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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Customs & folklore > Folklore
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A Chinese Bestiary - Strange Creatures from the Guideways through Mountains and Seas (Paperback)
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A Chinese Bestiary - Strange Creatures from the Guideways through Mountains and Seas (Paperback)
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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.
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