Yu the Shaman-King said, “Within heaven and earth and the four directions, inside the four seas, everything is lit by the sun and moon, circled by the stars in the sky, regulated by the four seasons, and ruled by the Star of the Year. Things that come from the Great Spirit differ in shape and size. Some live out long lives and some die accidentally. Only the enlightened ones understand the natural way of things and see their place in the universe.”

The sage Hsia-chi said, “There are things that do not require the Great Spirit to make them and yet they exist. They do not require the energies of yin and yang to nourish them, nor the sun and moon to light them. They do not need protection to live a long life, nor do they die accidental deaths. They keep warm without clothing, they are filled without needing grains, and they can travel without boats or vehicles. This is the natural way of things.”

Later on, when Yu was helping to fight the Great Flood, he lost his way and stumbled into a country far up north. When he asked the inhabitants where he was, they told him he was in the North Country, thousands of miles from his home.

Yu soon found that there were a lot of unusual things in this country. The people had no idea of where the boundaries of the country lay. Where they lived there were no storms or snow, no wild animals, and no forests. They lived on a great plain with miles of grassland. In the middle of the plain was a mountain shaped like a jug. On top of the mountain was a spring. The waters of the spring were sweet and fragrant and they flowed down the mountainside in four clear and sparkling streams. The streams carried the waters all over the land. They regulated the climate and neutralized poisonous gas.

The people were gentle and friendly. Their bodies were soft, their hearts were open, and their minds were clear. Everybody lived together in harmony. There were no quarrels, no jealousies, and no pride. The old lived with the young. There were no politicians or leaders. Men and women mingled freely, and there were no social conventions such as courting or marriage. Everyone lived by the water. There was no need to cultivate crops or weave cloth for clothing. The people died naturally after living out a hundred years. No one died of illness or disease, and no one was killed accidentally. The people lived in happiness and contentment and did not know anxiety, sorrow, decay, death, or pain.

The people there also loved music and song. They danced and sang all day. When they were tired or when they got hungry, all they needed was to drink the sweet waters of the magic spring and they would be filled with energy again. If they drank too much, they would sleep for ten days. If they bathed in the waters, their bodies would renew their vigor and carry the fragrance of the waters for many days.

When the Emperor Mou of Ch’ou went on his spirit journey, he visited this North Country and stayed there for three years. After he returned home, he thought about this country often and was so occupied with his thoughts that he could neither eat nor sleep.

This country was so unusual that Kuan-chung, the advisor to the king of Ch’i, encouraged his lord to visit it. The two men were about to set out for this fabled land when another minister counseled the king and said, “My lord, why travel to a foreign land when you have everything in your own country? Look around the kingdom of Ch’i. Our mountains and rivers are beautiful, our plains are wide, and our people are happy. Our land yields bountiful harvests and we do not lack anything. You court is filled with splendor, your ministers are loyal, your soldiers strong, and your subjects are cultured. Everything you could ever want is back here at home. Why do you want to travel to lands that are on the borders of our civilization? Kuan-chung must be fantasizing again.”

When the king reported this to Kuan-ching, the advisor simply replied, “This is not something that our friend will understand, I’m afraid if we do not keep the search for the North Country alive, we shall never find it. As for the prosperity of our country, why be so attached to what we have? As for our friend’s words, do you really think they carry good advice?”