Fantasy world knows no bounds

Like many artists, Li sometimes struggles with self-doubt during the creation process, unsure if his work is worthwhile or will be appreciated. When this happens, the book's writer, Liang Chao, offers encouragement. Liang, a journalism student at Sichuan University with a passion for The Classic of Mountains and Seas, met Li through shared interests, which led to their collaboration.

"He wanted our work to engage with mainstream culture rather than being too niche or unconventional. While I was creating, if my work became too dark or offbeat, he would guide me back on track," Li says.

"With his knowledge of ancient mythology, he believed my work could engage in a dialogue with mainstream mythology, which gave me confidence," Li says.

In the original text, the creature called Qie Zhi is described as having an owl-like head, but Li gives it a hawk's head, a choice he says was deliberate.

"I had many discussions with Liang about how to design certain creatures," he says.

"For modern people, mythology might simply be something rich in imagination and stories, like a treasure trove of creativity ready to be explored. But for ancient people, it was more a way for them to know the world," he says.

"Those creatures might really exist, but people who created mythology or The Classic of Mountains and Seas, limited in their language, experience, and knowledge, could not describe the creatures accurately," he notes.

For example, when encountering a squid for the first time, an ancient northerner might describe it as a human head with eight walking beards, which could sound frightening, he says.

"You're not simply interpreting things from a modern perspective; you need to put yourself in the shoes of an ancient person whose knowledge about the world was minimal," he says.