Chinese Short Stories for Beginners: Fantastic Creatures of the Classic of Mountains and Seas

Learning Mandarin doesn't have to be dull or difficult-this bilingual storybook is designed to make language learning fun!
This book contains ten short stories, each featuring a fantastic creature from the Classic of Mountains and Seas-an ancient Chinese text filled with myths, monsters, and mysteries. Every story in this collection is inspired by original descriptions found in this classic work, creatively retold to bring these legendary beasts to life for young readers around the world.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas (or Shan Hai Jing) is a mysterious Chinese book compiled over 2,000 years ago. It is a rich collection of geography, mythology, and folklore, describing strange lands, exotic plants, and mythical animals such as the nine-tailed fox, the Jingwei bird, and the Zouwu beast. These creatures reflect ancient Chinese views of the world, nature, and imagination.
Whether you're reading for fun, for language learning, or to explore traditional Chinese culture, these animal legends will take you on a wondrous journey across mountains, rivers, and magical lands.
Each story is presented in three formats:
- Simplified Chinese
- Pinyin (to help with pronunciation)
- English translation (for full understanding)