Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, written by Wu Cheng'en. This immortal masterpiece, composed during the Ming Dynasty in the sixteenth century, tells the story of a Buddhist monk named Tang Sanzang who, commissioned by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty (Li Shimin), travels from China to India in search of sacred scriptures under the escort of his three disciples — Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing. Far more than a fantasy adventure, it is a rich allegorical tapestry that weaves together Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, offering a panoramic portrait of traditional Chinese thought and culture.