answering questions

of the power of goats and sheep from the early medical text The Di-

vine Farmer’s Classic of Remedies (Shennong bencaojing, late 3rd cent.

b.c.e.) where the horn of the Gu, a black ram, is recommended for

frightening o demons, tigers, and wolves as well as to eliminate

fright.22

12. C H A N G F U - B I R D ( C H A N G F U ) ij There is a bird dwelling here on Foundation Mountain whose form resembles a chicken with three

heads, six eyes, six feet, and three wings. It is called the Changfu. Eating it will prevent sleep.23

13. N I N E - T A I L F O X ( J I U W E I H U ) E¿∞ Three hundred li farther

east is Green-Hills Mountain, where much jade can be found on its south slope and green

cinnabar on its north. There is a beast here whose form resembles a fox with nine tails. It

makes a sound like a baby and is a man-eater. Whoever eats it will be protected against

insect-poison (gu).24 The ancient Chinese greatly feared a kind of poison man-

8 8 P L A T E I V

13

15

12

14

11

ufactured from insects known as gu. The graph appears as early as the Shang oracle-

bone inscriptions and is a picture of three virulent insects in a container stinging one

another, a process that yields an extremely toxic substance. Its many uses and knowl-

edge of its antidotes were associated with wu-shamans and others who were considered

masters of black magic.25 Nine-Tail Foxes were generally regarded as auspicious crea-

tures. In one ancient myth, Yu the Great was seeking an omen that he marry and en-

countered a white fox with nine tails, which he interpreted as a sign that he would be

successful. This fox sometimes appears in Han art along with the Queen Mother of the

West [nos. 65, 275] in her later role as a goddess of immortality at Mount Kunlun. Ac-

cording to the Debates in the White Tiger Hall (Baihutong, late 1st cent. c.e.), the fox’s

nine tails symbolize abundant progeny.26

14. G U A N G U A N - B I R D ( G U A N G U A N ) ÈÈ There is a bird here on

Green-Hills Mountain whose form resembles a dove and that makes a sound like a man

shouting. It is called the Guanguan. Wearing a part of it from the belt will prevent mental

confusion.27 The Compendium of Mr. Lü considered this bird’s flesh a delicacy

when roasted. The poet Tao Qian (365–427) also celebrated this bird in the twelfth of

his “Thirteen Poems upon Reading the Guideways through Mountains and Seas” (Du

shanhaijing shisan shou, 422):

On Green-Hills Mountain is a unique bird

That speaks and appears of its own accord.

It was born to help those in confusion,

Not to caution the Noble Man.28

15. R E D R U - F I S H ( C H I R U ) ™a The Eminent River flows forth from

Green-Hills Mountain southward into Carp-Wings Lake. Many Red Ru-Fish are found in

the lake. It has the basic form of a fish with a human face and makes a sound like a man-

darin duck. Eating it will prevent scabies.29 According to another version

noted by Guo Pu, eating it will protect against epidemics.30

P L A T E V

16. M O U N T A I N G O D ( S H E N ) ´ The ten mountains from the first peak,

Shaking Mountain in the Magpie Mountains to Winnower-Tail Mountain, extend 2,950

li in length. The gods of these mountains all have the form of a bird’s body with a dragon’s

head. The proper sacrifice to them is an animal of a single color and the burial of a jade

blade. The grain o ering is glutinous rice along with a jade disc and unhulled rice. White

reeds should be used for the ceremonial mats.31 The gods of each of the guide-

ways in the Guideways through Mountains form distinct groups and often share simi-

lar physical features. They must be sacrificed to by representatives of the government,

by the local people, and especially by travelers. In earliest times, such a airs were prob-

ably carried out by wu-shamans and other ritual specialists. In the background of the

illustration is the tip of a roof, which is the artist’s anachronistic vision of a sacrificial

temple reflecting the later, more elaborate architectural style of temples. In ancient China,

such local altars and shrines were more likely outdoor stages or simple structures.

P L A T E S I V – V 8 9