Heritage of Heroes

Author: Guo Xun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: Popular fiction has always originated from the common people and circulated among the masses, finding it difficult to enter the realm of high culture. However, The Legend of the Founding Heroes emerged from the Ming Dynasty court, being a product crafted by Guo Xun, a prince of the Ming Dynasty, to fulfill his personal political ambitions and to please the emperor, as well as to manipulate public opinion. The Legend of the Founding Heroes turned the history of the ruling party's founding of the country into a novel, opening a taboos for the creation of historical fiction in the Ming Dynasty. Since Guo Xun set this precedent, other works followed in quick succession. It can be said that The Legend of the Founding Heroes pioneered the trend of Ming Dynasty people writing novels about the history of their own dynasty, making a significant contribution to the history of Chinese fiction. The Legend of the Founding Heroes formally represents the general level of historical fiction in the Ming Dynasty before the middle and late Ming period. It was slightly refined during the Wanli era, but there was no significant progress in its artistry. It is like an uncut jade, rough and unpolished. If it had been meticulously polished and artfully carved by masters such as Feng Menglong or Chu Renhuo, it would have become a dazzling gem.