Background & setting
The Shanhaijing places Kuafu in a northern world of giants and extraordinary journeys. Its short sun-chasing account links thirst, great rivers and a transformed staff. Another passage gives him a death involving Yinglong; the two strands should remain visible rather than silently merged.
The story
Kuafu races after the sun. As he approaches it, thirst overwhelms him. He drinks from the Yellow River and the Wei River, but their water is not enough. He turns toward a great marsh in the north, seeking more.
He dies before he can reach it. In the brief account in Beyond the Seas: North, the staff he leaves behind becomes Denglin, traditionally understood as a grove. Later tellings often describe peach trees that offer shade and fruit to those who follow.
The story holds together extraordinary ambition and bodily limits. A different passage in the same collection places Kuafu within another narrative involving Yinglong. Ancient compilations can preserve several accounts without resolving them into one biography.
How to read it
“Chasing the sun” can praise bold aspiration or question overreaching. Both readings have a place in the story’s reception.
Where this telling comes from
Classic of Mountains and Seas, Beyond the Seas: North; compare Great Wilderness: North.
- Classic of Mountains and Seas ↗
A layered collection of geography, beings and traditions: Jingwei in the Northern Mountains; Kuafu in Beyond the Seas: North; many accounts of Kunlun and unusual creatures.
An original introductory retelling · Sources consulted October 10, 2026.