"Water Margin"
Author: Shi Naian (1296-1370). Who is the author of "Water Margin" is controversial. Currently, the most widely recognized theory is that The author is Shi Naian. There are several other views in history, including Luo Guanzhong's theory, Shi Hui's theory, Guo Xun's theory of fame, Song people's theory, etc.
Introduction: The story of "Water Margin" originated during the Xuanhe period of the Northern Song Dynasty. The storybook "The Legacy of Xuanhe of the Song Dynasty" appeared, describing the uprising of 36 people including Song Jiang, Wu Jialiang (Wu Yong), Chao Gai and others. The story of rebellion became the blueprint for "Water Margin".
The "Fifth Talented Book" "Water Margin" reviewed by Jin Shengtan
"Water Margin" is the first long chapter in Chinese history written in ancient vernacular to praise the peasant uprising. The novel, with the rebel army led by Song Jiang as its main theme, exposes the decadence and brutality of the ruling class in the late Northern Song Dynasty through a series of vivid stories of Liangshan heroes resisting oppression and heroic struggle, and exposes the sharply opposed social contradictions and "official oppression of the people" at that time. The cruel reality of "anti".
Because "Water Margin" has many versions and is widely circulated, and different stories appear in it, it can be roughly divided into two systems: "Wen Jian Shi Traditional Version" and "Wen Fan Shi Jian Version". "Wenfanshi Jianben" is more detailed and is the most widely circulated. It is mainly divided into seventy chapters (without the plot after Juyi), one hundred chapters (after recruiting people, there are plots such as conquering Liao and Fangla) and one hundred and twenty chapters. The ten-chapter version (based on the one-hundred-chapter version, plots of conquering Tianhu and conquering Wangqing are added). Among them, the 120-chapter version is also called "The Complete Story of Water Margin" and is the most complete version of the Water Margin story.
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"
Atlas of Three Kingdoms Characters (by Zhang Yanjun) (17 photos)
Full name: "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms"
Author: Luo Guanzhong (about 1330-about 1400), famous and talented, with the courtesy name Guanzhong and the nickname Huhai Sanren. A writer and dramatist in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. Luo Guanzhong was born in the late Yuan Dynasty during the social turmoil. He had his own political ideals and did not agree with the popular customs. He once participated in the uprising against the Yuan Dynasty. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he concentrated on literary creation. He is the author of the novels "Chronicles of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", "The Romance of the End of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties", "The Story of Sansui Ping Yao", "Fengzhuanglou" and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Shi Naian co-authored "Water Margin" and also wrote the script "Zhao Taizu" "The Meeting of Dragon and Tiger", "The Loyal and Dutiful Son's Continuous Remonstrance" and "The Three Ping Chapters Die Hu Zi".
Introduction: "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a comprehensive collection of folk legends, operas, and scripts, combined with historical materials from Chen Shou's "Three Kingdoms", Fan Ye's "Book of the Later Han", the Yuan Dynasty's "Three Kingdoms Pinghua", and Pei Song's annotations , as well as the author’s personal understanding of social life. The Jiajing edition of the Ming Dynasty is the oldest one currently seen, divided into 24 volumes and 240 chapters. In the early Qing Dynasty, Mao Zonggang and his sons made some modifications, and it has become the most common 120-chapter version now.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is China's first full-length retrospective novel.
The story of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" begins with the uprising of the Yellow Turbans and ends with the Sima family's destruction of Wu and the opening of Jin Dynasty. It mainly describes the war, reflecting the political and military struggles between the three political groups of Wei, Shuhan, and Wu, and shows It describes the historical events of nearly a hundred years from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty, and successfully created a group of all-powerful heroes.
"Journey to the West"
Journey to the West
Author: Wu Cheng'en (1501-1582), whose courtesy name was Ruzhong and his nickname was Sheyangshanren. An outstanding novelist in the Ming Dynasty of China. He was born into a family that was reduced from an academic officer to a businessman, and his family was poor. Wu Cheng'en was very smart since he was a child. "Huai'an Prefecture Chronicles" records that he was "sensitive and intelligent, and he was well-versed in books, and he was the author of many articles." However, he failed in the scientific examination, and did not make up the title of "Sui Gong Sheng" until he was middle-aged. Living in Nanjing, he relied on selling literature to support his family for a long time. In his later years, he was appointed as the magistrate of Changxing County due to his family's poverty. Because he couldn't stand the darkness of the officialdom, he soon resigned angrily and died in poverty. There is also some controversy about the author of "Journey to the West", but it is generally believed that the author is Wu Cheng'en.
Introduction: Journey to the West is based on the folklore story of Tang Monk's Buddhist scriptures and related scripts and dramas (written by Yang Na in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties).
The first seven chapters of "Journey to the West" describe the birth of Sun Wukong, including the story of causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace.
After that, he wrote the story of Sun Wukong following Monk Tang to learn Buddhist scriptures from the West, eliminating demons and demons and overcoming difficulties along the way. The characters of Tang Monk, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Monk are vividly depicted in the book, with a large scale and complete structure. Moreover, "Journey to the West" is rich in Buddhist color, and its hidden meaning is very far-reaching. There are different opinions and opinions. It can be appreciated from multiple perspectives including Buddhism, Taoism, and secularism. It is a great romantic literary work among Chinese classical novels.
