Zhang Jinshuo, chief curator of popular science at the National Zoological Museum of China, points out that, in recent years, translated works from the West have often been the favored resource. The new book, he says, offers an opportunity for readers to appreciate a record of domestic natural history.

"The paintings' exquisite details bring the creatures to life," Zhang says. "They show a colorful world of natural history."

He adds that if things like the somewhat vague portrayal of some animals through error and imagination "are viewed in the bigger picture of history and society, it will still greatly help us to have a clearer view of our own cultural traditions".