Author: Wu Cheng'en
Publisher: Beijing Yanshan Press
Format: Hardback
Genre: Fantasy
Date: January 2002
Pages: 628
ISBN: 9787540205713
Language: Chinese
Adaptation: Retelling
Summary:
Journey to the West primarily recounts the story of Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) escorting the monk Tang Seng (Xuanzang) on a pilgrimage to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, a journey marked by eighty-one trials and tribulations. The pilgrimage itself is a historical fact. Approximately 1,300 years ago—in the first year of the Zhenguan era of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty (627 AD)—a 25-year-old monk named Xuanzang departed from the capital, Chang'an, and traveled alone to India (then known as Tianzhu) to study. His arduous journey took him through Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan before he finally reached India. He spent over two years there, earning great acclaim for his role as a lead speaker at a major Buddhist scholastic debate. In the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan era (645 AD), Xuanzang returned to Chang'an, bringing back 657 Buddhist scriptures. Spanning nineteen years and covering tens of thousands of miles, his expedition was a legendary odyssey that caused a great sensation at the time. Later, Xuanzang recounted his experiences to his disciple Bianji, who compiled them into the twelve-volume Great Tang Records on the Western Regions (Da Tang Xiyu Ji). However, this work focuses primarily on the history, geography, and transportation of the various lands he encountered, containing no narrative fiction. It was not until his disciples Huili and Yanzong wrote The Biography of the Tripitaka Master of the Great Ci'en Monastery of the Great Tang that a wealth of mythical elements was woven into Xuanzang’s experiences; from then on, the story of Tang Seng’s pilgrimage began to spread widely among the common people. Works such as the Southern Song dynasty’s Poetic Tales of the Tripitaka Master of the Great Tang’s Quest for Scriptures, Jin dynasty yuanben (short theatrical sketches) like Tang Sanzang and The Peach Banquet, and Yuan dynasty zaju (operatic dramas)—such as Wu Changling’s Tang Sanzang’s Journey to the West and the anonymous Erlang Shen Chains the Great Sage—all laid the foundation for the creation of Journey to the West. Building upon these folk legends, popular tales, and theatrical works, Wu Cheng'en engaged in an intensive process of creative reimagining to produce this great literary masterpiece—a work that remains a source of pride for the Chinese nation.
