Journey to the West

Author: Wu Cheng'en [Ming]
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The Journey to the West primarily depicts the story of Sun Wukong protecting Tang Sanzang on his journey westward to obtain the Buddhist scriptures, enduring ninety-nine and nine difficulties. The journey of Tang Sanzang was a real event in history. Approximately thirteen hundred years ago, in the first year of the Zhenguan era (627), the young monk Xuanzang, at the age of twenty-five, left the capital Chang'an and journeyed alone to India for studies. After departing from Chang'an, he passed through Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, overcoming numerous hardships and finally reached India. There, he studied for over two years and served as the main speaker at a large Buddhist scholastic debate, receiving praise. In the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan era (645), Xuanzang returned to Chang'an, bringing back 657 Buddhist scriptures. This journey to the west took nineteen years and covered tens of thousands of miles, a legendary long march that made a great impact at the time. Later, Xuanzang dictated his travels to the west, which were compiled by his disciple Bianji into The Great Tang Records of the Western Regions, a twelve-volume work. However, this book mainly described the history, geography, and transportation of the countries along the way, with little narrative. Later, his disciples Huili and Yancong wrote The Biography of the Venerable Monk Xuanzang of the Great Tang's Daxing Temple, which added many mythical elements to Xuanzang's experiences, and from then on, the story of Tang Sanzang's journey to the west began to spread widely among the people. During the Southern Song Dynasty, there was The Poetic Dialogues of the Great Tang Monk Sanzang, and in the Jin Dynasty, there were Tang Sanzang and The Peach Blossom Banquet in the court drama. In the Yuan Dynasty, there were Wu Changling's Tang Sanzang's Journey to the West and an anonymous The God Erlang Locks Sun Wukong, all of which laid the foundation for the creation of The Journey to the West. Wu Cheng'en, styled Ruzhong and known as Sheyang Mountain Man, was from Shanyang (now Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province) in Huai'an Prefecture. He was born around the period between the thirteenth year of the Hongzhi era and the early Zhengde era (1500–1510) and died around the tenth year of the Wanli era (1582). Wu Cheng'en's great-grandfather and grandfather were scholars who served as instructors and education officers in county schools. However, by Wu Rui's generation, due to poverty, he was adopted into the Xu family and took over their business, becoming a small merchant. Despite this, the Wu family did not lose its tradition of scholarship. It is said that Wu Rui, though a merchant, was upright and loved reading and discussing current affairs, which naturally had a significant influence on Wu Cheng'en. Wu Cheng'en was very intelligent from a young age, entered school early, achieved success in his youth, and was renowned in his hometown. The Sixteenth Volume of the Tianqi Huai'an Prefecture Gazetteer describes Wu Cheng'en as "quick-witted and knowledgeable, well-versed in books, and able to compose poetry and prose at a stroke." However, Wu Cheng'en's life was not smooth after adulthood. He faced repeated setbacks in the imperial examinations and only became a supplementary in his forties. In his fifties, he served as the county magistrate of Changxing County in Zhejiang and later as the Jixian (a ceremonial post) in the Jing Wangfu. Wu Cheng'en began writing The Journey to the West in his middle age, or perhaps later, though the exact time remains uncertain. In addition to The Journey to the West, he also wrote the long poem The Song of Erlang Searching for Mountains and The Legend of Yu Ding. The extant Collected Works of Sheyang Mountain Man (four volumes) include one volume of poetry and three volumes of prose, compiled by Qiu Du after Wu Cheng'en's death. The Journey to the West is a one-hundred-chapter work, which, in terms of its overall structure, can be divided into three parts. From the beginning to the eighth chapter is the first part, primarily describing Sun Wukong's birth, his apprenticeship, and his chaos in Heaven. This is the most exciting part of the book, filled with excitement as Sun Wukong travels, fully showcasing his rebellious nature. The eighth to the twelfth chapters form the second part, mainly telling the story of Tang Sanzang's origins and the reasons for his journey. The thirteenth chapter to the last chapter is the third part, focusing on Tang Sanzang's journey to the west, where he later recruits Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing as his disciples, faces ninety-nine and nine difficulties, and finally obtains the true scriptures and achieves