Water Margin (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Yu Wanchun (Qing Dynasty), edited and annotated by Yu Guolin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-09-07
Features: In the 27th year of the Daoguang reign (1847), Yu Wanchun of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, completed The Water Margin Chronicle (Dangkou Zhi). It demonstrates a high level of artistic achievement, with many chapters rivaling the original Water Margin (Shuihu) in quality. At the same time, it sees the beloved heroes of Liangshan, who are deeply revered, meet tragic ends, with none spared. The ruthlessness of its plot is striking. Yu Wanchun's continuation of Water Margin follows the 70-chapter version commented on by Jin Shengtan, and his ideas are a direct continuation of those expressed two centuries earlier by Jin Shengtan. He creates powerful figures like the sorcerers Chen Xizhen and Chen Liqing, as well as the brave and virtuous Yun Longbiao and Liu Huiniang, who assist Zhang Suzhou in besieging Liangshan and capturing or killing all 108 heroes. These characters are stripped of their humanity and destined for eternal damnation, embodying the principle of "respecting the king and suppressing bandits." Jin Shengtan beheaded Water Margin, but Yu Wanchun swept it clean. Lu Xun, in A Brief History of Chinese Fiction, remarked: "In constructing plots and writing, the book sometimes nearly rivals the original Water Margin in its achievements, and the scenes it depicts also contain elements unseen in Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong. Among the similar novels that revolve around old tales, it stands out as exceptional. This novel serves as a historical specimen, allowing us to gain a profound understanding of the ideology and culture of China's feudal era."