This task is nearly impossible, requiring the crossing of thousands of miles of wild and dangerous territory. He decides to send a monk to the Western Heaven (that is, India), to visit the Buddha, obtain holy scriptures, and bring them back to the people of the Tang Empire. When Taizong returns to the human world he is a changed man. There he comes face to face with the Ten Kings of the Underworld, survives a harrowing journey through hell, and finally escapes with the help of a deceased courtier. Due to a mixup involving the wrongful execution of a dragon king, Taizong falls ill, dies, and is dragged down to the underworld. Q: In short, what is Journey to the West about?Ī long time ago, in a magical version of ancient China, the great Tang Empire is ruled by an emperor named Taizong. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and texts of Buddhism. The novel’s storyline is loosely based on an actual journey by a Buddhist monk also called Xuanzang who traveled from the city of Chang’an (today’s Xi’an) westward to India in 629 A.D. Wikipedia sums up the book’s role perfectly, saying, “Enduringly popular, the tale is at once a comic adventure story, a humorous satire of Chinese bureaucracy, a spring of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeys towards enlightenment by the power and virtue of cooperation.” Q: Is Journey to the West based on a real story? Its place in Chinese literature is roughly comparable to Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey in Western literature. It is probably the most famous and best-loved novel in China and is considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Journey to the West (西游记, Xīyóu Jì), is a Chinese novel written in the 16th century by Wu Cheng’en (吴承恩, Wú Chéng’ēn).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |