1st century bce
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ancient china
ancient chinese mythology
ancient people
archaeological finds
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B01=Richard E. Strassberg
B06=Richard E. Strassberg
bestiary
book of omens
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=AGA
Category=DQ
Category=JBGB
Category=JFHF
chinese history
COP=United States
cosmography
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early china
engaging
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
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eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
fantasy
fantasy creatures
guidebook
historical
history
illustrated guide
Language_English
late ming dynasty
legend
legends
lively
medicine
monsters
myth
mythical creatures
mythology
myths
PA=Available
Price_€20 to €50
PS=Active
sacred geography
shamanistic wisdom
sociology
softlaunch
superstition
the guideways through mountains and seas
travel
woodblock engravings
Product details
- ISBN 9780520298514
- Weight: 590g
- Dimensions: 178 x 254mm
- Publication Date: 30 Mar 2018
- Publisher: University of California Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
- Language: English
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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.
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.
Richard E. Strassberg is Professor of Chinese at the University of California, Los Angeles and author of Inscribed Landscapes: Travel Writing from Imperial China (California, 1994), Enlightening Remarks on Painting by Shih-t'ao (1989), and The World of K'ung Shang-jen (1983).
