If the audience is asked to list the classic domestic dramas in their minds, then the 82 version of "Journey to the West" is most likely on the list. Although it has been a long time since its premiere, it still continues to be on the hot search.
Talking about the story of "Journey to the West", we have to talk about the author Wu Chengen. Writer Xu Haijiao said that Wu Chengen was very smart when he was a teenager, but he also failed to be admitted to the Jinshi at that time. Regarding the controversy over the author of "Journey to the West" that once appeared in the history of ancient Chinese literature, he believes that Wu Chengen is the author of "Journey to the West".
Screenshot of the 82 version of the "Journey to the West" video
Brilliant and intelligent
Wu Chengen was born in Huai'an, Jiangsu, when it was a place where businessmen gathered, and the atmosphere of reading was very popular. His father dropped out of school at a young age and later opened a cloth shop and had high expectations for his son.
"Wu Chengen showed superhuman intelligence when he was young, and when he was about seventeen years old, he was admitted to Xiucai with excellent results." Xu Haijiao said that some people commented that he "has to be the first to pick up mustard ears", and think that Wu Chengen's future fame is as simple as picking up a piece of grass.
But life is full of uncertainties. Since then, Wu Chengen has never taken a step forward, and he has no results until he is forty-five years old, so he completely gave up his illusions about the imperial examination, thinking that it would be good to make a mistake in the county school.
Although his career was not smooth, his talent in the field of literature slowly showed. Around 1542, Wu Chengen completed the first draft of "Journey to the West", and I am afraid that he himself did not expect that this work would become a classic.
"Wu Chengen was very fond of literature when he was a teenager, and when he went to write novels, it can be said that he didn't need to turn at all, and he was always in it." Xu Haijiao explained.
Who is the real author?
In the mythical world created by "Journey to the West", many characters are very vivid, such as the witty Monkey King, Zhu Bajie, who is a little lazy but does not drop the chain at critical moments, and the honest and honest Sand Monk, etc.
Data map: In the living room of Wu Chengen's former residence, a portrait of Wu Chengen is displayed.
However, there has been some controversy about who the author of "Journey to the West" is in history. For a long time, it became a public case in the history of ancient Chinese literature.
"It is a pity that "Journey to the West" was not published during Wu Chengen's lifetime. This manuscript was hidden for 12 years, until the Ming Dynasty Jinling Shidetang published "The New Carved Portrait of the Official Version of Big-Character Journey to the West", which quickly caused a sensation. Xu Haijiao said.
However, the author's name was missing from the book when it was originally published, for reasons unknown. Coupled with various other factors, there has been a debate about "who is the author of "Journey to the West" for hundreds of years.
"But based on the text and the author's experience, combined with the research of some scholars in the Qing Dynasty and modern times, we have reason to believe that Wu Chengen is the author of "Journey to the West"." Xu Haijiao said.
More possibilities for life
Not only Wu Chengen, in "The Immortal Downfall: Thirteen Imperial Examination Losers and Their Times", the stories of thirteen ancient celebrities such as Du Fu, Li He, Wen Tingyun, and Pu Songling are recorded.
"Immortal Downfall". Published by Henan Literature and Art Publishing House
These famous scholars were disappointed in the imperial examination, but they all found another path in life, that is, literature. Whether it is "Strange Tales from Liaozhai" or "Journey to the West", through poetry and articles, their names and stories have been passed down to future generations.
Xu Haijiao said that just like Pu Songling, he still needs to support his family in addition to preparing for the imperial examination. He could neither do farm work nor know how to run a business, so he had to choose to be a tutor for more than 40 years.
"When he was young, he started to write "Strange Tales from Liaozhai", and he had the intention of giving up in the middle, because many friends persuaded him to do his job, but this kind of abandonment was very short-lived, and writing this big book also ran through most of Pu Songling's life. Xu Haijiao sighed.
Another example is Du Fu, who was exiled to the Xiangjiang River Valley, but his heart remembered the common people, "Poor years worry about Li Yuan, sighing and intestinal heat." This ancient way is a reader's enthusiasm and concern for the world, which is also an important reason why his poems are known as "poetry history".
Xu Haijiao said that he wants to use these exciting lives as a model to tell readers that there are more possibilities in life, the script of life is unknown, and the path that the soul determines to take may make you forever remembered by the latecomers in time and time. (Chinanews.com Shangguanyun)