Who is the author of the classic novel "Water Margin"?
The author of the classic novel "Water Margin" is Shi Naian.
Shi Naian was originally from Suzhou. He was born in Xinghua in the second year of Yuanzhen (1296). He was the son of a boatman. He entered a private school at the age of thirteen and became a scholar at the age of nineteen. He became a Jinshi at the age of five. Between the age of thirty-five and forty, he served as an official in Qiantang for two years. Later, he disagreed with the authorities and returned to Suzhou. At the age of 60 in the 16th year of Zhengzheng (1356), Zhang Shicheng took control of Su and was not recruited. He became friendly with Zhang Shicheng's general Bian Yuanheng. Later he lived in Jiangyin and taught in Zhutang Town. At the age of seventy-one or seventy-two, he moved to Xinghua, then moved to Baijuchang and Shijiaqiao. Zhu Yuanzhang failed to respond to repeated expeditions; he finally lived in Huai'an and died at the age of seventy-five, in the third year of Hongwu (1370).
Shi Naian Memorial Hall: In 1992, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Jiangsu Province and Dafeng County governments allocated special funds to build the Shi Naian Memorial Hall. Construction started in August and was completed in August 1993.
The Shi Naian Memorial Hall is located on Huajiaduo Island in the western suburbs of Baiju Town, Dafeng City, Jiangsu Province. It is said to be the place where Shi Naian wrote his book. This place is surrounded by clear streams, the roar of Digang, low-flying sandbirds, slow singing of fishing boats, and dense reeds. It has a strong atmosphere of "Water Margin". When visitors come here, they will doubt that they have really arrived at Liao'erwa, a water park in Liangshan. People walk up the Huajia Duo from Shuibo Bridge in the south, and turn east to see the Shi Naian Memorial Hall. It covers an area of 2,815 square meters, including a construction area of 1,478 square meters.
More than ten miles west from Shi Naian Memorial Hall is Shi Naian Cemetery. There is a three-door brick archway in front of the tomb. On the middle beam, there is a stone carving with the four characters "Naian Gongfang" hanging on it. The tomb is among the green pines and cypresses. A stone tablet with "Reconstruction of Shi Naian's Tomb" handwritten by Zhao Puchu is erected in front of the tomb. There is also a green island with a small river flowing around the island. When looking down from a high place, it looks like a lion (Shi Zi) twirling a hydrangea, so it is commonly known as the "Feng Shui Treasure Land".
"Water Margin" reflects the development process of the Song Jiang Uprising, profoundly exposes the crimes of the feudal ruling class, shows the social environment and class opposition of "officials forcing the people to rebel", and enthusiastically praises the heroes of the peasant uprising. The characters depict the social ideal of the peasants "who live in different territories and belong to one family with different surnames", and also write down the internal reasons for the failure of the uprising. "Water Margin" mainly describes the peasant uprising, and its description is also imbued with a considerable degree of citizen consciousness.