Gods and demons fiction

The term shenmo xiaoshuo, coined in the early 20th century by the writer and literary historian Lu Xun, literally means "gods and demons novel".

[4] Plot elements like the use of magic and alchemy were derived from Chinese mythology and religion, including Taoism and Buddhism, popular among Ming intellectuals.

[6] The Four Journeys (四遊記, c. 16th century CE) is another early shenmo work composed of four novels and published during the dynasty as a compilation of folk stories.

[7] The Story of Han Xiangzi (韓湘子全傳, c. 17th century CE), a Daoist novel from the same period, also shares this supernatural theme but contains heavier religious overtones.

[12] In A Ridiculous Journey to the West (Wuli qunao zhi xiyouji) by Wu Jianwen, the protagonist Bare-Armed Gibbon, a more venal version of Sun Wukong, aids the Vulture King once he is unable to wring any money out of a penniless fish that the vulture had caught and dropped in a puddle.

The generation of writers following the May Fourth Movement rejected fantasy in favor of literary realism influenced by the trends of 19th-century European literature.

[15] Shenmo and other fantasy genres experienced a revival in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and, later, in Mainland China after the Cultural Revolution ended.

[16] The term shenmo xiaoshuo was coined by the writer and literary historian Lu Xun in his book A Brief History of Chinese Fiction (1930), which has three chapters on the genre.

In August 2024, a Chinese company released Black Myth: Wukong, a video game featuring characters based on Journey to the West.

A late Ming commentary edition of The Story of Han Xiangzi
A late Ming edition of The Eunuch Sanbao's Voyage to the Western Ocean , a blend of shenmo ("fantasy") and historical fiction
Cover of an early 20th-century edition of Journey to the West (volume four)
Cover of an early 20th-century edition of the Investiture of the Gods (volume two)
Cover of Journey to the East , one of the Four Journeys
Cover of a 2000 edition of Flowers in the Mirror , a 19th-century shenmo novel