Editing Chinese mythology (section)

=====Han dynasty=====
The [[Han dynasty]] existed from 206 BCE – 220 CE (with a brief intermission separating it into two halves). Han was preceded by the short-lived [[Qin dynasty]], 221 to 206 BC, which has some important surviving literature. In the Qin and Han periods, besides the ''Chuci'', useful historical documents include the ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'', completed by Han historian [[Sima Qian]] before his death in about 220 CE. Legends were passed down for over a thousand years before being written in books such as ''[[Classic of Mountains and Seas]]'' (''Shanhaijing''), basically a [[gazetteer]] mixing known and mythological geography. Another major Han source on mythology is the ''[[Huainanzi]]''.