Wu Cheng'en

The Ming scholar credited with the Monkey King's journey, the most beloved novel in Chinese.

Specifications & Metrics

era

c. 1500 – 1582

language

Classical Chinese

region

Huai'an, Jiangsu, Ming China

notable works

Journey to the West, poetry and prose in classical style

Core Principles & Analysis

• He served briefly as a district official before retiring to write.
• Journey to the West's attribution to him rests on strong but debated evidence.
• The novel's monkey-trickster energy comes through his comic vernacular.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Wu Cheng'en