Water Margin I: Fists Knock Down Guanxi Town

Author: Shi Nai'an, Chen Weidong, Liang Xiaolong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: The Four Great Classical Novels of China, which have long been familiar in daily life. From novels to opera, comic strips to animated cartoons, TV dramas to films, they have been repeatedly presented through various media, with their influence permeating all aspects of people's lives. The clever Monkey King, the stubborn Tang Monk, the lazy Pigsy, the wise Zhuge Liang, the cunning Cao Cao, the hero Wu Song, the Flower-Faced Monk Lu Zhishen, the sentimental Baoyu, and many other vivid artistic figures have perfectly blended tradition and classics in people's consciousness, forming an eternal legacy. In the contemporary era, the Four Great Classical Novels are no longer just beautiful legends, much like how we once proudly claimed to have invented the Four Great Inventions. Today, in the cultural market, this tradition and classic are almost squeezed out of existence by characters like Doraemon, Dragon Ball, Crayon Shin-chan, and Hello Kitty. The concept of "classic" is gradually fading from the perspective of the younger generation, tradition feels distant and unfamiliar, and consumer values are being overturned. The era of cartoons is upon us.
The creation and publication of The Complete Comic Collection of the Four Great Classical Novels reflect the decade-long journey of cartoon localization in China, the overall improvement in awareness among domestic publishers and readers, and, more importantly, the enhanced creativity and production capabilities of cartoon professionals. We sense that the market is shifting toward a healthy cycle, and we are delighted to witness the thriving development of domestic cartoon studios. Without a healthy market mechanism, there would be no space for The Complete Comic Collection of the Four Great Classical Novels to exist; without large-scale cartoon production studios like Shenjie, this collection would never have been brought to market.
We hope to work with readers to create a bright future for Chinese cartoon localization and to promote the traditional culture of our nation.