Editing Wu Cheng'en (section)

==Biography==
Wu was born in [[Lianshui County|Lianshui]], [[Jiangsu|Jiangsu province]], and later moved to [[Huaian|Huai'an]].<ref name="shi"/><ref name="preface"/><ref name="intro">{{cite book | chapter=Introduction | author=Hu Shih | title=Monkey | year=1942 | pages=1–5 | location=New York | publisher=Grove Press| title-link=Monkey (novel) }}</ref> Wu's father, Wu Rui, had a good primary education and "shown an aptitude for study",<ref name="shi"/>  but ultimately spent his life as an artisan because of his family's financial difficulties.  Nevertheless, Wu Rui continued to "devote himself to literary pursuits", and as a child, Wu acquired the same enthusiasm for literature—including classical literature, popular stories, and anecdotes.<ref name="shi"/><ref name="intro"/>

He took the [[imperial examination]]s several times in attempt to become a [[mandarin (bureaucrat)|mandarin]], or imperial official, but never passed, and did not gain entry into the imperial university in [[Nanjing]] until middle age; after that he did become an official and had postings in both [[Beijing]]<ref name="jenner"/> and [[Changxing County]],<ref name="shi"/> but he did not enjoy his work, and eventually resigned, probably spending the rest of his life writing stories and poems in his hometown.<ref name="shi"/>  During this time he became an accomplished writer, producing both poetry and prose, and became friends with several prominent contemporary writers. However, Wu remained poor throughout his life and did not have any children.<ref name="intro"/> Dissatisfied with the political climate of the time and with the corruption of the world, he spent much of his life as a [[hermit]].<ref name="shi"/>