My favorite Chinese Literary WorksFour Main Figures Spirit Influence Todays Society Abstract: Journey to the west is a historic Chinese novel that is considered one of the four classics from the Ming Dynasty. It is a story about a Buddhist monk and bunch of animals with human characteristic traveled west to India to find Buddhist scriptures. Key words: god; culture; Buddhist; spirit; heroPart one: INTROCTIONJourney to the West is actually a combination of myth, parable and comedy. It is filled with imagination and have enjoyed a great and immense popularity among the people in China over 400 years on account of its fresh and convoluted plots , distinctive and life-like characters, profound and incisive ideological content and life-hearted style .Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty. Its authorship is attributed to Wu Chengen. In English-speaking countries, the work is widely known as Monkey, the title used for a popular and partial translation by Arthur Waley. The novel is a fictionalized account of the legendary pilgrimage to India of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, and loosely based its source from the historic text Great Tang Records on the Western Regions and traditional folk tales. The monk travelled to the Western Regions during the Tang Dynasty, to obtain sacred texts (stras). The bodhisattva Avalokite?vara(Guanyin), on instruction from the Buddha, gives this task to the monk and his three protectors in the form of disciples namely Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuanzangs steed, a white horse. These four characters have agreed to help Xuanzang as an atonement for past sins.Journey to the West has a strong background in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology and value systems; the pantheon of Taoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas is still reflective of Chinese religious beliefs today. Enduringly popular, the tale is at once an adventure story, a spring of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeying toward India representsindividuals journeying towards enlightenment.It is based on a story about a Buddhist monk and a bunch of animals with human characteristic .The animals in the story are actually of a very fairy tale type of mood and they traveled west to India to find Buddhist scriptures. The animals actually in the story are a very fairy tale type of mood and the animals themselves are celestial being in mortal forms and they have magical powers that protect them from the goblins and the evil spirits. The novel takes the Tang Dynasty eminent monk Xuanzang to Western Paradise (India) as the clue, taking the learning from experienced people characters activity as a center, launching the plot gradually and has portrayed the numerous artistic images, such as Sun Wukong (Monkey king) who is clear about what to love and what to hate, the fraught with uncertainty tang dynasty pilgrim monk (Tang Xuanzang), the gluttonous and lascivious Zhubajie and honest Sha.Before the monk can find the scriptures he must surmounts 81 obstacles including overcoming such supernatural beings as cow demon the spider beast and a living skeleton. These obstacles symbolize the difficulties and challenges that people meet in the course of ideals.The character is the main reason that journey to the west keeps reader in thrall. The book gets more then and uproars comedy. It gives us readers an unforgivable insight into life itself.Part two: The analysis of Sun Wukongs spirit influence todays society In Journey to the We st, the most remarkable person is the Monkey King. A lot of cases embody his personality characteristics clearly. Monkey was created out of a rock. He not only has the sharp wit and an unruly nature of a monkey but also extra ordinary powers that he uses to overcome demons and monsters. In many peoples opinion , the Monkey King is a clever , brave , naughty , flexible justice hero wholoves freedom and dares nothing .In my opinion ,evaluating Sun Wukong in this way is just one side , that is his ability and character . Further more, we should look into the inner place in his deep heart -his pursuit of spirit .What does the Monkey King pursuit? I consider again and again for long. Its just freedom. This is the center of his portrait , itsstarting point as well as final point .The process of his pursuit offreedom is long , winding , also filled with romantic color .Sun Wukong previously Great Sage Equal to Heaven, trapped by Buddha for rebelling against Heaven. He appears right away in Chapter 13. The most intelligent and violent of the disciples, he is constantly reproved for his violence by Xuanzang. Ultimately, he can only be controlled by a magic gold band that the Bodhisattva has placed around his head, which causes him bad headaches when Xuanzang chants certain magic word