Let's start with the title of the book. The "经" in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" is different from the "经" in the names of "The Book of Songs", "Tao Te Ching" and "Heart Sutra". These "jing" refer to scriptures and classics, and the "jing" in "Shan Hai Jing" is a verb, which means "passing" or "experience". From this point of view, "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" should be a record book, similar to a travelogue.

Let’s look at how “The Classic of Mountains and Seas” came about. At first, people thought that "The Book of Mountains and Seas" was closely related to Dayu's flood control. It wrote about the geography, mountains and rivers that Dayu and Boyi experienced when they were controlling floods, the vegetation, birds and animals they saw, and the anecdotes they heard. This is also in line with the characteristics of "travel notes". However, in the Western Jin Dynasty, when Guo Pu studied the "Book of Mountains and Seas", he found that the content contained in the book was very complicated, "spanning seven generations and three thousand dynasties." With such a long span, I am afraid it is not the work of one person in a certain period.

Yan Zhitui of the Southern and Northern Dynasties presented conclusive evidence. The "Book of Mountains and Seas" he read already included Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang. You must know that these place names only appeared after the Qin and Han Dynasties. , then it has nothing to do with Dayu at all. In the process of dissemination of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", some parts were probably lost, and some were added by later generations. The "Book of Mountains and Seas" we see today was first written in the Western Han Dynasty. At that time, Liu Xiang and Liu Xin, their father and son, collected the thirty-two scattered volumes of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" and compiled them into eighteen volumes, which have been circulated to this day.

Okay, is it a bit boring to research the source of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas"? Now let's take a look at what the ancestors wrote in this magical book. The familiar stories of Kuafu chasing the sun, Nuwa patching up the sky, Jingwei reclaiming the sea, and Dayu controlling the floods all come from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Specifically, this book has four parts: "Shan Jing", "Overseas Jing", "Hai Nei Jing" and "Great Wilderness Jing". It will say, what kind of mountain is there, what are the main animals in the mountain, what kind of trees and minerals are there? Where is there such a country and what kind of people are there? And what happened at that time. It seems quite simple, but don't think that the connotation of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" stops here. If we take ourselves to ancient times, stand from the perspective of the ancients, and think about why they told these stories, we may gain a lot. As we all know, the ancients’ understanding of nature was limited. Therefore, the phenomena of nature worship and spirit worship emerged.

For example, the fire monsters recorded in the "Shan Jing" reflect people's awe of fire at that time. Human beings have gained unparalleled power through the use of fire, but terrible fires will also follow. Traces of fire have been found in the 6,000-year-old Banpo site and the 7,000-year-old Hemudu site. It is said that the direct cause of the loss of the Hemudu culture was also fire. Fire not only brought convenience to the ancients, but it also easily caused trouble. Therefore, the fire monsters in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" were given the ability to prevent fire and set fire. There are also spirits that can affect the weather. For example, in Changyou Mountain, there is a monkey-like spirit with four ears, which has the ability to cause floods; in Taihua Mountain, there is a snake with six legs and four wings. It will cause a severe drought in the world. Next, let’s talk a little more in depth and look at the mythical stories in “The Classic of Mountains and Seas”. Let’s take the familiar Kuafu as an example. The "Overseas Northern Classic" records the familiar story of Kuafu chasing the sun: "Kuafu chased the sun and entered it. When he was thirsty and wanted to drink, he drank from the river and Wei, but the river and Wei were insufficient, so he drank from Daze in the north. Before he could drink, he drank from the river. At that time, Dao died of thirst. He abandoned his staff and transformed into Deng Lin. "However, in the Great Wilderness Northern Classic, the story changed: "Kuafu was not overestimated and wanted to chase the sun and caught him in Yugu. There is not enough water to drink from the river. He will go to Daze and die here before he reaches it. Yinglong has killed Chiyou and Kuafu, so he went to the south, so it is rainy in the south."

Although " Both Hai Jing and Da Huang Jing mention Kuafu chasing the sun, but the causes of Kuafu's death conflict with each other. At this time, we need to think about the problem from the perspective of the ancients. Most of the mythical images that appear in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" have their prototypes. People respect and fear them. After a long period of time, they gradually become myths. After studying the Classic of Mountains and Seas, many people believe that the prototype of Kuafu should be the leader of a tribe.