Myth is the mother of literature. The relationship between mythology and literature is like the relationship between Pangu and the sun, moon, rivers and seas seen in the mythology of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". The myth says that after Pangu died, his head turned into the four mountains, his eyes turned into the sun and moon, his fat turned into rivers and seas, and his hair turned into vegetation. Although Pangu died, the sun, moon, rivers, seas, and everything in the world... all have Pangu's shadow. After myths are converted into other literary forms, although their own mythical significance often disappears, myths become active as an artistic impact force in literature. (Yu Jian Wang's "Myths and Novels") For example: the two major representatives of pre-Qin literature in the north and the south: "The Book of Songs" and "Chu Ci", both have traces of ancient myths, especially "Chu Ci", which preserves a large number of ancient myths . The Taoist thoughts of "Laozi", "Zhuangzi" and "Huainanzi" also drew heavily on ancient myths and philosophized them. "Zuo Zhuan", "Historical Records", and "Shang Shu" absorb myths and historicize them. "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" is a written record of ancient oral literature. It retains the most ancient Chinese myths and has a huge influence on later generations of literature. For example: The myth of Kuafu is recorded in the "Book of Mountains and Seas", and is also recorded in the books "Huainanzi" and "Liezi". They are all written according to the "Book of Mountains and Seas". The giant Pu Fu in the southeast wilderness in the later "Shen Yi Jing", judging from the pronunciation and meaning of Kua Fu, Bo Fu and Pu Fu, Pu Fu is suspected to be a giant evolved from Kua Fu. According to Mao Dun's "ABC of Chinese Mythology Research": "The story of the Foolish Old Man Moving the Mountain" in "Liezi·Tangwen Chapter" evolved from the myth of Kuafu Zhuri. According to "The Emperor's Two Sons Carrying the Mountain", Kua'e is very likely It evolved from Kuafu.
Tao Yuanming's "Poetry of Reading the Classic of Mountains and Seas" is derived from the "Book of Mountains and Seas". The romantic poet Li Bai's famous poems with the idea of ??traveling to immortals: "Dream Wandering in Heaven", "The Road to Shu is Difficult", "Yin of Liang Fu", "Traveling to the North Wind", and even "Qing Ping Diao"... all originate from the myths of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". Li He's poems also make extensive use of myths from "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". Li Shangyin is one of the leaders who made extensive use of mythological symbols and metaphors in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". Novels written since the Wei and Jin Dynasties: The monsters in Wang Bao's "Sou Shen Ji" are almost derived from the myths in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". Legends of the Tang Dynasty such as "The Legend of Liu Yi" were born out of the evolution of Lingyu (mermaid) in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". The sacrificial song in the "Stele of Han Wengong Temple in Chaozhou" written by the famous Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo: "Riding a dragon in Baiyun Township, Tiansun weaving brocade clothes, Wu Yang chanting the next move" are all directly derived from "Hai Nei Xi Jing".
The Yuan opera "The Injustice of Dou E", the Ming novel "The Romance of the Gods", and the Qing Dynasty Pu Songling's "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" are all in the same line of changing myths in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". The mixed shapes of humans, gods, and beasts in Wu Chengen's "Journey to the West" of the Ming Dynasty, such as Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, are the application of changing myths in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". The anecdotes and forty-one mythical kingdoms in Li Ruzhen's "Flowers in the Mirror" are adaptations of people from distant lands at home and abroad. For example: The Daughter's Kingdom and the Maolian Kingdom are respectively the Women's Kingdom and the Maoist Republic of China in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas"...
Modern dramas: "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl", "The Legend of the White Snake", "Chang'e Flying to the Moon"... all of them are based on the materials Born out of the myth of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". Ancient poems, novels, operas...these are all those who widely use the mythological themes of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", the list is endless. There are also many modern poets who use myths from "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" in their poems: Yang Mu, Yu Guangzhong, Guo Moruo, Qin Zihao, Wu Yingtao... In poems, myths often become allegorical themes of explanation. In short, the myths of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" have shaped many literary themes. Myths and literature are almost two sides of the same body. They are symbolic, imaginative, simple, narrative, emotional, and full of vitality... literary form. Compared with Western myths, the ancient myths in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" are fragmented and crude. However, although it is not a collection of magnificent chapters, if you look closely, you will find pieces of rough jade and beautiful stones, which can be called "treasure mines of Chinese literature".