What is the name of China's first collection of myths?

As we all know, China has a very long history, and many well-known fairy tales have been produced in thousands of years. Some of these stories are known to the world by word of mouth, while others are compiled into collections and handed down in writing. The earliest collection of myths in China is the famous Classic of Mountains and Seas. Speaking of Shan Hai Jing, I believe everyone will be familiar with it. This pre-Qin literary work is full of mystery, which has attracted countless people to study it deeply. The content in the book is also very fantastic, giving readers unlimited room for reverie. In fact, different people have different views on such a book. Some people think that Shan Hai Jing is an ancient book related to strange things. Some people think that Shan Hai Jing is an early natural history.

There are all kinds of myths and legends in The Classic of Mountains and Seas, so it is recognized by relevant scholars as a mysterious book in China's early days. Maybe some people haven't read The Classic of Mountains and Seas in person, but some fairy stories recorded in it must be household names, such as Houyi shooting at the sun, Jingwei filling the sea, Dayu harnessing the water, Kuafu growing day by day and so on, all of which come from this mysterious ancient book.

Of course, some people think that Shan Hai Jing is the ancient natural history of China, and some creatures recorded in it can also find corresponding prototypes in real life. Shan Hai Jing is so attractive not only because there are many well-known fairy tales in it, but also because many descriptions about animals, plants, mineral distribution or topography involved in the book can find actual prototypes in real life. But in such an era, it is not clear how the ancestors of China wrote many animals and plants from other continents into the book, which is also one of the highlights of Shan Hai Jing.

No matter from which aspect, Shan Hai Jing is a book worthy of our understanding and study, from which we can not only learn more about China's fairy tales, but also be of great help to the study of that era.