Personal Library -- Water Margin

Author: (Ming) Shi Nai'an
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features:▼Complete Content▼Sandalwood Aroma▼Compact and Lightweight▼Original Illustrations▼Portable
Water Margin is a long heroic legend and one of the representative works of ancient Chinese long novels, created based on 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 various sections of the Song Shi, such as the Annals of Emperor Huizong, the Biography of Hou Meng, and the Biography of Zhang Shuni. From the Southern Song Dynasty onwards, the story of Song Jiang's uprising spread in folk traditions. The Record of the Drunken Scholar documented some independent legends about the Water Margin heroes, while The Remnants of the Great Song in the Xuanhe Era linked many Water Margin stories together, bringing them close to the form of a long novel. During the Yuan Dynasty, numerous Water Margin operas emerged, with a group of heroes from Mount Liang appearing as stage characters. Water Margin is a product of the long-standing folk tradition of Song Jiang's uprising, nourished by folk literature.
The author portrays the heroes of Mount Liang, who view the government as "thieves and bandits," as embodying social justice. They are given noble qualities such as suppressing the strong and aiding the weak, and being generous with their wealth. However, among the one hundred and eighteen heroes, each is depicted with a distinct personality and appearance, without any repetition or similarity. They form a successful group of extraordinary and uniquely expressive heroic figures.