There were many excellent mythological novels in China, such as: 1 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is one of the famous works of ancient Chinese literature. It tells many stories from myths and legends. Some of the stories included vixens, immortals, demons, and so on, which were very fascinating. Dream of the Red Chamber: Dream of the Red Chamber is a novel about the feudal society in ancient China. It contains many elements of myths and legends, such as the love between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu, the construction of the Grand View Garden, etc. 3. Journey to the West: The story of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Monk Sand is about their journey to the West. The novel was also widely adapted into movies, TV series, and cartoons. 4. Water Margins: Water Margins is a novel about the peasant uprising in the Song Dynasty. It contains many mythical and legendary elements, such as the establishment of Liangshan Lake, the story of Song Jiang and Wu Yong, etc. The Legend of the White Snake: The Legend of the White Snake is a myth with the White Lady and Xu Xian as the main characters. It tells the story of the White Lady using various means to save her husband, Xu Xian. The novel was also widely adapted into movies, TV series, and cartoons. These novels are all classics in Chinese literature, containing many rich mythological elements that are worthy of readers and audiences 'taste and appreciation.
Journey to the West and Investiture of the Gods were both masterpieces of Chinese mythological novels, but only Journey to the West was widely recognized among the four masterpieces. The four masterpieces referred to Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the West, Water Margins, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. These four novels were all classics in the history of Chinese literature and had a profound impact on Chinese culture. Among them, Journey to the West was hailed as the pinnacle of Chinese literature and regarded as a classic in Chinese mythological novels. Journey to the West told the story of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Monk Sand, and Tang Sanzang, who went to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures. The novel depicted the main characters like Sun Wukong overcoming many difficulties and finally obtaining the true scriptures. At the same time, it also showed the embodiment of traditional Chinese culture such as Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and so on. Journey to the West had a very high artistic value in its creation, but it also reflected the social style and people's lives at that time, which was deeply loved by readers. Therefore, even though the Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West were both representative works of Chinese mythological novels, only Journey to the West was widely recognized and passed down as one of the Four Great Masterpieces.
The Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West were both classic Chinese novels with their own strengths and weaknesses. The Investiture of the Gods was a fantasy novel written by Xu Zhonglin, a novelist of the Ming Dynasty. It was set in the context of the Shang and Zhou Wars. It told the story of King Wu of Zhou, the son of King Wen of Zhou, attacking the Shang Dynasty at the end of the Shang Dynasty. Journey to the West was a mythical novel created by the Qing Dynasty novelist Wu Chengen. It was based on the story of the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang's journey to the west to obtain the scriptures. It told the story of the four masters of the Tang Dynasty who finally obtained the true scriptures after going through 81 difficulties. From the perspective of literary achievements, it was difficult to directly compare who was better written. Each of them has its own unique style and characteristics, and has different reading values in different historical and cultural backgrounds. The Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West were both important chapters in the history of Chinese literature, with high literary value and reading value. The readers could choose a literary work that suited them according to their interests and preferences.
The mythological system of ancient China was very complicated. It included not only classic novels such as Journey to the West and Investiture of the Gods, but also a large number of legends, stories, poems, and other literary works, forming a complete mythological network. These mythological works together constituted an important part of the ancient Chinese mythological system, but they were not the only support. The ancient Chinese mythological system also included many other mythological stories such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Water Margins, Dream of the Red Chamber, and other novels, as well as ancient poems, legends, religious rituals, and other works. These works together constituted the ancient Chinese mythological system. The variety and richness made it not only a single novel, but also contained rich cultural content and historical inheritance.
Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West were the names of cultivation techniques in ancient Chinese novels. You can refer to the following examples: The names of the cultivation techniques in the Investiture of the Gods were: [1. Daoist Technique of Jie School: A cultivation technique created by the founder of Jie School, Laozi. It includes Inner Elixir, External Elixir, Meditation, Qi Refining, Spirit Refining, and so on.] 2. The orthodox path of the Xuanmen Sect: It refers to a sect of cultivation techniques in Taoism that emphasize the cultivation of one's mind, understanding morality, and cultivating inner cores. 3. Shen Gongpao's Cultivation Method: It refers to a cultivation method created by Shen Gongpao, which includes refining the body, refining the Qi, refining the spirit, refining the will, etc. 4. Immortal Taiyi's Tao Method: It refers to a cultivation method created by Immortal Taiyi, including inner elixir, external use, heat control, breathing, etc. [5. Fire Cloud Cave Dao Technique: It refers to a cultivation technique created by the owner of Fire Cloud Cave, Zhang Sanfeng. It includes inner core, external use, heat control, spirit cultivation, and so on.] 6. Taiji Fist: It refers to a cultivation method created by Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of Taiji Fist, including Taiji Fist, Qi Refinement, Spirit Refinement, etc. 7 Xihua Mountain Taoist Technique: It refers to a cultivation technique created by Sun Wukong, the master of Xihua Mountain. It includes inner core, external use, spirit cultivation, and will cultivation. The names of the cultivation techniques in Journey to the West were: The cultivation methods of Tang Sanzang and his disciples included meditation, Qi Refinement, Spirit Refinement, and Intent Refinement. 2. Taoist Cultivation Method: It refers to a cultivation method created by the founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu. It includes internal alchemy, external use, heat control, breathing, and so on. 3. Buddhist Cultivation Method: It refers to a kind of cultivation method created by the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni. It includes meditation, pure land, six degrees, and common gate. 4. Sun Wukong's Seventy-Two Changes: It refers to the seventy-two changes that Sun Wukong has mastered, including changing forms, changing colors, changing sounds, etc.
