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Journey to the West (西遊記) is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

The novel is an extended account of the legendary pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang along the ancient Silk Road from China to India and back. Xuanzang traveled to the "Western Regions", that is ancient India, to obtain Buddhist sacred texts (sūtras) and returned after many trials and much suffering. It retains the broad outline of Xuanzang's own account, Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, but the ming dynasty also added elements of fantasy into the story.

that Buddha gave this task to the monk and provided him with three protectors who agree to help him as an atonement for their sins. These disciples are Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng and Sha Wujing, together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuanzang's steed, a white horse.

Journey to the West has strong roots in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology, Daoist and Buddhist philosophy, and the pantheon of Daoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas are still reflective of some Chinese religious attitudes today. Enduringly popular, the tale is at once a comic adventure story, an epic odyssey, 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.

Table of the journey to the west

Table of contents

Volume 1