A nine-tail fox (Photo provided to China Daily)
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.
