Journey to the West was written by Wu Chengen during the Ming Dynasty. There is no historical record of the specific time.
"Journey to the West" is the first romantic chapter-length novel about gods and demons in ancient China. None of the 100-chapter editions of "Journey to the West" published in the Ming Dynasty are signed by the author. Qing Dynasty scholar Wu Yuqi and others first proposed that the author of "Journey to the West" was Wu Cheng'en of the Ming Dynasty.
This novel is based on the historical event of "Tang Monk's Study for Buddhist Scriptures". Through the author's artistic processing, it profoundly depicts the social reality at that time. The whole book mainly describes that after Sun Wukong was born and caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, he met Tang Monk, Zhu Bajie, Sha Monk and White Dragon Horse, traveled to the west to obtain Buddhist scriptures, defeated demons and monsters along the way, experienced ninety-nine and eighty-one difficulties, and finally reached the West to see Tathagata Buddha. The story of the Five Saints finally coming true.
"Journey to the West" has been widely circulated among the people since its publication. Various editions have emerged in endlessly. There are six editions published in the Ming Dynasty, seven editions and manuscripts published in the Qing Dynasty, and ten editions recorded in classics have been lost. Three types.
Extended information:
During the Zhenguan period, Xuanzang returned to Chang'an with great honor. He brought back many Buddha statues from India, and these Buddha statues became the reference standard for making Buddha statues in China. According to experts, the Shankar clay statue on display may have been made based on the Buddha statue brought back by Xuanzang.
On the back of this clay statue of Shankar, there is a twelve-character inscription "Indian Buddha statues were created by Su Changshi of the Tang Dynasty and others", which also directly explains the origin of this clay statue and India. The appearance of the word "India" also shows that in the Tang Dynasty, in addition to Tianzhu, there was already the title of India.
"Journey to the West" is not the original work of Wu Cheng'en:
According to experts, the author of "Journey to the West" is Wu Cheng'en, but Wu Cheng'en is not the original author of the stories of Journey to the West, but the master of them all.
Previously, the Zhangye Museum in Gansu Province had released a set of "Journey to the West" murals. On a wall of about 16 square meters, 10 stories of seeking scriptures from the West were painted. According to expert research, these murals may have been painted at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, which means that they are more than 200 years earlier than the time when Wu Chengen wrote "Journey to the West".
In addition, in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, murals of monks studying for scriptures were also found, which are more than a hundred years earlier than those in the Great Buddha Temple. In the mural, only Tang Monk and Sun Wukong were on the team for Buddhist scriptures. This was also the version of "Journey to the West" circulated during this period of Xixia (Northern Song Dynasty), and perhaps the earliest "Journey to the West".
Although the story of "Journey to the West" took shape very early, because there has never been a specific author, Wu Cheng'en, the adapter and integrator of this work, became the author and became famous in history.
People's Daily Online - "Journey to the West" is not Wu Chengen's original work, but a collection of his masterpieces