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Chinese Bestiary Paperback – Illustrated, November 4, 2008

by Strassberg (Author)

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A Chinese Bestiary presents a fascinating pageant of mythical creatures from a unique and enduring cosmography written in ancient China. The Guideways through Mountains and Seas, compiled between the fourth and first centuries b.c.e., contains descriptions of hundreds of fantastic denizens of mountains, rivers, islands, and seas, along with minerals, flora, and medicine. The text also represents a wide range of beliefs held by the ancient Chinese. Richard Strassberg brings the Guideways to life for modern readers by weaving together translations from the work itself with information from other texts and recent archaeological finds to create a lavishly illustrated guide to the imaginative world of early China.

Unlike the bestiaries of the late medieval period in Europe, the Guideways was not interpreted allegorically; the strange creatures described in it were regarded as actual entities found throughout the landscape. The work was originally used as a sacred geography, as a guidebook for travelers, and as a book of omens. Today, it is regarded as the richest repository of ancient Chinese mythology and shamanistic wisdom. The Guideways may have been illustrated from the start, but the earliest surviving illustrations are woodblock engravings from a rare 1597 edition. Seventy-six of those plates are reproduced here for the first time, and they provide a fine example of the Chinese engraver's art during the late Ming dynasty.

This beautiful volume, compiled by a well-known specialist in the field, provides a fascinating window on the thoughts and beliefs of an ancient people, and will delight specialists and general readers alike.

Print length

338 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University of California Press
Publication date

November 4, 2008
Dimensions

6 x 0.77 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0520298519
ISBN-13

978-0520298514
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Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . . [Strassberg's] work joins the ranks of Yuan Ke, Remi Mathieu and Riccardo Fracasso as being the best translation in its own language--here, English--as well as a must read for all those whose penchant is ancient Chinese studies."-- "T'uong Pao"

"Richard Strassberg brings the book to life for modern readers by weaving together translations from the work itself with information from other texts to illustrate the world of early China."-- "Asian Art"

"Strassberg deftly balances the line between translation and transliteration. . . . The combination of text and lavish illustrations does indeed provide both specialists and non-specialists a portal into the imaginative world of Shanhai jing with its wondrous and mythical creatures."-- "Asian Folklore Studies"

From the Inside Flap

"At last! Richard Strassberg s stunning new work provides a lively introduction in words and pictures to one of China s best loved and least understood classics, the Shanhai jing or Guideways Through Mountains and Seas. This classic of mythical geography and fantastic ethnography, full of wondrous stories and creatures, contains a treasury of information about the Chinese worldview and has inspired Chinese writers and artists for over two millennia. But until now, its strange vocabulary together with patchy transmission of both text and illustrations, have made it difficult to present to English-speaking audiences. Relying on a rare 1597 edition of the classic, Strassberg has faithfully captured its combination of entertaining whimsy and deep religious intent. His new book, the product of years of study by one of the few people truly qualified to analyze both text and the images, is sure to delight specialist and nonspecialist alike." Suzanne Cahill, author of Transcendence and Divine Passion: The Queen Mother of the West in Medieval China

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press; Illustrated edition (November 4, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0520298519
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0520298514
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.77 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #991,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #70 in Chinese Literary Criticism (Books)
- #2,412 in Folklore & Mythology Studies
- #3,554 in Arts & Photography Criticism

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4.4 out of 5

41 global ratings

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Cool Loon

Excellent reference

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2018

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It's always good to get as close to the source material as possible. And that's what I think Strassberg has provided by the text and supplementary materials (wood blocks, maps) he provides to give dimension to this ancient work. Superb indexing allows tracking down references to specific creatures/personages without distorting the clearly cumulative origin of the chapters. Some may prefer a more narrative presentation but, having read other translations of the Shan Hai Jing, I believe this one allows students of the work to see for themselves the specific underlying mythology, presented from multiple points of view as it was written down over time.

2 people found this helpful

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P. Herron

Invaluable for China scholars

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2014

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If you are researching ancient Chinese art, mythology or legends, this book is extremely useful. Well organized with many illustrations (black and white probably for cost reasons). I would have liked a more extensive index rather than the very basic index to the plates included in the book. Strassberg did an excellent job in making Guideways Through Mountains and Seas more accessible to China students and scholars not fluent in reading Chinese.

2 people found this helpful

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Alan

Arrived with a slightly bent front cover. Content itself is fine.

