FELIZ ANO NUEVO CHINO

A most bizarre misinterpretation: a poster published in Spain during the 2016 Chinese Spring Festival depicted a lionfaced dragon with 16 short legs and a triangular shaped tail, which allin-all resembled a giant caterpillar.

最极端的西方谬误例子：2016年春节西班牙发布的一款庆祝中国传统春节的海报，海报中的龙有16条短腿，头部像狮子，还有三角形的尾巴，看整体造型，更像一只硕大无比的毛毛虫。

date back to the chaotic days of the universe when everything was new and undefi ned. The encounters between early humans and animals of all kinds that lived a nearly invisible life in jungles were very much limited. The lack of knowledge of the appearance and habits of the animals created gaps that had to be fi lled by the human imagination. Though illusions exist in great numbers, there is still much fun and wisdom to seek behind the story-telling and the image creations related to nature, which have long been embedded into the cultural legacy of ancient China.

Unfortunately, the images of Chinese mythical creations have been little understood by people other than the Chinese themselves. As John Barrow, a member of the Macartney Mission sent by Great Britain to China in 1793, recounted in his Travels in China, “The teeth-baring strange and grotesque beasts, like lions, dragons, and snakes, built on top of roofs or along eaves are anything but being tasteful, practical and beautiful.”

Customs backed by Tales

Tales of ancient times were secretly passed on from mouth-to-mouth, and had a lasting infl uence on customs and folklore. Take Monster Nian (literally means Monster Year) for example, he was depicted as human-shaped hairy monster, but spoke a nonhuman language. Every year, this monster came out once from the mountains into towns to scare children and spread diseases. People later found that the noise and bright light of fi recrackers could scare the monster away. This tale explains why Chinese people light fi recrackers during Chinese New Year. It is one of the few myths that still have a great infl uence on Chinese people's life.

The original form of Monster Nian in the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas is called Xiaoyang, who likes to catch people and laughs out loud when he does. When he had enough of his wild laughter, he then starts to eat his prey. In Yongzhou, Hunan Province, myths like this are still widely spread, which shows its great infl uence.

Due to people's decreased faith in them, some mythical creatures of the ancient times have been degraded into spirits and monsters; others lose their halo, and no longer deemed as gods. However, one thing is certain: they will remain symbols of auspiciousness and will always be loved by the Chinese.

1. Monster Xiaoyang, Emperor Qianlong's reign, Qing Dynasty枭阳，据乾隆版《增补绘像山海经》。2. “Monster Xiaoyang has a human face, long lips and is covered in black hair with heels that face forwards. He laughs when he sees a human,” recorded in Guideways Through Mountains and Seas.《山海经·海内南经》载：“枭阳国在北朐之西，其为人，人面长唇，黑身有毛，反踵，见人则笑。”这里提到的枭阳样子像人，嘴唇长可遮过额头，浑身黑毛，脚掌朝后，披头散发，手执竹筒。

Sheng Wenqiang

A researcher of Zhiguai (Strange Tales) and author of A Brief History of Sea Monsters, Biographies of Fishing Tools and Notes of the Peninsular.

盛文强

作家，志怪研究者，著有《海怪简史》《渔具列传》《半岛手记》等。

Monster Bi Jian drawn in the 6th year of Emperor Jiaqing's reign, Qing Dynasty.比肩兽，《尔雅音图》，清嘉庆六年刊本。

距今4000多年前的一天，黄帝东巡至海边，看见海中突然冒出一头神兽，能够口吐人言，这头怪兽名叫白泽。白泽的长相，历来是众说纷纭的疑案，有人说像麒麟，也有人说像狮子，不过长着山羊胡，还有的观点认为白泽即独角兽。

可以确定的是，白泽是最为渊博的神兽，黄帝向它请教天下鬼神妖怪，白泽一一道来，共计11520种，并有破解之法，黄帝命人记录下来，编订为《白泽图》。

《白泽图》是一种极为古老的志怪样本了，可惜多数已经散佚，只有为数不多的敦煌钞本残卷保存至今。相对而言，上古奇书《山海经》更像是中国怪兽的百科全书，有九尾狐、天狗、夔、犰狳、猰貐、穷奇等神兽，是神兽的大爆发。《山海经》中的神兽无疑是一种拼贴术的奇观：器官的拼贴和物种之间的嫁接，都使神兽显得怪诞不经。不过，有趣的人总能从中找到思维的乐趣，神兽们挑战着想象的极限。

1. Bronze feng bird in front of Tihe Palace故宫体和殿前的……