Wu Cheng'en (about 1500- 1583) Ruzhong was born in Sheyang Mountain, Han nationality, the author of The Journey to the West, one of the four classical novels of China, the novelist of Ming Dynasty, and a river servant in Shanyang County, Huai 'an City, Jiangsu Province.
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".
Since childhood, Wu Cheng'en has been reading extensively in Minhui, especially fond of fairy tales. After repeated setbacks in the imperial examination, he made up the examination and gave tribute to students in Jiajing. In the forty-five years of Jiajing (1566), he was appointed as the director of Changxing County, Zhejiang Province. Because of his difficult career, he never wanted to be an official in his later years and wrote books behind closed doors.
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Judging from the existing more than 240 poems, words, obstacles and praises, Wu Cheng'en's poems are rich in historical, literary and artistic values except some obstacles and praises that belong to entertainment. Jiro's song of seeking mountains is the top grade he carefully conceived. Although it was a poem with an inscription, it exposed the dark reality of "five ghosts" and "four evils" at that time under the guise of the fairy story of Erlang God seeking mountains to catch demons.
Wu Cheng'en is good at painting and calligraphy. However, the imperial examination was unfavorable, and it was not until middle age that he entered the tribute. At the age of 60, he became Changxing County Cheng, but left home because of disagreement with the chief executive. Later, he hired Jing Wang Fu Ji Shan.
At the age of 50, he wrote the first ten chapters of The Journey to the West, and then he was interrupted for many years. It was not until he resigned in his later years and returned to his hometown that he was able to formally create The Journey to the West.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Wu Cheng'en