山海經·海內南經 Classic of Regions Within the Southern Seas

The lands within the seas, from the southeastern corner westward.

Ou lies in the midst of the sea. Min lies in the midst of the sea, with mountains to its northwest. Another account says the mountains in Min lie in the midst of the sea.

Mount Santianzi Zhang lies north of the sea west of Min. Another account says it lies in the midst of the sea.

The Eight Trees of Guilin lie east of Panyu.

The Country of Bolü, the Country of Li'er (Pierced Ears), the Country of Diaoti (Tattooed Foreheads), and the Country of Beiqu all lie south of the Yu River. The Yu River rises in Xiangling south of the sea. Another name is Xianglü.

The Country of Xiaoyang lies west of Beiqu. Its people have human faces with long lips, black bodies covered in hair, and backwards-pointing heels. When they see people laughing, they laugh too; they hold a bamboo flute in their left hand.

The Si rhinoceros dwells east of Shun's burial place, south of the Xiang River; its form resembles an ox, dark greenish-black, with a single horn.

On Mount Cangwu, Thearch Shun is buried on the sunny southern side, and Thearch Danzhu is buried on the shaded northern side.

The Fan Forest spans three hundred li square; it lies east of the xingxing.

The xingxing knows human names. As a beast, it resembles a pig with a human face; it dwells west of Shun's burial place.

Northwest of the xingxing is the rhinoceros (xiniu); its form resembles an ox and it is black.

A minister of Lord Qi of Xia was named Mengtu; he presided as arbiter deity in Ba. When people brought litigation to Mengtu's seat, those whose garments were stained with blood were arrested, while the innocent sued for life. He dwells atop a mountain west of Mount Dan.

The Yayu has a dragon's head; it dwells in the Ruo River west of the xingxing. Its form resembles a chu beast with a dragon's head, and it devours humans.

There is a tree whose trunk is stout like an ox; when peeled, its bark comes off like tassel-cords and yellow serpents. Its leaves resemble gauze netting, its fruits resemble luan seeds, and its wood resembles the ou tree; its name is the Jianmu (Connecting Tree). It stands west of the Yayu, beside the Ruo River.

The Country of the Diren (Di People) lies west of the Jianmu Tree. Its people have human faces and fish bodies, with no feet.

The Ba Serpent devours elephants, expelling their bones after three years. When gentlemen ingest its flesh, they remain free of ailments of the heart and abdomen. In appearance it is a serpent striped in azure, yellow, red, and black. Another account says it is a black serpent with an azure head, dwelling west of the rhinoceros.

The Maoma resembles a horse, with tufts of long hair on its four fetlocks. It dwells northwest of the Ba Serpent, south of the high mountains.

The Xiongnu, the Country of Kaiti, and the Country of Lieren all lie together in the northwest.