Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4 - 7 2018 | Page 183

Other theories say it was but an unrecorded result of human mutation, yet others argue the possibility of the
trio being together and buried in the same place.
Rowen Quinn Andrew is a historian and professor studying ancient China and its cultures at the University
of Oxford. She has long been dazzled by the novel itself and was able to take a deep look at the bodies when
she was invited by the researchers at the site to scrutinise them. After a week of experiments and predictions,
we were able to interview her on the issue.
What was your initial reaction when you first knew about the discoveries?
“I was as shocked and skeptical as everyone was. There was serious uncertainty about whether these bodies
were actually real. Journey to the West was one of the novels where, when you first started reading, you can
tell straight away it is but only a fantasy. A monkey, born from a rock, eventually becoming a powerful
threat to the ultimate kingdom of Heaven does ring a bell in Chinese culture as it associates the religions and
beliefs of Taoism and Buddhism, but it was not something we see in the ordinary world. Each historical
finding is unique in its own way. The mummies discovered were special in the sense that they were
mystical. You get a similar feeling as when historians discovered the first cavemen, because it opens up a
new field of discovery and exploration. I cannot say I am too hopeful about it, but it is certainly worth
finding out more.”
What are your thoughts on this new discovery? Do you think it is, as they say, from a different universe?
“What we are looking at now is something truly fascinating and to some extent, unreal. These findings can
possibly be concrete evidence that humans have too simplistic a view of our past. Historians construct an
imaginary interior from multiple sources and perspectives, telling the stories based on the way these sources
are presented, instead of the way they wanted history to go. One of the most crucial aspects of this discovery
is that it doesn't fit into the storyline. Despite all the artifacts and ancient bodies, what we are looking into
now is one single, somewhat reliable, source. 22 nd century has been very different from its previous account,
the ideas of parallel universes and hyperspace has changed the way humans see time, time is no longer some
simple measurements or duration, but something that can be twisted and altered at will. Similarly, historians
are now being drawn into the field of science, which is a very contradicting idea. We may have to look
more deeply into this discovery before coming up with conclusions right away. After investigating these
bodies, their resemblance is uncanny; the moment I see them, it reminded me of the characters. One
conclusion drawn was that it was an ancient form of evolution, neglected by humanitarian records; it is true
that Xuanzang visited Nalanda in the 7 th century but why were there no records of his disciples in his books?
Something must have happened along the way. If we fill this gap, we may as well believe in these conflicting
conclusions. However, how unbelievable this is also made it very ludicrous for some to believe this is true.
The reliability of a single source is not high, drawing conclusions and taking s