In the minds of most people, Chinese monsters are usually associated with various strange and supernatural creatures in novels and stories. For example, the monster featured in the first episode of “Yao-Chinese Folktales” titled “Nobody” is from the famous novel “Journey to the West”.
The inspiration for the second episode's story titled “Goose Mountain” comes from a Southern Dynasty supernatural novel called “Yang Xian Shu Sheng”. The animation depicts scenes of monsters devouring each other, creating a creepy atmosphere that vividly portrays an imaginative interpretation of “Chinese monsters” and “Chinese aesthetics”.
These ancient Chinese monsters or rather Chinese demons have been passed down for thousands of years; therefore more excellent works like “Yao-Chinese Folktales” are needed to celebrate their unique charm.
The textual records of monster images date back to the pre-Qin period, with a history spanning more than two thousand years. The “Shanhaijing (山海经, Classic of Mountains and Seas)” is the pioneer in this field and also known as the ancestor of ancient and modern strange stories. The original version of “Shanhaijing” was illustrated; however, those ancient illustrations were lost during Han dynasty, leaving only Ming-Qing engraved illustrations for us to reference.
Artist Ren Caifeng attempts to discover an old yet novel way in imagery, which recreates antique illustrations from “Shanhaijing” with a style that has never been seen before on the market. After graduating from China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Ren has always been committed to promoting traditional Eastern aesthetics.
Based on traditional meticulous painting techniques and inspired by Classic of Mountains and Seas mythology, he restored 150 volumes depicting exotic beasts, witnessing some most imaginative creatures imaginable in China's culture such as Jingwei, Qilin, Nine-tailed Fox along with lesser-known monsters like Bo Yi (猼訑), Chang You (长右) and Qu Ru (瞿如), presenting them in their most bizarre yet original appearance ever depicted.
If we only look at the text, the description of monsters in “Shanhaijing” is quite confusing. For example: “又西三百五十里，曰天山，多金玉，有青雄黄。英水出焉，而西南流注于汤谷。有神焉，其状如黄囊，赤如丹火，六足四翼，浑敦无面目，是识歌舞，实惟帝江也。”
“Three hundred and fifty li to the west is Tian Mountain, where there are many gold and jade treasures, as well as Qingxionghuang. The Ying River flows out from here and flows southwest into Luori Valley. There is a god-like creature with a yellow bag-like appearance that glows like red flames. It has six legs and four wings but no facial features; it can sing and dance exceptionally well, this creature is called Di Jiang.”
With such a vague description like having six legs, four wings without any facial features yet capable of singing and dancing well would make it difficult for most people to imagine what kind of monster it could be? However, Ren Caifeng based on these few crucial pieces information provided by the text was able to give an accurate image, portraying a plump reddish-tan-colored monster jumping off the paper, which may have been closest to what ancient people imagined Di Jiang would look like.
Another example: “又北三百五十里，曰钩吾之山，其上多玉，其下多铜。有兽焉，其状如羊身人面，其目在腋下，虎齿人爪，其音如婴儿，名曰狍鸮，是食人。”
“Three hundred and fifty li to the north is Guowu Mountain, where there is a lot of jade on top and copper at the bottom. There is an animal that looks like a sheep with a human face; its eyes are under its armpits. It has tiger teeth and human-like claws. It makes sounds like a crying baby, and it's called Pao Xiao, it eats humans.”
What kind of creature could have such bizarre features? Ren Caifeng was able to restore this unusual monster named “Pao Xiao” based on ancient people's imagination- Upon seeing it now it doesn't look as terrifying but instead possesses an air of dominance typically found in antagonists.
Apart from these two strange creatures mentioned above, there are many new interpretations given to classic mythical beasts in the book such as Nuwa, Xingtian, Tiangou, Houyi, etc., totaling 150 repainted monsters showcasing their splendor fully.
Restoring the image of monsters in “Shanhaijing” is a complex task that requires not only exceptional traditional Chinese painting skills but also a unique understanding of its ancient meaning. When Ren Caifeng created his paintings, he imagined himself having the eyes of an ancient person. This way, he could cross time and space to see what ancestors saw when they wrote “Shanhaijing”. That's how it should be represented.
In fact, Chinese monster images are very similar to living people. Ren Caifeng fused animalistic features into human nature as part of his artistic interpretation, makes the unique charm sought after within Chinese mythical beast imagery.
In recent years, most works related to “Shanhaijing” have mixed styles, with few retaining an authentic Chinese flavor. However, the Ming-Qing version of “Shanhaijing” has ancient yet profound possibilities for creative interpretation.
This new rendition of Ren Caifeng's “Shanhaijing” presents never-before-seen illustrations in a unique style that is based on traditional Chinese painting techniques. He not only imitated ancient art but also re-created it using his own understanding after experiencing traditional paintings.
As a classic work from ancient China's culture, it is essential that this new illustrated edition retains its roots in traditional Chinese painting while incorporating modern perspectives into its interpretation. Mineral plant pigments are used within the artwork following traditions inherited from previous generations to create exemplary contemporary Chinese paintings.
This professional yet entertaining version of “Shanhaijing”, makes you feel like those long-lost depictions have been passed down to our generation today.