The legendary novel "Journey to the West" is one of the most famous classic works of Chinese literature. There is no end to adaptations, theatrical productions, video games, anime series, and various versions of this book. A separate volume could be written about its influence on the cultures of the East and the West, which would not be much less in volume than the original work. The novel is based on legends about the journey of the Chinese monk Xuánzàng and the Monkey King Sun Wukong to India for sacred texts. What incredible adventures the heroes experience! They fight demons and celestial forces, outsmart dragons and evil spirits, travel to heaven and the underworld, and overcome the most terrible traps and obstacles.
At the same time, the book is an invaluable source of knowledge about Ancient China: the reader becomes acquainted with the lives and customs of emperors, officials, generals, monks, craftsmen, learns in detail about the flora and fauna, and, of course, about the numerous spirits, deities, and demons that inhabited every corner of the Celestial Empire at that time.
The text is printed in full according to a four-volume edition published in 1959 by the State Publishing House of Artistic Literature, and is accompanied (for the first time in Russia!) by a complete set (200 engravings!) of original illustrations by two artists who lived during the Ming dynasty.