enlightenment. The Journey to the West presents a splendid and colorful world of gods and demons, leaving people in awe of the author's rich and bold artistic imagination. However, every piece of literary work reflects a certain aspect of social life, and as an outstanding representative of fantasy novels, The Journey to the West is no exception. As Lu Xun pointed out in A Brief History of Chinese Fiction, The Journey to the West "satirizes and teases the customs of the time, adding exaggerated descriptions." He also said, "The author has a talent for humor, so even when describing mystical and elusive events, he often mixes in jokes, making gods and demons have human emotions and spirits, and monsters understand worldly affairs." Indeed, through the fantastical world of The Journey to the West, we can see the reflection of real society everywhere. For example, in the creation of Sun Wukong's character, the author embodies his ideals. Sun Wukong's unyielding spirit, his fearless attitude of wielding the golden-banded staff to sweep away all demons and monsters, reflects the people's desires and aspirations. He represents a force of justice, showing the people's belief in overcoming all difficulties. He embodies a righteous power, demonstrating the people's unwavering confidence in victory. The demons and monsters encountered on the journey are either transformations of natural disasters or symbols of evil forces. Their greed, cruelty, cunning, and treachery are also characteristics of the dark forces in feudal society. Moreover, the Heavenly Palace ruled by the Jade Emperor and the Western Paradise governed by the Buddha are deeply colored with the hues of human society. The author's attitude toward the highest rulers of feudal society is also worth noting. In The Journey to the West, it is hard to find a competent emperor; as for the ignorant and incompetent Jade Emperor, the king of Xu Chi who trusts demons, or the king of Biqiu who uses children's hearts and livers as medicine, they are either tyrants or autocrats. The portrayal of these characters, even if done casually, carries strong realistic significance. The Journey to the West not only has profound ideological content but also achieves great artistic success. With its rich and unique artistic imagination, vivid and storylines, lifelike characters, and humorous and witty language, it constructs an artistic palace of its own. However, I believe the greatest artistic achievement of The Journey to the West is the successful creation of the immortal artistic figures of Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. Sun Wukong is the protagonist of The Journey to the West and an extraordinary hero. He possesses boundless abilities, fears neither heaven nor earth, and has an unyielding spirit of rebellion. He has the demeanor of a great hero but also the flaw of enjoying flattery. He is clever, brave, and playful. His greatest characteristic is his courage to fight. He dares to challenge the supreme and all-powerful Jade Emperor, earning the title of "Great Sage Equal to Heaven." He dares to fight against demons and monsters, never missing a single one with his fiery eyes and golden pupils, and never showing mercy to demons under the golden-banded staff. He dares to fight against all difficulties, never retreating or bowing his head. This is Sun Wukong, a dazzling mythological hero. As for Zhu Bajie, his abilities are far inferior to Sun Wukong, and he is certainly no heroic figure. However, this character is also portrayed very well. Zhu Bajie is a comedic figure, simple-minded, strong, and brave enough to fight against demons and monsters, serving as Sun Wukong's loyal assistant. However, he is full of flaws, such as his love for food, petty greed, lust, fear of difficulties, and his tendency to give up halfway, always thinking of the wife in Gaogao Village. Sometimes he lies but cannot express himself well due to his clumsy mouth and slow wit. He also occasionally provokes Tang Sanzang to recite the golden-banded spell, making Sun Wukong suffer. He even hides some private money in his ear. His flaws are many, reflecting the vices of a petty owner. The author's criticism of Zhu Bajie's shortcomings is severe but well-intentioned. He is not a completely negated character, so people do not dislike Zhu Bajie but rather find him quite real and endearing. Tang Sanzang's character is also well-written, but compared to Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, he is somewhat inferior. Sha Wujing is even less distinct in character, which cannot be said to be a shortcoming of The Journey to the West. Despite this, the artistic achievements of The Journey to the West remain remarkable. Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, with their distinct personalities, stand as an immortal artistic monument in the history of Chinese literature.