Water Margin, also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, is a Chinese novel traditionally attributed to Shi Nai'an, and it is one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Set in the Northern Song dynasty, it tells of a band of 108 outlaws who gather at Mount Liang, a marsh stronghold, to resist corrupt officials, led by Song Jiang. The story grew out of the legends and storytelling traditions about a real bandit leader of the twelfth century, and the novel was written down in the fourteenth century, reaching its final shape in later editions. It praises loyalty and brotherhood and has influenced martial arts fiction, drama and film. It has been translated into many languages.
Before and after
- 1400Rise of Renaissance music
- 14th centuryOrigins of Songo Mnara
- 14th centuryConstruction of Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
- from 14th century to 17th centuryRenaissance
- 14th centuryPublication of Water Margin
- from 14th century to 16th centuryRise of Devotio Moderna
- 1400Birth of Johannes Gutenberg
- c. 1400sThe moa are hunted to extinction in New Zealand
- 25 October 1400Death of Geoffrey Chaucer
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- July 1054East-West Schism
- from 11th century to 14th centuryOrigins of Catharism
- 1320The Divine Comedy
- c. 1490sThe Last Supper
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes.