The Classic of Mountains and Rivers, also known as Shan Hai Jing, has been regarded as a "strange book" since its appearance in China pre-Qin Dynasty. On the basis of its title, most people would assume that it is a survey record of ancient geography, but its descriptions of the "mountains and rivers" include encyclopedic entries—such as animals, plants, minerals, religion, history, medicine, customs, and ethnic groups. Also, it gives accounts of many folk legends of mythic geography, monsters, and witchcraft. No matter labeled as a book of geography, a book of history, or a book of strange stories, it is a Chinese ancient classic that deserves to be read over and over again.

But as a book compiled about 2,500 to 3,000 years ago, its context and words are difficult to understand for modern readers. The Classic of Mountains and Rivers for Teenagers series is just designed to make this classic more understandable and readable. It illustrates the most essential parts of the Classic of Mountains and Rivers with simple words, animated illustrations, and interdisciplinary approaches, and introduces young readers to the understandings of Chinese ancestors on land and nature. Not only is it a book series for teenagers, but also an encyclopedia of traditional Chinese geography and culture for adults.

The series contains three books, and A Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers is the first one. It briefly introduces the creation process and main contributors of the Classic of Mountains and Rivers, and tells stories about geography in ancient China including mountains, rivers, creatures, and minerals as well as the plain but vital spirit for scientific discovery of Chinese ancestors.