Journey to the West

Author: Wu Cheng'en
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The Journey to the West is one of China's most celebrated ancient fantasy novels. Through the story of Tang Sanzang and his disciples traveling west to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures, the author critiques social realities. The character of Sun Wukong is one of the most iconic artistic figures in Chinese classical fiction, and his rebellious nature and spirit of resistance are particularly beloved by readers. The language of The Journey to the West is based on the southern official dialect popular during the Ming Dynasty and differs significantly from modern Chinese. Scholars have strived to maintain the original linguistic style while reworking it to make it more accessible to readers with elementary and above education levels. The Journey to the West primarily depicts the story of Sun Wukong protecting Tang Sanzang as they travel west to retrieve the scriptures, enduring 81 trials. The entire novel consists of 100 chapters, which can be broadly divided into three parts. Chapters 1 to 8 form the first part, mainly describing Sun Wukong's birth, his apprenticeship, and his rebellion in Heaven. These chapters are the most exciting and vivid in the entire novel, showcasing Sun Wukong's rebellious spirit in full swing as he travels across the heavens and earth. Chapters 8 to 12 make up the second part, focusing on Tang Sanzang's origins and the reasons for his pilgrimage. Chapters 13 to the last constitute the third part, detailing Tang Sanzang's journey west, where he eventually gathers three disciples—Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing—and overcomes 81 trials to retrieve the true scriptures and achieve enlightenment. It presents a dazzling and colorful fantasy world, leaving readers in awe of the author's rich and bold artistic imagination. The Journey to the West not only contains profound ideological depth but also achieves remarkable artistic success. With its rich and imaginative storytelling, vivid and plot, lifelike characters, and humorous language, it constructs a unique artistic palace of The Journey to the West. The pilgrimage story of Tang Sanzang in The Journey to the West is based on the historical journey of Xuanzang during the Tang Dynasty. This is recorded in various classical texts such as the Biographies of Artisans in the Old Book of Tang, the Continuation of the Biographies of Eminent Monks (including the Biography of the Venerable Master Xuanzang of the Great Compassion Temple and the Record of the Venerable Master Xuanzang of the Great Tang), the Comprehensive Records of the Buddha, and Xuanzang's own Memorial on His Return to Jiayi. Xuanzang's disciple Huili and Yanjing wrote the Biography of the Venerable Master Xuanzang of the Great Compassion Temple of the Great Tang, which provides the most detailed account. After the Tang Dynasty, the story of Xuanzang's pilgrimage quickly entered folklore and spread among the people. It also served as inspiration for various forms of creative works, which further developed the narrative. During the late Tang and Five Dynasties, folk storytelling and murals depicted the pilgrimage story, while in the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, various theatrical forms such as yuanben, xiwen, zaju, and shuohua all featured works dedicated to the story, such as the Yuanben of Tang Sanzang, the Xiwen of Chen Guangrui and Jiang Liu, and the Zaju of Journey to the West and Wei Zheng Slays the Dragon. The Shuohua art forms, such as the Poem of Xuanzang's Journey to the West and the Journey to the West in Plain Language, further advanced the story to new heights. According to fragments of the Journey to the West in Plain Language preserved in the Yongle Dadian and the Colloquial Explanation of the Pude Shushi, which include segments like "Dream-Slaying of the Jinghe Dragon" and "Battle of the Gods in Chaji Kingdom," the text closely matches that of Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West. Additionally, the Colloquial Explanation notes events during the westward journey, including the search for the pilgrimage party and Sun Wukong's origins and rebellion in Heaven, which align with the plot framework of Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West. It can be said that the Journey to the West in Plain Language already possessed the basic structure of Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West.