Ecology Consciousness in “The Classical Legends of Mountains and Seas"

Abstract

          The Classical Legends of Mountains and Seas” recorded information of important mountains and rivers in China, a lot of mythological stories and tales about strange persons and animals. The first part of this book was probably written during the Qin Dynasty. The last two parts were compiled during the first half of the Han Dynasty. The scholars of the Han Dynasty have researched and concluded that the content in the “The Classical Legends of Mountains and Seas” meets much of the reality, especially the locations of many mountains and rivers specified in the book are reliable. Later, the scholars in the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty gave the opinion that “The Classical Legends of Mountains and Seas” is a novel. There is no truth. When the Chinese academic circle was influenced by the theories of western humanities and social sciences, this makes the interpretations of this literary works more various.

          This article aimed to study the relationship between man and his physical environment reflected in “The Classical Legends of Mountains and Seas" by using the ecocriticism and Chinese philosophy approach. This is obviously an interdisciplinary study, using a combination of natural science and humanistic disciplines to explain and interpret the literary texts. It was found that the harmony between man and nature concept was reflected in “The Classical Legends of Mountains and Seas". This harmony concept has profound influences on Chinese culture and Chinese philosophy in later periods.