Journey to the West, one of China's four great classics, chronicles the adventures of the monk Xuánzàng, who traveled to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures, accompanied by the Monkey King Sun Wukong. Known for his immense power and rebellious spirit, Wukong faces numerous challenges and cosmic adversaries throughout the journey before ultimately achieving enlightenment. The story highlights themes of loyalty, redemption, and spiritual growth, influencing many modern narratives, including characters like Son Gokū from the Dragon Ball series.

1. Journey to
the West
An overview by
马汉明

2. 西游记
Xī Yóu Jì
西 = West
游 = Journey
记 = Record
a.k.a. Journey to the West

3. Historical
Background

4. • The novel is considered one of the
four great Chinese classics.
• The earliest known written edition
was published sometime in the 13th
century. It is known as the Kōzanji
version (高山寺) because a copy was
found in a Japanese temple with that
name.
• The complete 100 chapter edition
was published anonymously in 1592 .
• Wú Chéngēn (吴承恩, 1500–1582), a
poet and minor government
official, has generally been
considered the author since 1923.
• More current
A Page from the Kōzanji version scholarship, however, has cast doubt
on Wu’s connection.

5. • The novel is based on the historical
journey of the famous Tang Dynasty
monk Xuánzàng (玄奘, 602-664).
• He traveled to India in defiance of an
imperial decree in order to gain Buddhist
sutras that were not available in China at
the time.
• He lived in India from 629-645.
• When he returned to China, he brought
back with him over 600 new texts.
• He worked on translating them from
Sanskrit into Chinese until his death in
664.
• He is celebrated as one of the most
famous monks in Chinese history.

6. The Narrative

7. A monkey was born from a magic stone sitting high
atop the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit.

8. After proving himself in a test of bravery, he
was made the ruler of all monkeys, thus
becoming the “Monkey King.”

9. However, the Monkey
king grew older and
started looking for a way
to stave off death. He
searched the world over
and eventually found a
Daoist sage who taught
him not only the secrets
of immortality, but vast
magic powers.

10. He could transform into
anything, call on gods
and spirits to do his
bidding, and even fly
on clouds.
The sage also gave him
the religious name …
Sūn Wùkōng
孙悟空

11. Sun Wukong returned home to teach his children the
skills he had learned, but soon discovered he was far too
strong to wield mere earthly weapons. And so one of his
advisors told him to seek out a suitable one in the
undersea palace of the Eastern Dragon King.

12. There, the Eastern Dragon King ordered his aquatic generals
to bring the Monkey King a spear, a reclining-moon
knife, and a halberd weighing thousands of pounds each.

13. But no matter …

14. … what weapon he tried …

15. …it was too light or broke in his hands.

16. The only weapon the Eastern Dragon King had left was a
huge iron pillar once used by Yu the Great, a mythical
king, to measure the depths of the water during the world
flood. It was now being used to fix the ocean in place.

17. It was known as
the “As-you-wish
gold-banded
cudgel” and
weighed 18,000
pounds. There
was no other
weapon like it in
the entire
universe.
It could perform
all manner of
transformations
如意金箍棒 (Rúyì Jīngū Bàng) too.

18. Sun Wukong
could make
it as big …

19. …or as tiny as
he wanted.
It could even
multiply itself
or transform
into any
object, such as
a razor-sharp
knife.

20. Sometime after returning
from the Eastern
Sea, Monkey’s soul was
dragged to the underworld by
King Yama, the god of death.
This greatly angered Sun
Wukong because he was
immortal and no longer
subject to the cycle of life and
death. He immediately beat
up the denizens of hell
and, using a brush, crossed
out his name and the names
of all monkeys from the
ledgers, thus making them
immortal too.

21. The Eastern Dragon
King and King Yama
later went to
heaven and
reported Monkey’s
acquisition of the
ocean-fixing pillar
and his defacement
of the ledgers of
life and death to
the August Jade
Emperor, ruler of
the Cosmos.

22. The
embodiment
of the planet
Venus
suggested that
they should
invite him to
be the
“Protector of
the Heavenly
Horses” in
order to keep
an eye on him.

23. Sun Wukong later learned the position was a joke and that he
was not considered a full-fledged god. This greatly angered
him, and so he returned to earth and proclaimed himself the
“Great Sage Equaling Heaven” (Qítiān Dàshèng) in rebellion.

24. The August Jade
Emperor of
Heaven sent the
100,00 soldiers of
the celestial army
to capture Sun
Wukong, but they
were not his
match.

25. Not even the demon-killer, third Prince
Nezha could defeat him.

26. In the end, the
Monkey King’s
power was
too great, so
heaven had to
grant him
godhood, as
well as a new
position as the
“Guardian of
the Immortal
Peach Grove.”

27. Sun Wukong, once
again, became angry when
he learned that he had not
been invited to the
heavenly Queen Mother’s
immortal peach banquet.
He put everyone to sleep
with magic sleeping bugs
and drank all of the
Emperor’s royal wine. He
then stole all of the
immortal peaches and
longevity elixir and
returned home to the
Mountain of Flowers and
Fruits to share them with
his children.

