Mythical beasts come alive

Speaking about how his art can help, Shi says: "The Shan Hai Jing has more than 31,000 words and the myths are scattered through it. So, modern readers may feel at a loss if they read it for the first time."

Referring to his book, Shi is happy that children appreciate the details in the pictures, such as swirling clouds.

Separately, Shi is also surprised that his book has found fans abroad. But he adds that: "Shan Hai Jing not only records the geography of China, but also penguins in the Antarctic as well as many species from South America.

"The images of mermaids and unicorns in Western literature are described in Shan Hai Jing. And images of human-faced birds and human-headed snakes are also found in Western mythology."

Besides Shan Hai Jing, Shi is also fascinated by other ancient Chinese literary works and art forms.

And he hopes that he can find creative ways to depict this traditional culture.

"China's traditional culture is a tremendous treasure, and I hope more people can enjoy it," he says.