Water Margin

Author: Shi Nai'an Wu Qingxian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, almost simultaneously in the history of Chinese literature, two brilliant literary masterpieces emerged: one is Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the other is Water Margin. Water Margin is China's first long novel reflecting the peasant uprising. It profoundly exposes the crimes of the feudal ruling class and enthusiastically praises the revolutionary struggles of the peasants. In the work, we can see, from the emperor and high officials of the Song Dynasty to the local tyrants, thugs, and constables—such as Cai Jing, Gao Qiu, Zhang Dujian, Ximen Qing, Mao Taigong, Dong Chao, and Xue Ba—all are villains who have done countless evils and oppressed the people. It is precisely these rulers, both great and small, who forced the common people to the brink of despair, compelling them to take up the path of rebellion. Water Margin realistically and vividly depicts the entire process of the peasant uprising. Reading this novel allows us to deepen our understanding of the nature of the feudal society.