Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Mythological Creatures

If you caught the latest Marvel release over the weekend, you might have wondered about the Chinese mythological creatures depicted therein. They mostly come out of Shan Hai Jing, "The Book of Mountains and Seas," an anonymous ancient tract describing world geography as well as fauna that might or might not have been real. Here is a spoiler-free run-down of the fanciful creatures, with digressions to Afghanistan, medieval England, the Arctic, and the works of Kafka and Borges.

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