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Author: Feng Menglong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: A Warning to the World was published in the fourth year of the Tianqi reign (1624) and contains forty volumes, featuring forty tales in the style of colloquial stories. The last tale, The Iron Tree Exorcising Evil at the Jingyang Palace, is, in terms of length and content, already a medium-length novel. Many of the stories included in A Warning to the World are widely known. The White Snake and the Leifeng Pagoda evolved into The Legend of the White Snake, one of China's four great folk tales. The ending of the tale features Fahu leaving a verse that reads, "When the Leifeng Pagoda collapses, the White Snake will be reborn." This has led to the later adaptation of the plot, where the pagoda is destroyed to rescue the White Snake, becoming an important supplementary detail. Some historically famous figures, such as Li Bai, Zhao Kuangyin, Wang Anshi, Su Dongpo, and Tang Bohu, are brought to life through the tales, leaving readers with unforgettable impressions. Themes of love and marriage dominate the book, with the compiler emphasizing sincere affection between men and women, advocating for independent choice in marriage, and promoting mutual respect between partners. The book also expresses great sympathy for oppressed women, such as Du Shisi and Yu Tangchun. Zhang Hao's Encounter with the Mandarin Duck at the Fragrance Pavilion shares some similarities with The Story of the Western Chamber, but intentionally alters the course of the story. The ending sees the magistrate ruling that Zhang Sheng and Yingying marry through a lawsuit. This serves as a powerful critique of the Tang Dynasty's Story of Yingying and a clever transformation of the Yuan Dynasty's The Story of the Western Chamber. Yingying's actions not only represent the defense of women's rights but also reflect the ancient emphasis on evidence and adherence to rituals. Of course, this carries the author's idealistic elements, but it also demonstrates the progressive nature of his thinking. It must be acknowledged that the book also reflects various feudal ideologies and even superstitions about ghosts and gods, which should be critically examined and discarded.