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.
An ancient mythological novel that was as famous as Journey to the West was Investiture of the Gods. Investiture of the Gods was a mythical novel set in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. It told the story of Jiang Ziya helping the vassals at the end of the Shang Dynasty to take revenge and quell the rebellion. There were many myths and legends, historical figures, and descriptions of mysterious forces in the novel. It was regarded as one of the pinnacle works of ancient Chinese novels.
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 was a part of the Chinese mythological system. It was a record of ancient China's sacrifices to the gods of ancient times. The Investiture of the Gods contains many different mythical stories and legends, involving various legends and myths in ancient China, so it can be considered a part of the Chinese mythological system. However, to determine whether the Investiture of the Gods was the most complete and purest ancient mythological system, more specific standards and definition might be needed. In some cases, other ancient Chinese cultural systems also contained many similar myths and legends, such as ancient Greek mythology and Norse mythology. Therefore, whether the Investiture of the Gods could be considered the most complete and purest ancient mythological system might require more discussion and research.
The mythological system of ancient China was very complicated, including many myths and legends. The following are some of the important myths and legends: 1. Pangu's Creation of Heaven and Earth: This is one of the most famous myths in ancient China. It tells the story of Pangu's birth in chaos. He used an axe to cut open heaven and earth to create the world. His body continued to grow and eventually turned into a star, while his hair and beard turned into the earth's vegetation. Nüwa mends the sky: This is another myth about the rupture of heaven and earth. It tells the story of Nüwa mending the sky with colorful stones to restore its stability. 3. Shennong Tasting Hundred Herbs: In order to cure all kinds of diseases, Shennong tasted all kinds of herbs and finally created traditional Chinese medicine. 4 Kuafu Chasing the Sun: It tells the story of Kuafu who runs continuously in pursuit of the sun and eventually sacrifices himself on the way. Cowherd and Weaver Girl: The annual meeting between Cowherd and Weaver Girl on the Chinese Valentine's Day became an important festival in Chinese traditional culture. Myths of the Zhou Dynasty: There were a series of myths and legends during the Zhou Dynasty, including Jiang Shang fishing, Lu Dongbin becoming an immortal, Cinderella, etc. These myths and legends are an important part of Chinese traditional culture, with profound cultural and historical significance.
There were many famous mythological novels in China, including: Dream of the Red Chamber: It narrates the love story of Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, and others, as well as the various ills of feudal society. 2. Journey to the West: It tells the story of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Monk Sand protecting Tang Sanzang from the West. 3. Water Margins: It tells the story of 108 heroes who rebelled against the ruling class. Romance of the Three Kingdoms: It tells the story of various political struggles and wars during the Three Kingdoms period. 5. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: It tells all kinds of ghosts and supernatural stories. These novels had high literary value and were widely praised and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Other than the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Journey to the West, and the Investiture of the Gods, what other books about mythical ghosts and gods were there in ancient China? 1. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is an ancient Chinese notebook novel that tells many stories about myths, ghosts, monsters, and so on. 2. History of the Song Dynasty, Records of Art and Culture: This record records the literary works of the Song Dynasty, including many myths, legends, ghosts and other stories such as The Legend of the White Snake, The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, etc. The Scholars is a satirical novel that also contains many myths, legends, ghosts and other stories, such as the story of the protagonist Fan Jin. Dream of the Red Chamber: Dream of the Red Chamber is a long novel in ancient China. It also contains many myths, legends, ghosts and other stories, such as the love story of Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu, as well as the rise and fall of the Jia family. 5 Journey to the West: Journey to the West is a long novel in ancient China. It tells the story of Sun Wukong and others protecting Tang Sanzang to learn from the scriptures. It also contains many myths, legends, ghosts and other plots. These are some of the ancient Chinese myths and books about ghosts and gods. They have an important position in the history of Chinese literature and are widely read.
Journey to the West was the first mythical novel in the history of Chinese literature and one of the four famous novels in ancient China. It told the story of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Monk Sand, and Tang Sanzang (also known as the "Journey to the West") who went to India to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. This novel has a strong folk legend color, integrated with Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism and other thoughts and cultural elements, is a classic in ancient Chinese literature.
" Investiture of the Gods " was a mythological novel in ancient China. Legend has it that it was written by Xu Zhonglin. This novel used the Investiture of the Gods incident as the background to narrate a series of myths and legends from the end of the Shang Dynasty to the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, including the fantasy adventures of various characters such as immortals, monsters, demons, and humans. It is regarded as one of the most accomplished mythological novels in ancient China, with high literary and historical value.
Journey to the West was an ancient Chinese mythological novel written by Wu Chengen, a novelist of the Ming Dynasty. This novel was based on the story of the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang's journey to the west to obtain scriptures. It described the story of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Monk Sand, and Tang Sanzang who finally succeeded in obtaining the true scriptures after going through 81 difficulties. This novel was hailed as a classic in the history of Chinese literature, which had a profound impact on the inheritance and development of Chinese culture.
Journey to the West was a classical Chinese novel that told the story of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and Tang Sanzang (otherwise known as the "Journey to the West") who went to India to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. Sun Wukong was a monkey with great powers. He had the ability to transform into all kinds of forms. Zhu Bajie was a gluttonous and lazy monster. He was once subdued by Tang Sanzang and became his disciple. Later, he betrayed Tang Sanzang and wanted to eat him. Sha Wujing was a loyal monk who had helped Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie defeat many demons. Tang Sanzang, on the other hand, was a merciful monk who led a group of people to India in the hope of saving all living beings. On the way, the group encountered many dangers and difficulties, such as monsters, devils, immortals and so on. They had also defeated many powerful opponents, such as the White Bone Demon, the Fire God of the Flaming Mountain, and so on. In the end, they successfully retrieved the Buddhist scriptures and became heroes respected by everyone.