Journey to the West (Mechanism Xuan Paper, Silk Thread Bound)

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Wooden box, preserving the original collection of books, each set of books is equipped with a set of white maple boxes, the surface is manually carved with exquisite patterns, making this book look luxurious and high-end, outstanding, antique, and can be a great choice for home collection and gift. "The Journey to the West" mainly describes the story of Sun Wukong protecting Tang Monk to the West to obtain the scriptures, experiencing ninety-nine and eight difficulties. The journey to the West is a real event in history. About 1,300 years ago, in the first year of the Zhenguan reign (627), a young monk named Xuanzang, only 25 years old, left the capital Chang'an and went alone to India (India) for studies. After leaving Chang'an, he passed through Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, overcoming all kinds of difficulties and obstacles, and finally reached India. There, he studied for over two years and was praised as a speaker at a large Buddhist scripture debate. In the 19th year of the Zhenguan reign (645), Xuanzang returned to Chang'an, bringing back 657 Buddhist scriptures. This journey to the West took 19 years and covered tens of thousands of miles, a legendary long march that caused a sensation at the time. Later, Xuanzang dictated his travels to the West, which were compiled by his disciple Bianji into the "Great Tang Records of the Western Regions" in 12 volumes. However, this book mainly described the history, geography, and transportation of the countries along the way, with little story. Later, his disciples Huili and Yancong wrote the "Biography of the Three Jewels of the Great Tang Daci'en Temple," which added many mythical elements to Xuanzang's experiences, and from then on, the story of Tang Monk's journey to the West began to spread widely in the folk. In the Southern Song Dynasty, there was "The Journey to the West in Poetry," in the Jin Dynasty, there were "Tang Sanzang" and "Peach Blossom Banquet" in the court plays, and in the Yuan Dynasty, there were Wu Cheng'en's "Tang Sanzang's Journey to the West" and an anonymous "Nezha Locks the Great Sage" in the operas, all of which laid the foundation for the creation of "The Journey to the West." Wu Cheng'en also completed this great literary masterpiece that made the Chinese nation proud, based on folk legends, stories, and operas, through hard work and creativity. Wu Cheng'en, styled Ruzhong, styled Sheyang Mountain Man, was from Shanyang (now Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province). He was born around the 13th year of the Hongzhi reign to the early Zhengde reign (1500–1510) and died around the 10th year of the Wanli reign (1582). Wu Cheng'en's great-grandfather and grandfather were scholars who served as instructors and teachers in county schools. But by the time of his father Wu Rui, due to poverty, he married into the Xu family and "inherited the Xu family's business, sitting in the shop," becoming a small merchant. Despite this, the Wu family did not lose its tradition of studying. It is said that his father Wu Rui, although a merchant, was not only upright but also loved reading and discussing current affairs, which naturally had a great influence on Wu Cheng'en. Wu Cheng'en was very smart from a young age and entered school early, achieving success in his youth and gaining fame in his hometown. The 16th volume of the Tianqi "Huai'an Prefecture Gazetteer" says that Wu Cheng'en "was quick-witted and intelligent, knowledgeable in all books, and could write poems and prose at the drop of a hat." However, Wu Cheng'en's life after adulthood was not smooth. He faced repeated setbacks in the imperial examinations and only became a supplementary in his forties. In his fifties, he served as the county magistrate of Changxing County in Zhejiang and later as the Jixian of the Jing Wang Palace, a leisurely post with a similar status to the county magistrate. Wu Cheng'en wrote "The Journey to the West" probably after middle age, or considered late in life, but the exact time cannot be determined. In addition to "The Journey to the West," he also wrote the long poem "Song of Erlang Searching for Mountains" and "The Legend of Yu Ding." The existing "Collected Works of Sheyang Mountain Master" in four volumes, including one volume of poems and three volumes of prose, were compiled by Qiu Du after Wu Cheng'en's death. "The Journey to the West" is a 100-capter book, and from a large structural perspective, it can be divided into three parts. From the beginning to the eighth chapter is the first part, which mainly describes Sun Wukong's birth, apprenticeship, and causing chaos in Heaven. This is the most exciting part of the book, full of excitement, Sun Wukong goes through the heavens and the earth, fully demonstrating his rebellious nature. The eighth chapter to the twelfth chapter is the second part, which mainly describes Tang Monk's origin and the reasons for his journey to the West. The thirteenth chapter to the last chapter is the third part, which mainly describes Tang Monk's journey to the West, where he successively recruits Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing as his disciples, and goes