The Spirit Animal Chronicles (Chinese: 灵兽列传) is an ancient Chinese book documenting significant historical events and figures related to spirit animals.
Revisions
Believed to be initially compiled by Ganying the Spirit Tiger during the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was secretly circulated among spirit animals as supplementary biographies to the Records of the Grand Historian (Chinese: 史记) and the Book of Han (Chinese: 汉书).
This book underwent numerous revisions by later spirit animal scholars and was largely finalized by the end of the Qing Dynasty. It covers a wide range of content from the Age of Desolation to the Ming Dynasty, with the “Foreign Regions” section detailing many notable foreign spirit animals, serving as an essential historical source for both Chinese and foreign spirit animals seeking to understand their past.
In contemporary times, this work has been rewritten in vernacular Chinese, supplemented with content from other sources, and enriched with extensive research and annotations, resulting in “Spirit Animal History of Ancient China.” This book is now one of the core textbooks in modern Chinese spirit animal education.
Content
Some notable figures in this book and their historical significance:
- Age of Desolation
- Nüwa the Spirit Loong: a member of the ancient Nüwa tribe, notable for improving astronomical calendars and pottery-making techniques
- Xia / Shang / Zhou Dynasty
- Sariel the Spirit Sheep: a foreign spirit animal, notable for assisting Moses, the leader of the ancient Israelites, during the Exodus
- Daji the Spirit Fox: the last queen of the Shang dynasty, notable for her involvement of Shang’s collapse
- Han Dynasty / Three Kingdoms
- Hongyang the Spirit Gazelle: an economist serving Emperor Wu and Zhao of the Western Han dynasty, notable for his contribution to the northern campaign against the Xiongnu, and the Discourses on Salt and Iron
- Ganying the Spirit Tiger: an envoy sent by the Eastern Han dynasty to the Roman Empire, legendary explorer, notable for extending the Silk Road, fostering international cultural exchange and being the original author of the Spirit Animal Chronicles
- Diaochan the Spirit Weasel: a spirit spell specialist, notable for being the original author of the Essential Spells for Spirit Animals
- Jin / Northern / Southern Dynasties
- Zhanshu the Spirit Rat: the king of chef, notable for establishing the seasoning theories of Chinese culinary, and as a pioneer of the spirit animal association philosophy in China
- Sui / Tang Dynasty
- Wukong the Spirit Monkey: a martial art and spirit spell specialist, translator, notable for traveling to India with the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, fostering international cultural exchange, expanding the Essential Spells for Spirit Animals and the Spirit Animal Chronicles, and discovering the spirit realm of Kongshan Valley
- Song Dynasty
- Suzhen the Spirit Snake: an infamous theif, spirit spell specialist, notable for rescuing and compilation the fragments of Essential Spells for Spirit Animals and expanding the Spirit Animal Chronicles
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