Records of Chinese mythology can be traced back to 2000 B.C., though the stories were told long before then.
The myths and legends were passed down in oral form over thousand of years, before being written in books such as Shan Hai Jing.
The Chinese worshipped a number of different gods in the form of mountains, trees, rivers, clouds, the sun, and the moon.
Over time, the Chinese also prayed to their ancestors.
Today, Chinese mythology comes from the ancient gods and three major systems of belief, Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.
Some Chinese myths survive in theatrical or literary formats, such as plays or novels.
