The Journey to the West is a classic of China's ghost novels, reaching the peak of ancient romance novels, and is called the four classical novels of China together with The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Water Margin and A Dream of Red Mansions.
Since its publication, The Journey to the West has been widely circulated among the people, and various versions have emerged one after another. There are six editions in Ming Dynasty, seven editions and manuscripts in Qing Dynasty, and thirteen lost editions have been recorded in ancient books.
There were poems by three monks in the Tang Dynasty in the Southern Song Dynasty, Tang Sanzang and Pan in the Jin Dynasty, Tang Sanzang's "Learning from the Western Heaven" in Wu Changling, and "Great Sage" in the Fifth Ming Dynasty, all of which laid the foundation for The Journey to the West's creation. It is on the basis of Chinese folk literature, scripts and operas that Wu Cheng'en completed this great literary masterpiece through hard re-creation.
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The Journey to the West is the first of the four classic novels in China's traditional novels, which combines the essence of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in China, the blending of the three cultures, and the harmonious relationship of the three cultures in the whole China society, life, morality and life concept.
The Journey to the West is the pinnacle of ancient romantic novels. In the history of world literature, it is also a masterpiece of romanticism and a pioneer of magical realism.
The novel originated from Buddhism, and in the course of the story, it merged with China Taoist culture and Confucian culture. They formed the overall cultural consciousness of the Chinese nation in the whole story of the five monks in the Tang Dynasty learning from the West.
Wu Cheng'en (1500—— about 1583) was born in Sheyang Mountain. Han nationality, from Shanyang County, Huai 'an Prefecture (now Huai 'an District, Huai 'an City). Originally from Anhui? Ancestors lived in Gaodian and Zongyang, so they were called Gaodian Wu.
There are hundreds of The Journey to the West published in Ming Dynasty, and there is no author's signature. The author of The Journey to the West is Wu Cheng'en. First of all, Wu Yumou, a scholar in Qing Dynasty, introduced Wu Cheng'en in Yang Shan's Legacy: "During Jiajing period, Wu Enhou was loyal and righteous, and I was named Sheyang Mountain, and I was a scholar in Huaixian Wenmu", "Read Huaixian Wenmu written by The Journey to the West".
References:
Baidu encyclopedia-journey to the west