在我国古代浩如烟海的文化典籍中，《山海经》是相当独特的一部。它涵盖了上古地理、天文、历史神话、气象、动物、植物、矿藏、医药、宗教等方面的诸多内容，可以说是上古社会生活的一部百科全书。纵观中华五千年文明史，这样的奇书实在是独一无二，它对我们认识和研究上古文明起着举足轻重的作用。

《山海经》顾名思义，它是以山为经，以海为纬来记述上古社会的。书中的山海观念，囊括了名山棋布的海内华夏和四海之外的广大世界，含有天下和全世界的意义。“经”是经历、经过的意思，有别于儒家的经典之意，综合而言，山海经是上古先民对自己进行世界的一次记述。

——摘自中华书局出版《山海经》序言


Among the vast cultural classics of ancient China, the Classic of Mountains and Seas is a quite unique one. It covers many aspects of ancient geography, astronomy, historical mythology, meteorology, animals, plants, minerals, medicine, religion, and can be said to be an encyclopedia of ancient social life. Throughout the 5000 year history of Chinese civilization, such a unique book plays a crucial role in our understanding and research of ancient civilization.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas, as the name suggests, records ancient society with mountains as the scripture and the sea as the latitude. The concept of mountains and seas in the book encompasses the vast world beyond the four seas and the vast interior of China, which is dotted with famous mountains, and carries the significance of both the world and the whole world. "Jing" means experience and process, which is different from the classic meaning of Confucianism. Overall, the Shan Hai Jing is a record of the world by ancient ancestors.

——Excerpted from the preface of "Shan Hai Jing" published by Zhonghua Book Company