Fabled Realms of the Isles of the Blest 十洲记

Also known as Records of the Ten Continents Within the Seas or Records of the Ten Continents and Three Islands.

Its original attribution is "Compiled by Dongfang Shuo".

Fabled Realms of the Isles of the Blest

Research has confirmed that it is presumably a work falsely attributed to him by alchemists and immortality seekers between the late Han Dynasty and the Wei and Jin dynasties. It was first recorded as a single volume in The Bibliography of the Sui Shu. There are numerous surviving editions in later generations, and it is included in the Biographical Category under The Dongxuan Section of The Daozang. Its full text is also included in Volume 26 of Seven Bamboo Slips of the Cloud Satchel.

The book narrates the locations, territories, products, and strange anecdotes of the Ten Continents and Three Islands. The brief preface at the beginning states: Emperor Wu of the Han heard from the Queen Mother of the West that there were ten continents in the vast seas in the eight directions, all uninhabited lands rarely trodden by humans. He then summoned Dongfang Shuo to a secluded chamber and personally inquired about the locations and notable features of the Ten Continents. Dongfang Shuo responded in detail, vividly describing the magnificence and wonder of the divine continents and immortal islands in an ornate, hyperbolic and fantastical style.

The epilogue notes that Emperor Wu of the Han clung to mortal desires and failed to master all of Dongfang Shuo's arts, thus he did not attain immortality. This book has been frequently quoted in poems and prose by literati in later generations and exerted a far-reaching influence.