Paper short abstract:

There are fascination and complexity surrounding the evolution of merpeople in ancient China, throughout which the transformation of merpeople has progressed from simplistic duality to multifaceted diversity. The history of the merpeople reflects the relationship between human and nature.

Paper long abstract:

There are fascination and complexity surrounding the evolution of merpeople culture in ancient China, throughout which the transformation of merpeople has progressed from the state of simplistic duality to that of multifaceted diversity. The journey began with merpeople patterns on painted Neolithic-era pottery, which paved the way for the history merpeople. In the pre-Qin period, The Classic of Mountains and Seas depicted a plethora of merpeople’s images, each unique in name, appearance, and supernatural abilities. The merpeople culture encapsulates humans’ desire to resurrect after death as mortals, communication between heaven and earth, and a body devoid of ailments. The seamless integration of the human and piscine elements poignantly illustrates the unity and harmony between ancient people and nature. The Wei and Jin dynasties further highlighted this harmonious relationship, during which images of merpeople weaving and shedding tears were drawn as gestures of gratitude towards humans. The Tang and Song dynasties saw the merpeople evolve into enticing and beautiful female sea creatures that mingled with humans — a transformation that bears significant similarities to the seductive figures of sirens found in Western medieval churches. This evolution of merpeople’s image in the time reflects the human aspiration for a close bond with nature. The Ming and Qing dynasties saw a return to the benevolent and virtuous images of merpeople, juxtaposed with the enticing and calamitous sea women brimming with malevolence. The portrayal of these contrasting images mirrors the ambivalence of humankind towards nature, embodying both the fear towards and longing for nature.