Journey to the West
The novel Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classics. It is also recognized as the first epic-length novel in ancient Chinese literature that features gods, demons, and a strong element of romanticism. The novel was written by Wu Cheng'en (c. 1500-c. 1582) in the mid-16th century during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
It is a literary work that draws upon the story of Xuan-zang's pilgrimage to get Buddhist scriptures, as well as earlier works from the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368). The book tells the epic tale of Tang Sanzang, a Buddhist monk, and his three disciples: Sun Wukong (The Monkey King), Zhu Bajie (Piggy), and Sha Wujing (Sandy), as they embark on a perilous journey to the west. Along the way they face a series of challenges, battle demons and monsters, and endure eighty-one tribulations. Their ultimate goal is to meet the Buddha and be given the sacred scriptures, which they achieve after much hardship and struggle.
Journey to the West reflects the ideological convergence of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in China. It blends the celestial beings of Taoism's heavenly palace, underworld, and ocean with Buddhism's Western Paradise, and critiques the real world through the stories of gods and monsters, while prais- ing the bravery and free spirit of Sun Wukong. The book also expresses the ancient theme of promoting good and punishing evil. The characters of Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie,and Sha Wujing, as well as the stories of "The Monkey King Wreaks Havoc in Heaven", "The Three Battles with the White-Boned Demon", and "The Three Borrowings of the Palm-Leaf Fan" are well-known to readers. For centuries, Journey to the West has been adapted into various works such as local operas, movies, TV series, animated films, and comics that have been widely circulated in many countries and regions around the world.
《西游記》
《西游記》是中國古典小說四大名著之一，也是中國古代第一部長篇神魔小說，富有浪漫主義色彩。《西游記》成書于16世紀明朝中葉，作者是吳承恩（約1500—約1582）。
《西游記》在宋、元以來關于玄奘取經的故事和有關作品基礎上創作而成。書中主要講述了唐三藏與孫悟空、豬八戒和沙和尚師徒四人前往西天取經，一路上歷經艱險，降妖除魔，經歷了九九八十一難，終于見到如來佛祖，取回真經、修成正果的故事。
《西游記》系統地反映了中國儒、釋、道三教合流的思想體系，將道教的天宮、地獄和海洋的神仙體系與佛教的西天糅合到一起，并借神魔故事批判現實世界，歌頌了孫悟空自由勇敢的精神，表現了懲惡揚善的古老主題。書中孫悟空、唐三藏、豬八戒、沙和尚等人物形象，“大鬧天宮”“三打白骨精”“三借芭蕉扇”等故事家喻戶曉。幾百年來，《西游記》被改編成地方戲曲、電影、電視劇、動畫片、漫畫等各類作品，在世界許多國家和地區廣泛流傳。