"Journey to the West" was listed as a banned book when it first appeared in the Ming Dynasty because the book was full of ideas of worshiping Buddhism and suppressing Taoism, which conflicted with the Taoist ideas believed by the emperor of the Ming Dynasty at that time.
"A Dream of Red Mansions"
Original names: "The Story of the Stone", "The Twelve Hairpins of Jinling", "The Mirror of the Wind and the Moon", etc.
A Dream of Red Mansions
Story of the Stone
Author: Cao Xueqin (about 1715-about 1763), whose given name was Zhan, also named Mengruan, also known as Xueqin, Qinxi and Qinpu. Novelist, poet, and painter in Qing Dynasty. In her early years, Cao Xueqin experienced a life of rich and romantic life in Jiangning Zhizao Mansion, Nanjing. In the sixth year of Yongzheng's reign (1728), the Cao family was confiscated and their home was confiscated. Cao Xueqin moved back to his old home in Beijing with his family. Later he moved to the western suburbs of Beijing and made a living by selling calligraphy and painting and providing charity to friends. Cao Xueqin has an open nature and a wide range of hobbies. She has studied epigraphy, poetry, painting, gardening, traditional Chinese medicine, darning, crafts, and diet. With perseverance and many years of hardship, he finally created a great work of great ideological and artistic quality - "A Dream of Red Mansions".
Gao E (1758-about 1815), also known as Yunshi, also known as Qiufu, also known as Lanshu, Xingyi and Honglouwaishi. One of the two main editors, organizers, and publishers of the Chinese classic novel "A Dream of Red Mansions" in the history of publishing and dissemination of the first printed and complete version in the history of Chinese classic novel "Dream of Red Mansions" was a native of Shenyang San Taizi was also signed by Tieling Gao'e and Fengtian Gao'e, whose ancestors lived in Beijing in the early Qing Dynasty.
Gao E passed the imperial examination in the fifty-third year of Qianlong's reign (1788), and passed the imperial examination in the sixty-third year of Qianlong's reign (1795). Reading, Jiangnan Province Supervisory Censor and Criminal Division gave him a secondary position. There are works such as "Yue Xiaoshanfang's Manuscript" and "Inkstone Ci: Zhen Cuncao" handed down to the world.
Characters in the Dream of Red Mansions (by Zhang Yanjun) (15 photos)
From the fifty-sixth year of Qianlong's reign (1791) to the fifty-seventh year of his reign (1792), Gao E was invited by his friend Cheng Weiyuan Assisted in editing, sorting and publishing the Cheng A and Cheng B editions of "Dream of Red Mansions". Since Hu Shi's research, red scholars have long believed that the last forty chapters of "Dream of Red Mansions" were continued by Gao E. In the 21st century, this statement has been increasingly criticized. Beginning in 2007, the People's Literature Publishing House stopped using the words "written by Gao E" and "continued by Gao E" in the new version of "Dream of Red Mansions" and updated it to "continued by an unknown person, edited by Cheng Weiyuan and Gao E", marking the "continuation of the book by Gao E". Shaking occurs. The last words of Yu Pingbo, a Red Mansologist, were: "Cheng Weiyuan and Gao E are the ones who preserved "Dream of Red Mansions", and they have merit!" Zhang Qingshan, president of the Red Mansions Society of China, pointed out: "Gao E should not be the sequel author of "Dream of Red Mansions", he should be the last one to publish "Dream of Red Mansions" Organizer... Gao E is the main contributor to the spread of "A Dream of Red Mansions""
Introduction: "A Dream of Red Mansions" is a chapter-length novel. In the early days, only the manuscripts of the first eighty chapters were circulated, and the parts after the eighty chapters were unfinished and the original manuscripts were lost. The original name is "Zhi Yanzhai's Re-Evaluation of the Story of Stone". Cheng Weiyuan invited Gao E to collaborate and compile and publish the complete version of 120 chapters, naming it "A Dream of Red Mansions". There is also a version called "Golden Jade Fate".
"A Dream of Red Mansions" tells the story of people and things that happened in a large feudal family in a fictional dynasty. It takes the emotional entanglements between Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai as the main line through the analysis of some daily events. The description reflects the love, hate and sadness of the women in the Grand View Garden of Jia Mansion, with the Twelve Hairpins of Jinling as the main body. At the same time, the sub-line from Jia's mansion to decline and decline reflects the decline of a large family and the ugly inner nature of this seemingly gorgeous family.
"A Dream of Red Mansions" is also an encyclopedia-style novel, centered on the upper-class aristocratic society, and extremely realistically and vividly describes the entire life of China's late feudal society in the first half of the 18th century.
It makes full use of all excellent traditional techniques of calligraphy, painting, poetry, poetry, music and other types of literature and art to show a tragedy of social life.
The outstanding achievements of "A Dream of Red Mansions" in terms of ideological content and artistic skills have not only become "the unconquerable pinnacle of Chinese novel literature" domestically. And it has also been valued and studied by scholars from many countries internationally. The Chinese Red Society was established to gain an in-depth understanding of "Dream of Red Mansions".
Excerpted from Baidu Encyclopedia