Is Water Margin Based on a true story?

"Water Margin" (also known as "Outlaws of the Marsh" or "All Men Are Brothers") is indeed based partially on real events and people. The novel is attributed to Shi Nai'an and is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin.

The story is set in the Northern Song dynasty (around 1120) and revolves around a group of 108 outlaws who gather at Mount Liang (Liangshan Marsh) to rebel against the government. This group is led by a man named Song Jiang. The novel is a fictionalized account of the historical Song Jiang and his thirty-six bandits. The real exploits of Song Jiang and his bandits became local legends, and many of the actual historical figures served as the basis for the characters in "Water Margin."

While the storyline is fictional, it is rooted in historical events and characters, making "Water Margin" a blend of fiction and reality. It is considered one of the great novels in Chinese literature, and its characters and stories have become iconic in Chinese culture.