Shan Hai Jing(Classic of Mountains and Seas) was an important literature on geography in ancient China. The currently available version includes 18 volumes, among which 5 volumes areShan Jing(Classic of Mountains), 8 volumes areHai Jing(Classic of Seas), 4 volumes areDa Huang Jing(Classic of Big Land) and 1 volume isHainei Jing(Classic of Mainland).
It is said thatShan Hai Jingwas written by Yu, one of the forefathers of ancient China, but the saying is quite doubtful. In this book,Shan JingandHai Jingform their own specific systems accordingly, while they were finished in different periods.Shan Jingcontains the description of famous mountains and great rivers, propagation and minerals on the mainland. It estimated that this part of the book was finished in the early or mid period the Warring States Period (475-221BC).Hai Jingcontains a great deal of alien legends, fairy tales home and abroad, and was written in the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC) or at the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-8AD).
Shan Hai Jing, containing rich legends and fairy tales, is very valuable for historical study, especially helpful for research on primitive society in China, and the primitive surname, tribes, and knowledge and understanding of the universe, nature and social development.
According to the records inShan Hai Jing, the Yellow Emperor is the heavenly emperor of the west. He was the great grandfather ofZhuan Xu (a legendary ancient emperor), the grandfather of Guan. He was also the ancestor of many tribes inside and outside China. Di Jun has no records in other books and is not listed amongSan Huang Wu Di(Three Emperor and Five Gods), and is the only heavenly emperor inShan Hai Jing.
In this book, he was the inventor of farming, craft, vehicle, boat, musical instrument, singing and dancing. Together withXi (the legendary goddess), he gave birth to 10 suns and 12 moons, which relate to the astronomy and the calendar. There are still many legends about the water-control of the Great Yu, battle between the Great Yu and Gong Gong, and so on.
