew Chiyou before killing Kuafu. Yinglong later traveled south, explaining the region's frequent rains.

There exists the Land of No-Intestines whose tall inhabitants bear the surname Ren. Among them lives Wujizi, who sustains himself solely on fish. Gonggong (Water Deity) had a minister Xiangyao (also called Xiangliu) with nine heads and a serpentine body that coiled upon itself. Feeding across nine mountains, wherever it traveled became swampland, its poisonous miasma so potent even beasts avoided it. During Yu the Great's flood control, he slew Xiangyao—its fetid blood rendered soil barren and perpetually waterlogged, unfit for habitation. After three failed attempts to bury it with earth, Yu transformed the area into a pool where celestial emperors later erected an altar.

North of Kunlun Mountain grows the towering bamboo forests of Yue Mountain.

In the distant barren lands stands a mountain called "Buju," where seawater flows in from the north. There is also the "Kun Mountain," atop which lies an altar to Gonggong (the Water God). Archers dare not shoot their arrows northward out of reverence for him.

A woman dressed in green robes, known as "Huangdi Nüba" (the Drought Goddess), once played a pivotal role in an ancient conflict. When Chiyou (a tribal leader) raised an army to attack the Yellow Emperor (the progenitor of Chinese civilization), the Yellow Emperor sent Yinglong (a divine dragon) to confront him in the Central Plains. Yinglong gathered water to launch an attack, but Chiyou summoned Fengbo and Yushi (the Wind and Rain Gods) to unleash storms. In response, the Yellow Emperor dispatched the celestial maiden "Ba" to halt the downpour, ultimately slaying Chiyou. However, Nüba, having expended her power, could no longer return to the heavens. Wherever she resided, rain ceased to fall, bringing drought to the land.

Later, a man named Shujun advised the Yellow Emperor to relocate Nüba north of the Chishui River, distancing her from human settlements. For this, Shujun was revered as the "Field Ancestor" (the God of Agriculture). Occasionally, Nüba would escape, and when people sought to drive her away, they would position the Field Ancestor’s statue facing north and clear the irrigation channels—believing this would summon rain. This practice became the origin of later "drought-expelling" rituals.

In those lands also dwelled the "Deep-Eyed People," a tribe surnamed Xi, who subsisted on fish (their eyes were notably sunken). There stood Mount Zhong, home to a goddess clad in green robes known as "Chishui Nüxian."

Another desolate region housed Mount Rongfu, accessible by following the river. The Quanrong tribe lived there, descended from the Yellow Emperor’s lineage: the Yellow Emperor begot Miao Long, who begot Rong Wu, who begot Bian Ming, who begot the White Dog. The White Dog gave birth to two dogs capable of mating, marking the origin of the Quanrong people. Among them was a red, headless beast called the "Rong Xuan Wang Corpse" (a deity of the Quanrong).

Other mountains included Mount Qizhou, Mount Can, Mount Xianye, and Mount Yu. These lands were inhabited by the "One-Eyed People" (with a single eye in the center of their faces), also known as the Wei clan, said to be descendants of Shaohao (an ancient ruler). They consumed millet, and another tribe called the "Boneless People" lived there as well—lacking bones, they survived by breathing air and eating fish.

Beyond the Northwest Sea, east of the Flowing Sands, lies the land of Zhonglun, inhabited by descendants of Zhuanxu (one of the Five August Emperors of antiquity), who subsist primarily on millet. Nearby are the states of Laiqiu and Quanrong. In Quanrong, there dwell divine beings with human faces and bestial bodies, known as the Quanrong people.

Further northwest, along the northern bank of the Black River beyond the sea, live a winged people called the Miaomin (tribesmen of the Sanmiao). Zhuanxu fathered Huantou, who in turn fathered the Miaomin, a clan bearing the surname Li. Observing their dwelling place, one finds Mount Zhang among their lands.

In the Great Wilderness stand the Hengshi Mountains, the Jiuyin Mountains, and the Huiye Mountains, among others. Here grows a tree with crimson leaves, beneath which stands a blue ox—this tree is known as Ku Shu (located at the western edge of Mount Kunlun, its glowing red leaves illuminate the land below). There is also the state of Niuli, whose people are boneless, descendants of the Dan'er people.

North of the Chishui River beyond the Northwest Sea lies Mount Zhangwei, home to a deity with a human face and serpentine body, his entire form blazing red (said to stretch a thousand li in length). His eyes are vertically aligned (the term "straight eyes" refers to their vertical orientation, while "zhengcheng" remains obscure in meaning). When he closes his eyes, night falls; when he opens them, day breaks (thus distinguishing night and day through his gaze). This deity neither eats nor sleeps, yet he can summon wind and rain (actively commanding the elements), and his radiance pierces the deepest darkness of the Nine Netherworlds ("illuminating the Nine Yin" refers to lighting the most shadowy depths of the underworld). This is the legendary Zhu Long, the Torch Dragon.

(Supplementary references from Li Sao and Shi Han Shen Wu note: Legend holds that sunlight cannot reach the extreme Yin of the northwest, so Zhu Long carries a fiery essence in his mouth to illuminate the Celestial Gate. In this realm, there is no alternation of Yin and Yang—only Zhu Long sustains the light.)