A Chinese Bestiary

337 Pages·2003·59.708 MB·English

by  R.E. Strassberg

A
B O O K
The Philip E. Lilienthal imprint
honors special books
in commemoration ofa man whose work
at the University ofCalifornia Press from 1954 to 1979
was marked by dedication to young authors
and to high standards in the field ofAsian Studies.
Friends, family, authors, and foundations have together
endowed the Lilienthal Fund, which enables the Press
to publish under this imprint selected books
in a way that reflects the taste and judgment
ofa great and beloved editor.
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the
generous contribution to this book
provided by the
PHILIP E. LILIENTHAL
ASIAN STUDIES ENDOWMENT
which is supported by a major gift from
SALLY LILIENTHAL
A CHINESE BESTIARY
frontispiece Perusing
the Guideways through
Mountains and Seas.
Woodblock illustration
from the Mustard Seed
Garden Manual ofPainting
(Jieziyuan huazhuan,1679).
The Nelson-Atkins Museum
ofArt, Kansas City, Missouri
(Purchase: Nelson Trust).
A C H I N E S E B E S T I A R Y
Strange Creatures GUIDEWAYS
from the
THROUGH
MOUNTAINS
AND SEAS
Edited and Translated with Commentary by
RICHARD E. STRASSBERG
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
University ofCalifornia Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University ofCalifornia Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2002 by the Regents ofthe University ofCalifornia
Grateful acknowledgment is made to the National Library ofChina in
Beijing for permission to reprint the seventy-six plates from the Guideways
through Mountains and Seasand to the Library ofCongress in Washington,
D.C., for use ofplates XLIII and XLIV.
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shan hai jing (Chinese classic). English.
A Chinese bestiary : strange creatures from the guideways through
mountains and seas = [Shan hai jing] / edited and translated with
commentary by Richard E. Strassberg.
p. cm.
“Philip E. Lilienthal Asian studies endowment.”
Parallel title in Chinese characters.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0-520-21844-2 (alk. paper)
1. China—description and travel. 2. Mythology, Chinese.
3. Folklore—China. I. Strassberg, Richard E. II. Title. III. Title:
Shan hai jing.
ds707 .s4713 2002
951—dc21 2002075442
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
ansi/niso z39.48-1992 (r1997) (Permanence ofPaper). 8
For all strange creatures
and
in memory ofthe late Yvonne Linnemayer
and
for Caroline W. Hall
A thing is not strange in itself; it depends on me to make it strange.
GUO PU
Preface to the Guideways through Mountains and Seas
Contents
List ofIllustrations xi
Preface xiii
Editorial Notes xvii
Introduction 1
PLATES I TO LXXVI FROM THE
Guideways through Mountains and Seas
81
Notes 229
Selected Bibliography 273
Glossary Index to Plates 293