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2021

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The front cover was slightly bent, the contents itself is fine.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Beyond imagination.

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2018

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Imagine a fantastically exotic creature that lives at the utmost extremity of the world made into a medicinal soup. Would you take the cure?

3 people found this helpful

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Richard Parks

A Good Source

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2019

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A good source for anyone interested in the subject.

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2012

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Both content and packaging are excellent. A perfect complement to Borges "Book of Imaginary Beings" and a great spur to creativity if you happen to write fantasy.

3 people found this helpful

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Kate Bazilevsky

"Shan Hai Jing" was found to be the Catalog of human population!

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2010

Scientists discovered that the great Leonardo da Vinci was correct in his assumptions - humans ARE biorobots. Every person gets a program at birth. These programs are recorded in "Shan Hai Jing" or "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". No human is able to deviate from his/her individual program. Anybody can be manipulated by the use of certain set programs. The question, "What is the soul?" has been answered.

The soul has been found and is described in the CATALOG OF HUMAN POPULATION (CHP). Archeological excavations by students of deep psychology--the search of the human soul--can now be considered complete. It was found that all programs have been recorded on a monument dating back to the 20thcentury BC. In 1975, decryption of this ancient manuscript began. The compilation of the full Catalog is almost complete. We, people who are described in the Catalog, now have the opportunity to stop asking ourselves questions like, "Who am I?", "Why am I?', and "What is my purpose?".

Every subtype structure is described based on six factors. In the description of each subtype structure there is complete information on how to use one's abilities to the fullest. By studying one's own subtype program and manipulation modes, one can protect themselves from all unpleasant provocations from the outside. The psyche is an archetypal matrix. Immeasurably ancient is the origin of the psyche, fundamental to the mind in the same way that the mammalian physiology is fundamental to the structure of human body. People's children look alike. If cats have kittens, and humming-birds have humming-birds - people can have anyone.

The Catalog does not discriminate. Today's humans absolutely groundlessly call themselves homo sapiens, when they are simply homo erectus; to become a homo sapien, one must study. The Catalog has been created like a project's documentation. Homo erectus have been created on the basis of this Catalog. The Catalog is not the foundation of any religion--it was created before the earliest religion came into existence. Based on the Catalog, it is possible to state that homo erectus is a form that has the potential to develop into homo sapien. It does not matter what a civilization thinks about the Catalog-- that does not prevent it to exist absolutely independently. CHP's free demo videos and texts are an opportunity to test the functional application of the Catalog. CHP invites its audience to decide for themselves: does the Catalog of human population exist or not? CHP readily provides information on the website and to mass media so that this question can be answered for one's self.

The "Catalog of Human Population" (CHP) was founded in Russia in 1975 and registered in USA (CA) as "CATALOG OF HUMAN POPULATION" General Partnership in 2009. CHP is engaged in scientific research based on the discovery of the Catalog of human population, and sells its intellectual products in the form of decrypted human programs. For additional information visit [...]

One person found this helpful

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D. Freed

Really, really tiny typeface, which makes this book almost unreadable

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2020

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I have not yet delved into the content of this book, which appears to be well-written. My issue is what the size of the text and the overall layout of the book. The font is way, way too small to read easily or for any length of time. The book's margins are skewed; the text area could have easily been made larger, to accompany a slightly larger - and more readable - type.

Instead it seems whomever did the layout for this book never looked at a hard copy version, but instead just viewed it on their screen, and then sent it off to the printers. Bad move on the part of UC Press, and I have contacted them to let them know about it!

I want to return this, but I fear I'll be stuck with the return shipping fees, so ....

9 people found this helpful

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Ivan K.

Boa edição

Reviewed in Brazil on March 7, 2023

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Muito interessante

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JAVIER A.

Un libro sorprendente

Reviewed in Spain on December 30, 2023

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El libro es asombroso por su temática, pero deja bastante que desear por la pobre calidad del encuadernado y el deslucido de las ilustraciones. Este libro merece un a edición más cuidada, y por su precio debería ser así

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rosa isabella furnari

completa analisi

Reviewed in Italy on February 18, 2013

Verified Purchase

l'autore fa una completa disanima dello "shan hai jin" , che viene classificato , cosa inportante, in base agli argomenti e alle illustrazioni. Un lavoro fatto altrimenti risulterebbe noioso e di difficile recezione.La traduzione è chiara, comprensibile, ben ordinata

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