through ninety-nine and eight difficulties, finally obtaining the true scriptures and achieving enlightenment. "The Journey to the West" presents to people a colorful world of gods and demons, and everyone is amazed by the rich and bold artistic imagination of the author. However, every piece of literary work is a reflection of a certain social life, and as an outstanding representative of fantasy novels, "The Journey to the West" is no exception. As Lu Xun pointed out in "A Brief History of Chinese Fiction," "The Journey to the West" "satirizes and teases the social customs of the time and adds embellishments." He also said, "The author's nature is 'good at comedy,' so even though he describes the changes and illusions of the gods and demons, he often mixes jokes, making the gods and demons have human emotions and the spirits also understand the world." Indeed. Through the imaginary world of gods and demons in "The Journey to the West," we can see the reflection of the real society everywhere. For example, in the creation of Sun Wukong's image, it embodies the author's ideals. Sun Wukong's unyielding spirit of struggle, bravely swinging the golden headband, sweeping away all demons and monsters with an indomitable spirit, reflects the wishes and demands of the people. He represents a force of justice and shows the people's belief in overcoming all difficulties. He also represents a just force and shows the people's belief in winning. For example, the demons and monsters encountered on the journey to the West are either transformations of natural disasters or symbols of evil forces. Their greed, cruelty, cunning, and treachery are also the characteristics of the dark forces in the feudal society. Moreover, the Heavenly Palace ruled by the Jade Emperor and the Western Paradise governed by the Buddha are also heavily colored with the colors of human society. Moreover, the author's attitude towards the highest rulers of the feudal society is also quite interesting. In "The Journey to the West," it is hard to find a competent emperor; as for the ignorant and incompetent Jade Emperor, the king of the Xu Chi country who trusts demons, and the king of the Biqiu country who wants to use the hearts and livers of children as medicine, they are either tyrants or autocrats. These portrayals, even if they are casual, are all very meaningful in reality. "The Journey to the West" not only has profound ideological content but also has achieved high artistic achievements. It uses rich and unique artistic imagination, vivid and winding story plots, lifelike character images, and humorous and witty language to build a unique artistic palace of "The Journey to the West." But I think the greatest artistic achievement of "The Journey to the West" is the successful creation of the immortal artistic images of Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. Sun Wukong is the protagonist of "The Journey to the West," a very extraordinary hero. He has infinite abilities, fearless of heaven and earth, and has an unyielding spirit of rebellion. He has the extraordinary demeanor of a great hero, but also the flaw of loving flattery. He is clever, brave, and loves to make trouble. His greatest characteristic is his courage to fight. He dares to fight against the supreme and invincible Jade Emperor, and stubbornly makes the name of "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" known; he dares to fight against demons and monsters, never missing a demon with his fire-watching golden eyes, and never showing mercy to demons under the golden headband; he dares to fight against all difficulties, never retreating or bowing his head. This is Sun Wukong, a dazzling mythological hero. As for Zhu Bajie, his abilities are far inferior to Sun Wukong, let alone anything glorious or towering, but this image is also portrayed very well. Zhu Bajie is a comedic image. He is simple and honest, strong, and also dares to fight against demons and monsters, and is Sun Wukong's able assistant. But he also has many flaws, such as loving to eat, loving to take small advantages, loving women, fearing difficulties, often wanting to retreat, and always thinking of the wife of the High Elder in his heart; sometimes he loves to lie, but his clumsy mouth and hands make it hard to express himself clearly; he also occasionally instigates Tang Monk to recite the golden headband, making Sun Wukong suffer a bit; he even hides some private money and stuffs it in his ear. His flaws are indeed many, which is exactly the bad habits of the petty bourgeoisie. The author's criticism of Zhu Bajie's flaws is very severe, but also kind. He is not a person who is denied, so people do not dislike Zhu Bajie, but instead feel very real and lovable. Tang Monk's image is also written well, but compared to Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, it is much inferior. Sha Wujing is even more lacking in distinct personality traits, which cannot be said to be a shortcoming of "The Journey to the West." Despite this, the artistic achievements of "The Journey to the West" are still very remarkable. Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, with their distinct individual characteristics, have established an immortal artistic monument in the history of Chinese literature.