Most of our knowledge of Chinese mythology comes from ancient texts which have been copied and re-copied by generations of librarians, copyists and editors over thousands of years. In most cases the original texts – which were written on slips of wood – have ceased to exist. Thus the myths that we have today are sometimes incomplete, or sometimes inconsistent. All the same, the mythology of ancient China is one of the most fascinating in the world.

Here are some myths and legends from this ancient land.