Water Margin II: The Great Turmoil in the Wild Boar Forest

Author: Shi Nai'an, Chen Weidong, Liang Xiaolong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Water Margin is a long heroic legend and one of the representative works of ancient Chinese long novels, created based on the story of the Song Jiang Uprising. The Song Jiang Uprising occurred during the reign of Emperor Huizong in the Northern Song Dynasty, and is recorded in the Annals of Emperor Huizong, Biography of Hou Meng, and Biography of Zhang Shuni in the History of the Song Dynasty. Since the Southern Song Dynasty, the story of the Song Jiang Uprising has been passed down in folk tales. The Collected Stories of the Drunken Scholar records some independent legends about the Water Margin heroes. Water Margin is one of the most beloved classical vernacular novels in China. It emerged during the Ming Dynasty and was created by authors who processed, organized, and wrote based on the stories, tales, and plays about Water Margin that had existed since the Song and Yuan dynasties. The entire work takes the peasant uprising led by Song Jiang as its main theme, artistically depicting the tragic and heroic struggle of the ancient Chinese people against oppression. The work fully exposes the corruption and cruelty of the feudal ruling class, reveals the acute social contradictions of the time, and the brutal reality of "officials forcing the people to rebel." It successfully portrays a group of heroic characters, including Lu Zhishen, Li Kui, Wu Song, Lin Chong, and Ruan Xiaogui. The plot is intricate, the language vivid, and the characters' personalities distinct, achieving a high level of artistic excellence. However, the work praises and idealizes Song Jiang, promotes the concepts of "loyalty and righteousness" and "carrying out the Mandate of Heaven," and reflects severe ideological limitations. The publication of The Complete Comic Series of the Four Great Classical Novels reflects the improvement in understanding among domestic publishers and readers after a decade of cartoon localization. More importantly, it demonstrates the enhancement of creativity and production capabilities among cartoon practitioners. We sense that the market is trending toward a healthy cycle, and we are also delighted to see the rapid development of domestic cartoon studios. Without a healthy market mechanism, there would be no space for the survival of The Complete Comic Series of the Four Great Classical Novels, nor would there be cartoon production studios of the scale of Shenjie. The Complete Comic Series of the Four Great Classical Novels would also not have made it to market. We hope to work with readers to achieve the localization of Chinese cartoons and promote the national traditional culture, creating a bright future together.