Journey to the West (Part 1, Part 2)

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The Journey to the West primarily depicts the story of Sun Wukong protecting Tang Monk on his journey west to obtain the Buddhist scriptures, enduring ninety-nine and eight difficulties. The journey to obtain the scriptures was a real event in history. Approximately thirteen hundred years ago, in the first year of the Zhenguan era (627), a young monk named Xuanzang, aged only twenty-five, left the capital Chang'an and traveled alone to India (Tianzhu) to study. 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 honored as the main speaker at a large Buddhist scholastic debate, receiving praise. In the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan era (645), Xuanzang returned to Chang'an, bringing back 657 Buddhist scriptures. This journey to the west took nineteen years and covered tens of thousands of miles, a legendary long march that made a great impact at the time. Later, Xuanzang dictated his travels to the west, which were compiled by his disciple Bianji into the Records of the Western Regions of 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. Later, his disciples Huili and Yancong wrote the Biography of the Venerable Monk Xuanzang of the Great Tang's Daci'en Temple, which added many mythical elements to Xuanzang's experiences. From then on, the story of Tang Monk's journey to the west began to spread widely among the people. During the Southern Song Dynasty, there was The Poetic Dialogues of the Great Tang Monk Tang Zang; in the Jin Dynasty, there were Tang Zang and The Peach Blossom Banquet in the court drama; and in the Yuan Dynasty, there were Wu Changling's Tang Zang's Journey to the West and an anonymous The God Erlang Locks Sun Wukong. All these laid the foundation for the creation of The Journey to the West. Wu Cheng'en drew upon these folk tales, stories, and dramas, through arduous re-creation, to complete this great literary masterpiece that has brought pride to the Chinese nation. Wu Cheng'en, styled Ruzhong, styled Sheyang Shanshen, was from Shanyang (now Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province). He was born around the years between the thirteenth year of the Hongzhi era and the early Zhengde era (1500–1510) of the Ming Dynasty and died around the tenth year of the Wanli era (1582). Both his great-grandfather and grandfather were scholars who served as instructors and teachers in county schools. However, by Wu Rui's generation, due to poverty, he was adopted into the Xu family and took over their business, becoming a small merchant. Despite this, the Wu family maintained its tradition of scholarship. It is said that Wu Rui, though a merchant, was upright in character and loved reading and discussing current affairs, which greatly influenced Wu Cheng'en. Wu Cheng'en was very intelligent from a young age, entered school early, achieved success in his youth, and was renowned in his hometown. The Sixteenth Volume of the Tianqi Huai'an Prefecture Gazetteer describes Wu Cheng'en as "quick-witted and intelligent, knowledgeable in all books, able to compose poetry and prose at a stroke." However, Wu Cheng'en's life was not smooth in adulthood. 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 a Jixian in the Jing Wangfu, a position similar to the county magistrate in rank but with little responsibility. Wu Cheng'en began writing The Journey to the West in his middle age, or perhaps later, though the exact time remains uncertain. In addition to The Journey to the West, he also wrote the long poem The Song of Erlang Searching for Mountains and The Legend of Yu Ding. The existing Collected Works of Sheyang Shanshen in four volumes, including one volume of poetry 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 work, which, in terms of its overall structure, can be divided into three parts. From the beginning to the eighth chapter is the first part, primarily describing Sun Wukong's birth, his apprenticeship, and his rebellion in Heaven. This is the most exciting part of the book, filled with chaos as Sun Wukong travels, fully showcasing his rebellious spirit. The eighth to the twelfth chapters form the second part, mainly detailing Tang Monk's origins and the reasons for his journey to the west. The thirteenth chapter to the last chapter is the third part, focusing on Tang Monk's journey to the west, where he later recruits Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing as his disciples, faces ninety-nine and eight difficulties, and finally obtains the true scriptures, achieving enlightenment. The Journey to the West presents a dazzling and colorful world of gods and demons, leaving readers in awe of the author's rich and bold artistic imagination. However, every piece of literary work reflects a certain aspect of 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, adding exaggerated descriptions." He also said, "The author has a talent for humor, so even when describing mystical transformations, he often mixes in witty remarks, making gods and demons have human emotions and spirits, and demons also understand worldly affairs." Indeed, through the fantastical world of The Journey to the West, we can see the reflection of real society everywhere. For example, in the creation of Sun Wukong's character, the author embodies his ideals. Sun Wukong's indomitable spirit, his fearless attitude of swinging the golden-banded staff to sweep away all demons and monsters, reflects the people's wishes and aspirations. He represents a force of justice, showing the people's belief in overcoming all difficulties. He embodies a righteous power, demonstrating the people's unwavering confidence in victory. 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 characteristics of the dark forces in feudal society. Moreover, the Heavenly Palace ruled by the Jade Emperor and the Western Paradise governed by the Buddha are heavily colored with the hues of human society. The author's attitude toward the highest rulers of feudal society is also quite intriguing. 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 Kingdom who favors demons, or the king of the Biqiu Kingdom who intends to use children's hearts and livers as medicine, they are either tyrants or autocrats. The portrayal of these characters, even if done casually, carries strong realistic significance. The Journey to the West not only has profound ideological content but also achieves great artistic success. With its rich and extraordinary artistic imagination, vivid and winding plot, lifelike characters, and humorous and witty language, it constructs a unique artistic palace of The Journey to the West. However, I believe the greatest artistic achievement of The Journey to the West is the successful creation of the immortal artistic figures of Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. Sun Wukong is the protagonist of The Journey to the West, a truly remarkable hero. He possesses infinite abilities, fearless of heaven or earth, and has an indomitable spirit of rebellion. He has the demeanor of a great hero but also the flaw of enjoying flattery. He is clever, brave, and loves to cause trouble. His greatest characteristic is his courage to fight. He dares to challenge the supreme and revered Jade Emperor, earning the title of "Great Sage Equal to Heaven." He dares to fight against demons and monsters, never missing a demon with his fiery eyes and golden-banded staff, and never showing mercy to demons under his staff. 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, and he is certainly no heroic figure, but this character is also portrayed very well. Zhu Bajie is a comedic figure, simple and honest, strong, and brave enough to fight against demons and monsters, serving as Sun Wukong's loyal assistant. However, he is full of flaws, such as his love for food, his tendency to take small advantages, his obsession with women, his fear of difficulties, and his frequent desire to give up. He often thinks of the wife of the High Elder in Gaozhuang. Sometimes he lies but is too clumsy to make it convincing. He also occasionally provokes Tang Monk to recite the tightening prayer, making Sun Wukong suffer. He even hides some private money, stuffing it into his ear. His flaws are many, reflecting the vices of a petty owner. The author's criticism of Zhu Bajie's flaws is severe but well-intentioned. He is not a completely negated character, so people do not dislike Zhu Bajie but rather find him quite relatable and endearing. Tang Monk's character is also well-written, but compared to Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, he is somewhat inferior. Sha Wujing is even less distinct in character, 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 remain astonishing. Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, with their distinct personalities, stand as an immortal artistic monument in the history of Chinese literature.