Water Margin -- Popular Library of Famous Ancient Chinese Novels

Author: Yu Wanchun (Qing Dynasty), edited and annotated by Yu Guolin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: In the 27th year of the Daoguang reign (1847), Yu Wanchun of Zhejiang Shaoxing completed The Water Margin Continuation. It demonstrates a high level of artistic achievement, with many chapters rivaling the original Water Margin in quality. At the same time, it sees the beloved heroes of Liangshan, who are deeply revered, meet tragic ends, with none spared. The cruelty of its plot is also 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 created powerful figures like the sorcerers Chen Xizhen and Chen Liqing, as well as the brave and virtuous Yun Longbiao and Liu Huiniang, who were tasked with assisting Zhang Suzhi in besieging Liangshan and capturing or executing all 108 heroes. These characters are stripped of their humanity and destined to rise no more, embodying the principle of "revering the king and suppressing bandits." Jin Shengtan beheaded Water Margin, but Yu Wanchun swept it clean. Mr. Lu Xun, in Outline of the History of Chinese Fiction, said: "In the creation of plots and writing style, the book sometimes nearly rivals the original Water Margin. It also incorporates scenes and elements that were untried by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong. Among the tangled works of similar genre, it stands out as exceptional. This novel is a historical specimen; it allows us to gain a profound understanding of the ideology and culture of China's feudal era."