China has a long history. Many stories are hidden in ancient books. One of these books
(be) Shan Hai Jing. It is a special book that tells us about the geography and culture of China before a time called the Qin Dynasty. It is (real) like a treasure box. There are many Chinese myths (神话) in it.
No one knows for sure wrote the wonderful book. And the time when it was written is also (certain). People once thought mythical figures (人物) wrote it. For a long time, figures like Yu the Great or Boyi (think) to be the writer.
Shan Hai Jing talks about many things. It talks about more than 550 mountains and 300 waterways. There are stories of 400 mythical creatures (神怪异兽), . The book has about 31,000 Chinese characters. There are some oldest stories about how the world (begin). One story is about the Great Pangu. He created the world. There are also stories about Nu Wa. She repaired the sky. Another story is about a great person—Kua Fu. He tried (run) after the sun.
The book is like bridge from the past to today. The stories have been passed down from parents to (child) in China for many, many years.
