《山海經》Vol. 8

The "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Northern Regions Beyond the Seas" records marvelous nations and creatures from the northeast to the northwest. The Land of No Calves (also called Wuqi Country) lies east of the Long-Thigh Country. Its people have no calf muscles (qǐ refers to the gastrocnemius), dwell in caves, and eat earth. They have no distinction between male and female. When they die, they are buried directly, yet their hearts remain uncorrupted for a hundred years. After one hundred and twenty years, they revive and return to life.

On Mount Zhong dwells the deity Zhu Yin (also known as Zhu Long, named for illuminating the Nine Nether Regions). When he opens his eyes, it becomes daytime; when he closes them, night falls. His exhalations bring bitter winter, while his inhalations create scorching summer. He neither eats nor breathes normally—a single breath from him creates raging winds. His body stretches a thousand li long, with a human face and serpentine form, entirely crimson in color, coiled beneath Mount Zhong (the Huainanzi records he has only one leg).

East of Mount Zhong lies the One-Eyed Country, whose people have a single eye on their faces. Further east is the Soft-Boned Country, where inhabitants have one arm and one leg with reversed knees and upturned feet (another version calls it the Liu Li Country, with backward-bending foot bones). Xiangliu, a minister of the water god Gonggong, had nine heads, each devouring food from a separate mountain (symbolizing insatiable greed). Wherever he crawled, the land collapsed into marshes. When Yu the Great slew Xiangliu, the spilled blood poisoned the earth, making farming impossible. Yu attempted to bury the contaminated soil three times, but it kept collapsing (due to the blood's extreme penetrative power), forcing him to construct the Terrace of Multiple Emperors instead (as the loose soil only supported raised platforms). This terrace stands north of Kunlun Mountain (the overseas Kunlun) and east of the Soft-Boned Country. Xiangliu had nine human-faced heads on a dark blue serpentine body. People dare not shoot arrows northward for fear of Gonggong's Terrace—a square platform with four tiger-striped snakes at its corners, all facing south.

East of Gonggong's Terrace lies the Deep-Eyed Country, whose people perpetually shield their eyes with one raised hand (another account places it east of the terrace). Further east (or south in some versions) is the No-Intestines Country, inhabited by tall people lacking stomachs or bowels.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing) records numerous fantastical kingdoms and creatures. The people of the Land of No-Intestines (Wuchang Guo) are tall in stature but lack digestive tracts—food passes directly through their bodies. East of this lies the Land of Held-Ears (Nie’er Guo), whose inhabitants have extraordinarily long ears that they must support with their hands while walking (the character "Nie" means to lift or hold up). This kingdom is suspended within the sea ("Xian" refers to their settlement), where they observe all manner of strange aquatic creatures coming and going. Two tigers are also said to dwell east of this land.

The legendary tale of Kuafu Chasing the Sun is also preserved here: Kuafu (a divine being said to pursue the sun) raced after the sun but grew desperately thirsty. He drank dry the waters of the Yellow River (Huanghe) and the Wei River (Weihe), yet still it was not enough. As he sought the Great Marsh (Daze) in the north, he perished from thirst before reaching it. The staff he discarded transformed into the Deng Forest (a peach grove). This account suggests Kuafu did not literally run to drink rivers but traversed space through supernatural means, with his life enduring in another form within the peach grove.

East of the Land of Held-Ears lies the Land of the Broad Father (Bofu Guo), whose people carry a green snake in their right hand and a yellow snake in their left. The Deng Forest stands to its east, marked by two colossal trees (some interpretations identify "Bofu" as the trees' name). Nearby is the Jishi Mountain, which Yu the Great once regulated—here the Yellow River flows (its source lies in the Kunlun Mountains, disappearing underground only to reemerge at the Congling Range, passing through the Salt Marsh before reaching this mountain to form the central plains' river course). The Book of Documents (Shangshu) notes that Yu the Great dredged the river channels at Jishi Mountain.

In the Land of Gripped Tassels (Juying Guo), people constantly clutch their hat ribbons with one hand ("Ying" refers to the ribbon, though some argue it should be "Ying" meaning a neck goiter). The Xunmu, a divine tree towering a thousand li high, grows northwest of the riverbank south of this land. The people of the Land of Tiptoe Walkers (Qizhong Guo) have enormous feet and walk without letting their heels touch the ground ("Qizhong" means to tread on tiptoe). In the Wilds of Silk-Vomiting (Ousi Zhi Ye), a woman kneels beside a tree, spinning silk from her mouth (possibly depicting the silkworm deity or a mythological weaving scene).

