Water Margin

Author: Shi Nai'an
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-12-01
Features: The Water Margin is one of the finest long heroic romance novels in China. The book tells the story of the peasant uprising led by Song Jiang during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. This novel was created by a literary writer based on the folk tales of the Water Margin, which were widely circulated among the people. Its status, significance, and value in Chinese literary history not only lie in its detailed and vivid depiction of the entire process of the peasant uprising—from its occurrence, development, and growth to its eventual failure—reflecting the simple life ideals of the peasants and their belief that "rebellion is justified" against the corrupt and oppressive officials, local tyrants, and the entire brutal feudal ruling system. Moreover, it is also celebrated for its creation of a brilliant gallery of peasant uprising heroes, namely the 108 heroes of Liangshan.