With my topic being “The Classic of Mountains and Seas”, there are many angles the chapter could focus on. One that I believe will help illuminate this text in this specific class will be how the creatures it talks about were compiled into this one book and its historical impact. This book has a large amount of mythical creatures and landmarks. Due to the large amount of them and their wide variations, they certainly cannot have been thought of by one person. Instead, it was compiled from beliefs in the supernatural that were likely from all over China. The number of beasts would be expanded as time went on and people would add more of the mystical places and beasts that people heard about. This book is probably one of the most important that has been discussed in class as it is all about mythical creatures and where they are found. It was widely read and viewed as fact so its influence on belief in the supernatural cannot be underestimated.
What I want to achieve with this chapter:
Explain the history of The Classic of Mountains and Seas and include some examples of creatures that have influenced Chinese beliefs. Also go into detail about how it has affected belief in the supernatural in China
What I want the reader to learn
The long lasting importance and impact of this text and how it came to be in the first place
