The background of Wu Chengen's Journey to the West.
"Journey to the West" was one of the four famous novels in ancient China. It told the story of the four main characters, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Monk Sand, and Tang Sanzang, who went to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures after going through 81 difficulties. The background of the story took place in the Tang Dynasty, when the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism led to social disorder. Tang Sanzang and his disciples embarked on a thrilling journey to find the way to the Western Paradise. Sun Wukong was a mischievous monkey who was expelled from the Heavenly Palace and accidentally entered the human world. Zhu Bajie was a pig demon who had been subdued by Tang Sanzang and became his disciple because he had stolen Tang Sanzang's meat. Friar Sand was the prince of the Jinsha Kingdom. He was exiled to the human world because he had made a mistake. Together with Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, he followed Tang Sanzang to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Tang Sanzang was a benevolent monk who led Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Monk Sand to the Western Paradise to learn Buddhist scriptures in order to promote Buddhism. In the story, it depicted the various styles of society in the Tang Dynasty, including the corruption of officialdom, the desolation of the people, the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, and so on. At the same time, it also showed the bravery and wisdom of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sand Monk, and the compassion and wisdom of Tang Sanzang. Journey to the West became a favorite novel of countless readers and an important part of Chinese culture.