The Classic of Mountains and Seas records numerous extraordinary geographical and biological phenomena. East of Ousi grows a species of tree called the "Three Mulberries," towering a hundred ren (an ancient unit of measurement, approximately seven or eight chi) in height yet completely devoid of branches. The Fan Forest, spanning three hundred li in circumference, lies east of the Three Mulberries, encircled by land emerging from the water.

On the southern slope of Wuyu Mountain lies the burial site of Zhuanxu (a legendary tribal leader of high antiquity, counted among the Five Emperors), while his nine consorts are interred on the northern slope. This area is also home to extraordinary beasts like bears, brown bears, and striped tigers, alongside mythical creatures such as the Luminous Vermilion Bird and the Flesh of Vision (a wondrous regenerative meat). Further east of the Three Mulberries lies Pingqiu, renowned for its exquisite jade, azure horses, and the miraculous Flesh of Vision. Here grow peculiar plants like the Sweet Crabapple and Sweet Blossom, with red-yellow trunks, white flowers, and black leaves. Known as the "Land Where a Hundred Fruits Grow," this valley between two mountains contains two great mounds called Pingqiu.

The Northern Sea teems with bizarre creatures: there are Taotu resembling horses; the Bo beast capable of devouring tigers and leopards, appearing like a white horse yet armed with saw-like teeth; the plain-colored Qiongqiong beast and the azure Luoluo beast, the latter resembling a tiger in form.

The Northern Water God, Yuqiang (a deity governing the northern regions), is depicted with a human face and bird's body, his ears adorned with two green serpents while treading upon two red snakes. Alternate accounts describe him as pitch-black in complexion, riding two dragons with all four limbs.

The Classic of Regions Beyond the Seas: North further documents the Armless Country, whose inhabitants manipulate objects through telepathy despite lacking arms. There's also the Candle Dragon, a colossal serpent stretching a thousand li whose breath creates seasonal changes and whose eye movements alternate day and night, truly the most divine of beings. These records exemplify the ancient imagination's richness, artfully blending natural phenomena with mythological narratives.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing) records numerous extraordinary nations and creatures. The people of the One-Eyed Kingdom possess only a single eye, enabling them to perceive the essence of things in darkness, transcending the limitations of superficial appearances. The inhabitants of the Flexible Kingdom have joints that can bend in reverse; they pursue inner spiritual attainment, believing physical beauty or ugliness holds no significance.

Xiangliu, a minister of the water god Gonggong, had a serpentine body with nine heads. Relying on brute force to tyrannize others, he was ultimately subdued by the Xia sovereign. The Deep-Eyed Kingdom’s people had sunken eyes resembling those of northern tribes. Though their appearance was peculiar, they submitted to the Yellow Emperor (Xuanyuan) and coexisted peacefully with other clans.

The people of the Long-Eared Kingdom, dwelling on islands, had exceptionally large ears and could command mythical creatures like the carved tiger, often holding their ears with their hands. The myth of Kuafu chasing the sun is described as an act defying natural laws—he drained the Yellow River and ultimately transformed into mountains and rivers in the mythical land of Denglin.

The colossal Seeking Tree grew along the Yellow River, its branches stretching a thousand miles into the sky, its shade covering all directions. The people of the Tiptoe Kingdom were massive in stature but had tiny feet, leaping without their heels touching the ground. Due to their virtuous conduct, they submitted to the Central Plains.

In the Silk Field, women resembled mermaids, capable of spinning silk like silkworms and producing pearls like clams—their transformations followed no fixed pattern. The people of the Gutless Kingdom had hollow bodies but extraordinarily wise minds, with all other organs existing externally. Through this unique constitution, they attained complete life.

The Plain of Pingqiu, nestled between two mountains, was abundant with fine jade, azure steeds, and sweet fruits. The Taotu horses of the north loved rubbing necks together, yet even the legendary horse-tamer Bole could not tame them.

The northern water god Yuqiang (Xuanming) had dark skin and could ride dragons and serpents through the skies, guarding the polar regions. These accounts reveal the ancients’ imagined world of wonders, blending exotic fantasies with implicit reflections on moral cultivation.