Journey to the World's Classics - Journey to the West

Author: Wu Cheng'en
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The appearance of The Journey to the West pioneered a new genre of lengthy, chaptered fantasy and martial arts novels. It skillfully combines benevolent satire, biting irony, and serious critique, profoundly influencing the development of satirical fiction. The Journey to the West stands as the pinnacle of romanticism in ancient Chinese long novels and is also a masterpiece of romanticism in world literature. The Encyclopedia Americana describes it as "a mythological novel rich in content and brilliant in thought," while The Encyclopédie Britannica states, "The descriptions of the story throughout the book are filled with humor and wit, captivating readers with great interest." Since the 19th century, it has been translated into more than a dozen languages, including Japanese, English, French, German, Russian, and others, and has gained worldwide popularity.
The story of The Journey to the West is very familiar to people. Among its most brilliant chapters, such as Sun Wukong's Rebellion in Heaven, Zhu Bajie Marrying a Wife at the Old Village, Defeating the White Bone Demon, and Borrowing the Plantain Fan, are household names, known to all, even to the young and old. For centuries, its powerful artistic charm has attracted generations, making it one of the most beloved classical masterpieces in Chinese literature.
The Journey to the West primarily depicts the story of Sun Wukong protecting Tang Monk on his journey westward to retrieve Buddhist scriptures, enduring ninety-nine and one challenges. The pilgrimage to retrieve the scriptures was a real historical event. Approximately 1,300 years ago, in the first year of the Zhenguan era (627), the young monk Xuanzang, only 25 years old, left the capital Chang'an and traveled alone to India (Tianzhu) for studies. After departing from Chang'an, he passed through Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, overcoming numerous hardships and finally reaching India. There, he studied for over two years and was praised as a speaker at a major Buddhist scholastic debate. In the 19th year of the Zhenguan era (645), Xuanzang returned to Chang'an, bringing back 657 Buddhist scriptures. His journey to the west lasted nineteen 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 his disciple Bianji, who compiled them into the Record of the Western Regions During the Great Tang Dynasty in twelve volumes. However, this book mainly described the history, geography, and transportation of the countries he visited and contained little narrative.
It was his disciples Huili and Yancong who wrote the Biography of the Venerable Monk Xuanzang of the Great Tang's Daxing Temple, adding many mythological elements to Xuanzang's experiences. From then on, the story of Tang Monk's pilgrimage to the west began to spread widely among the people. During the Southern Song Dynasty, there was The Poetic Account of Tang Monk's Journey to the West, while in the Jin Dynasty, there were Tang Monk and The Peach Blossom Banquet in the court drama, and in the Yuan Dynasty, there were Wu Changling's Tang Monk's Journey to the West in the Western Heaven and an anonymous The Second Prince's Locking of the Great Sage. All these works laid the foundation for the creation of The Journey to the West. Wu Cheng'en, based on folk tales, stories, and operas, underwent arduous re-creation and completed this great literary masterpiece that brought pride to the Chinese nation.