Both Journey to the West and the Investiture of the Gods are classical mythological novels, but Journey to the West is one of the four great masterpieces because it is a classic in the history of Chinese novels, widely praised and influenced generations of readers. Although the Investiture of the Gods was also an important classical mythological novel, it was not generally regarded as one of the four great novels due to its complicated plot and controversy.
The Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West were classic novels in the history of Chinese literature. They both had far-reaching influence and a wide readership. Although the two works have different literary evaluations, there are some similarities between them. The Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West were both adapted from legends and their protagonists were immortals and demons. Therefore, these two works involved the core concepts of traditional Chinese culture, such as Taoism, Buddhism, immortals, monsters, morality, etc. These concepts had a profound influence in Chinese culture, making these two works have profound cultural implications. The writing style and storyline of Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West were also different. The Investiture of the Gods was a novel with war and conspiracy as the main thread. The plot was complicated, and the characters were distinctive and had distinct personalities. On the other hand, Journey to the West was more focused on the adaptation of Buddhist stories. The plot was simple and clear, and the main character image was relatively simple. The main reason why there are differences in literary evaluation between the Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West is that they have different reader groups in terms of story content, cultural content, writing style, etc. Investiture of the Gods was mainly influenced by ancient Chinese military culture, myths and legends, Taoist culture and other factors, while Journey to the West was influenced by Buddhist culture, traditional culture, folk stories and other factors.
Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Investiture of the Gods were both famous works of ancient Chinese literature. They were deeply loved by readers with rich cultural and historical backgrounds. Journey to the West tells the story of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Monk Sand helping Tang Sanzang to go to the West to obtain scriptures. It shows many cultural elements such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism by describing the four people's hardships, defeating monsters, and obtaining scriptures. The plot of the novel is full of ups and downs, the characters are vivid, and the language is beautiful. It is a classic in the history of Chinese literature. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms described the political struggles and wars between Shu Han, Dongwu, and Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. It depicted the images and stories of many historical figures, including Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and so on. The plot was compact and the characters were full. It was a classic work of Chinese classical novels. The Investiture of the Gods told the story of Jiang Ziya helping to become a god during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, depicting the images of many immortals, demons, and ghosts. The novel's plot was bizarre and the language was concise, with a unique style and characteristics. These three novels are all classics. The readers can choose the works that suit them according to their own preferences and cultural background.
Many Chinese mythological novels were written in the Ming Dynasty because the Ming Dynasty was an important period for the development of Chinese mythological novels. During the Ming Dynasty, Chinese novel creation reached its peak. Many mythological novels were written during this period. During the Ming Dynasty, the creation of novels flourished. Many writers devoted themselves to the creation of novels. Ming Dynasty novelists were good at using imagination and exaggeration to create many stories full of imagination and mystery. These stories contained many mythological elements such as Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Monk Sand, Tang Sanzang and other mythological characters, as well as mythical scenes such as the Heavenly Palace, the underworld, and the human world. Ming Dynasty novelists often combined historical, legendary, and folk stories to create unique mythological stories. These stories had been passed down to this day and became classic representatives of Chinese mythological novels. Therefore, many Chinese mythological novels were written in the Ming Dynasty, reflecting the prosperity and characteristics of Chinese novel creation during the Ming Dynasty.
Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West were two famous ancient Chinese supernatural novels. They had different plots and character settings, so they could not be read together at will. "Investiture of the Gods" told the stories of immortals and demons in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, including many myths, legends, and historical events. It mainly described the war led by Jiang Shang (the King Wu of the Investiture of the Gods, Ji Fa) and the battle between immortals and demons. Journey to the West was about Sun Wukong and the others protecting Tang Sanzang to go to the Western Paradise. It mainly described the story between Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Monk Sand, the three monsters, and Tang Sanzang and his disciples. The plot, character setting, and theme of the two novels were very different. Reading them together could cause confusion and misunderstanding. If you want to understand their respective stories, it is recommended to read them separately.
In Journey to the West and Investiture of the Gods, Hong Meng was the name of a mythical world that represented the origin and essence of the universe. In these novels, the beginning of the world was a very mysterious world full of infinite possibilities and unknowns. In Journey to the West, Hong Meng was the world ruled by the God of Chaos. The God of Chaos was the common ancestor of the Heaven Realm and the Earth Realm. He was once the origin and essence of the universe. However, he was expelled from the universe for some reason. In Journey to the West, the God of Chaos performed a series of supernatural powers in the Hongmeng World, creating many disasters and chaos. In the end, he was defeated by Sun Wukong and others and was expelled from the Hongmeng World. In the Investiture of the Gods, Hong Meng was the world ruled by Heavenly Emperor Taihao. Celestial Emperor Taihao was the common ancestor of the Heaven and Earth. He was once the origin and essence of the universe. However, he was expelled from the universe for some reason. In the Investiture of the Gods, there were many immortals, demons, and ghosts in the Primordial World. Heavenly Emperor Taihao himself was one of them. He used a series of divine powers to create many mythical stories.