Message #29591

[Bianca]

By the fifth century C.E., the volume of records and books in China had grown to such a total that no one could hope to read even a small fraction of those in existence. This was a different problem. The government decreed a massive editing project during which almost all former written words were read by teams of scholars and condensed. Originals were destroyed.

In the thirteenth century more condensation was ordered, and even the fifth century versions were cut down. Again, the “originals” were discarded. The enormous effort was understandable. One encyclopaedia, in manuscript form, had grown to the equivalent length of 22,937 books.

Because of such condensation and destruction, the Shan Hai King, originally about thirty-two books long, exists in an eighteen-book version, each section from one to thirty pages in length and in summary form. (12) The later compilers assumed readers would know the context. Thus, what is reprinted today is certainly not the whole story.

Here is some of what is left:

“. . . to the south, Lone Mountain is found. Upon this there are many gems and much gold, and below it many beautiful stones. Muddy River is found here, a stream flowing southeasterly into a mighty flood, in which there are many T’iao-Yung. These look like yellow serpents with fish’s fins. . . .

“. . . three hundred li to the south, Bald Mountain is found . . . wild animals are found here which look like suckling pigs, but they have pearls. They are called Tung-Tung, their name being given to them in imitation of their cry. The Hwan River is found here, a stream flowing easterly into a river . . . one authority says that it flows into the sea. In this there are many water-gems.