Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature - Water Margin

Author: Shi Nai'an
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: The ideological achievements and artistic essence of Water Margin are primarily reflected in the first seventy chapters. The author vividly depicts numerous heroes and heroines, especially Song Jiang, Lin Chong, Wu Song, and Lu Zhishen, Li Kui, Yang Zhi, and others, who are forced to become outlaws and are driven to Liangshan Mountain. The narrative praises the outlaws led by Song Jiang, who unite as "one family under heaven," working together to "avenge the heavens and protect the borders," while also engaging in acts of robbing wealthy households to help the poor. Water Margin is a great novel written by the author Shi Nai'an based on his life experiences and the Northern Song Dynasty peasant uprising. The novel distinctly portrays the actions of the people in their resistance against oppression. It summarizes the struggles of people from different social strata from awakening to rebellion. It is precisely these artistic achievements that make Water Margin one of China's four great classical literary masterpieces. Water Margin is a long heroic epic and one of the representative works of ancient Chinese long novels, created around the story of Song Jiang's uprising. The Song Jiang uprising occurred during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, and is recorded in the Annals of Emperor Huizong and the biographies of Hou Meng and Zhang Shuni in the History of the Song Dynasty. From the Southern Song Dynasty, the story of Song Jiang's uprising spread among the people, as recorded in The Drunken Scholar's Record of Tales, which includes some independent legends about Water Margin heroes. The Remnants of the Great Song in Xuanhe connects many Water Margin stories together, bringing them close to the form of a long novel. During the Yuan Dynasty, numerous Water Margin plays emerged, with a group of heroes from Liangshan appearing on stage. Water Margin is a product of the long-standing folk tradition of the story of Song Jiang's uprising, absorbing the nourishment of folk literature.
Water Margin is one of the classical long vernacular novels most beloved by the Chinese people. It was produced during the Ming Dynasty, based on the stories, tales, and plays about Water Margin that had circulated since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, which were processed, organized, and created by the author. The entire novel takes the peasant uprising led by Song Jiang as its main theme, artistically recreating 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 sharp social contradictions of the time and the brutal reality of "the officials forcing the people to rebel," and successfully portrays a group of heroic characters such as Lu Zhishen, Li Kui, Wu Song, Lin Chong, and Ruan Xiaojie. The storylines of the novel are intricate, the language vivid, and the characters' personalities distinct, demonstrating a high level of artistic achievement. However, the work praises and idealizes Song Jiang, promoting the concepts of "loyalty and righteousness" and "avenging the heavens," reflecting severe ideological limitations.