Journey to the West
《西游记》
Journey to the West ,compiled in the mid-Ming Dynasty, is the most successful mythical novel in the ancient Chinese history. Wu Cheng'en，the writer of this book，was born in Huai'an Jiangsu province. He was talented and interested in many things. Not only was he good at painting，calligraphy，but also loved writing songs and collecting painting and calligraphy of some famous people Young as he was，he became well known in his hometown because of his literary gifts. However, he did extremely bad in the imperial examinations. He met many difficulties and lived a poor life. It was under such circumstances that he became dissatisfied with and rebellious to the feudal officials and social indifference. He wrote his opinions into a poem，which revealed that the frightfulness of the society had resulted in wrong employments of the governors and the arbitrariness of wick-ed people. He was eager to change this situation，however, he felt helpless be-cause he could not make use of his talents at the right place. Then，he poured his unfairness，hatred，and good wishes into this novel. Although it was written in the later years of his life，he had spent his whole life to prepare for this novel. When he was a child，he often traveled to the ancient temples and jungles nearby his hometown with his father. Every time when they arrived at a place，his father would te11 him many local fairy tales. He loved to listen to anecdotes while young，and when he grew older he became even more fascinated. After he turned thirty ,he had collected so many materials that he decided to produce his own stories .When he was around fifty，he had finished the first ten chapters. Later, he stopped writing for years due to many reasons. He did not finish the whole book until he re-signed from his official position to his hometown when he was old. The novel is written in the form of stories. Each of these stories can be regarded as independent or interconnected sections .There are varieties of immortals and monsters in the stories，which represent justice and evil. The author has created a mythical world in this book，which is also a reflection of the human's. The heavenly palace looks grandiose from the outside，but the God is fatuous and cannot tell good from bad，which resembles the imperial palace of the human world. In the chthonic world that may represent the human royal courts，officials are corrupted，and the innocent people received undeserved treatment. As to the monsters and devils，they kill and eat people，avaricious and concupiscent. They use their witchcrafts to harm people. It is no doubt the reflection of local tyrants and bureaucracy. fn contrary to those demons，Monkey King，the hero of the novel，has intense animosity or hostility to the evil. The atrocious monsters become submissive to or are killed by the golden cudgel of Monkey King. The stories all express the writer's strong wishes to get rid of the ugliness and corruption of the society. The book has generated great impact on the following generations. For hundreds of years，it has been the source of children literature，movies，televisions and dramas.
《西游记》成书于明代中叶，是中国古代最成功的一部神话小说。作者吴承恩(1504?一1582?)，淮安山阳(今江苏淮安)人。作者生性聪慧，爱好广泛，不仅擅长绘画、书法，还作曲和收集名人的字画。年少时，他就以罕见的文学天赋闻名于乡里。然而，在科举考试中，他却屡遭惨败，生活艰难窘困。由此他不满于封建的官僚和世态炎凉。他在自己的诗歌中表露出官吏滥用和恶人的肆意张狂。他急切地想改变这一切，但又感到无能为力，因为自己报国无门。最终，他将这种不公、憎恶和美好的愿望写进了自己的小说。年少时，吴承恩经常同父亲一道去拜寻古庙、森林，每到一处，父亲就给他讲述当地的神话传说。那时他就着迷于传奇、轶事，成年后，又萌发了更大的兴趣。30岁时，他已完成了书的前十章。由于种种原因，写作中断，直到老年，他辞官还乡后才又开始继续写作这部书是故事体裁的，每个故事都是即独立又相关的。每个故事中都有不同的神仙和魔怪，代表着公正和邪恶。作者创造的神怪世界也反映着现实的世界。天庭从外看威恶、壮观，但是玉皇大帝却不能明辨是非，这类似于人类社会的宫庭。虚幻的天宫象征着人间的皇宫，其中官员腐败，清白之人受到不公正的对待。小说中的妖魔鬼怪，奸恶狡诈，用妖术害人，毫无疑问，这都反对了当局的残暴和启”僚。相反，主人翁美猴王，对魔怪充满了仇恨。各种妖怪都慑服或死于他的金箍棒下。这些故事都反映了作者希望铲除社会中的丑恶和腐败现象。这部书对后人产生了极大的影响，几百年来，他一直是儿童文学、电影、电视和戏剧的源泉。
。