Review
David C. Xu
Coachwhip, Greenville, OH, 2018
263pp.
This is the first book ever on cryptids of China, and it’s
magnificent. David Xu, a Beijing-based writer and editor, has pulled together story
threads from ancient legend to modern sightings from all over China, and in
partnership with Coachwhip has provided a sumptuously illustrated compendium of
creatures from the famous (e.g., the yeti) to creatures virtually unheard of in
the West (e.g., the tuoniao, a large bird reported from Sichuan province). The
book offers short-to-medium-length accounts split into aquatic, humanoid,
carnivorous, herbivorous, reptilian, and winged cryptids. Even as a longtime
reader of cryptozoology, I found surprises on every page, with probably
two-thirds of these creatures completely new to me. China, even in the 21st
century, offers many unknown-animal-reports, and it would be surprising if
none pointed us to new species, either extant or recently extinct, in that vast land.
The author is careful to note than one possible explanation for
most cases include rumor, folklore, and so on. This is pretty easy to apply to creatures such
as a bull with amphibious qualities and a fin on its back (reminiscent of the “water
horse” only using a different animal.) Several variations in color or location
for lions, tigers, etc. are likely odd or wayward examples or small populations
of known species (which makes them no less interesting). Some of these cases are genuinely puzzling.
What to make a of a large hoofed animal a bit like a deer or goat, but
sometimes reported as scaled and with a single horn? Just a unicorn-ish legend?
Maybe, but it’s been seriously reported for over 2,500 years and is still being seen, and we know of animals whose two horns are well aligned to be seen as one from the side. (The author displays
his knowledge of paleontology here by suggesting several presumed-extinct
mammals that might match the sometimes-inconsistent descriptions.) Or, for a
more plausible animal, take the hengziniao, a bird that appears to be a very
large owl that makes startling calls, one described as “heng-heng.” There are not many reports, but nothing about
it seems unrealistic.
The illustrations are frequent and often marvelous, ranging
from ancient woodcuts and sculptures to modern photographs. A special addition, most useful for those of
us who do not know Chinese geography well, is the outstanding map section.
I offer two nitpicks, both concerning lake-dwelling
cryptids. One is that I wish the author had managed to get permission to
publish even one image from the numerous photographs and videos he writes have been taken of the more famous lake
creatures. Reported photographic evidence is frustrating to read about when one
cannot see any of it. The other is that, in introducing us to particular lakes,
the author gives only general descriptions like “large” and does not mention
numbers for the area, volume, or depth of the lake.
These are small deficiencies in a book that is beautiful,
well-written, intriguing, and most definitely fun. There is plenty here for the zoologist, the
folklorist, and the historian alike.
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