28. Learning from the
last
engagement, the
August Jade
Emperor sent the
entire heavenly
army along with
some of the most
powerful Daoist and
Buddhist gods to
capture the Monkey
King. He even sent
his nephew, Erlang
Shen, who was a
master of magic
transformations just
like Sun Wukong.

29. The two battled
with their weapons
and their
transformations.
If Sun Wukong
transformed into a
water snake, Erlang
became a crane.
This continued with
Erlang countering
all of the Monkey
King’s various
transformations.

30. With the aid of a
magic weapon, the
Monkey King was
eventually
captured and
returned to heaven
for execution.
However, they
could not kill him.
Heavy
blades, fire, and
lightning all had no
effect.

31. The supreme
Daoist god Laozi
then suggested
that they place
Sun Wukong into
his Eight Trigram
furnace to melt
him down.

32. Forty-nine days
later, Laozi
opened the
furnace
expecting to see
ashes, but Sun
Wukong
emerged now
even stronger
with golden eyes
capable of
seeing through
magic disguises.

33. When
heavenly
forces failed in
stopping the
rampaging
monkey, the
August Jade
Emperor called
upon the
Buddha to
intervene.

34. The Buddha
bet Sun
Wukong that if
he could jump
out of his hand
he would
make the
Monkey King
the emperor of
heaven.

35. The Monkey King then used his great power to fly as far as he
could until he reached five pillars at the end of the cosmos. He
wrote his name on them to prove he had been there.

36. Sun Wukong
returned and
demanded to
be made
emperor, but
the Buddha told
him the five
pillars had been
his fingers and
that he had
never left his
hand.

37. But before the Monkey King could do anything, the Buddha
pushed him out of heaven and crushed him under his
hand, turning it into the Five Elements Mountain. Sun Wukong
remained trapped under the mountain for a very long time.

38. Five-hundred years
later, the Buddha
sent the
Bodhisattva
Guanyin to find a
suitable person to
travel from China
to India to receive
Buddhist scriptures
needed to release
countless souls
from the torments
of hell.

39. Guanyin chose the
young monk Xuanzang
to retrieve the
scriptures.
In a previous life, he
had been the Golden
Cicada Bodhisattva
who was exiled from
heaven because he
dozed off during one of
the Buddha’s sermons.

40. After centuries of imprisonment, Sun Wukong agreed to
protect the monk in exchange for his freedom. Guanyin gave
him three magic hairs that he could transform into
anything, such as an army of monkeys to do his bidding.

41. ce
Guanyin gave Xuanzang a golden headband that would
keep the Monkey King under control. If Sun Wukong
became unmanageable, all the monk had to do was say
the magic words and the band would tighten around the
monkey’s head, causing him severe pain.

42. Along their journey to India, the two
met other disciples recruited by
Guanyin.
The first was a lecherous pig demon
with the religious name …
Zhū Bājiè
猪八戒
He was formerly the admiral of the
celestial navy who sailed the Milky
Way, but he was later banished from
heaven for flirting with a heavenly
fairy.
His weapon is the War Rake.

43. The second was a dragon
prince that Guanyin had
saved from execution.
He ate Xuanzang’s
mount, so he was forced to
transform into a horse.
He is known as …
Bái Lóng Mǎ
白龙马
(White Dragon Horse)

44. The third and final disciple
was a water demon with the
religious name …
Shā Wùjìng
沙悟净
He was formerly a general in
heaven, but was exiled to
earth for accidentally
breaking a vase.
He became the monster of
the Flowing Sands River.
His weapon is a monk’s
spade.

45. Because Xuanzang
had cultivated
himself for ten
lifetimes, any person
who ate his flesh
would become
immortal.
Therefore, demons
constantly sought
out the “Longevity
Monk.”
Some of the
monsters that Sun
Wukong faced were
…

46. King of Black Wind
A black bear who
turned into a
demon. He later
became
Guanyin’s gate
guard.
His weapon is a
spear.

47. Bull Demon King
A bull who
turned into a
demon. He
was the
Monkey King’s
friend in the
past.
His weapon is
a trident.

48. v Lady
Iron Fan
Wife of the Bull
Demon King
Named for her
magic fan which
produces hurricane
like winds.

49. Red Boy
Son of Lady Iron
Fan and the Bull
Demon King
His weapons are a
spear and magic
fire which can
destroy anything.

50. White Bone
Demon
An evil spirit who can
take on the
appearance of any
person and discard
the disguise at
will, leaving behind a
corpse.
Her weapons are
double swords.

51. Great King Rhinoceros
The celestial pet ox of
the Daoist god Laozi
who became a demon
on earth.
His weapon is a magic
bracelet that can
capture anything. It was
originally used by Laozi
to capture Monkey
during his rebellion
against heaven.

52. Scorpion Spirit
of Pipa Cave
A celestial scorpion
that used to listen to
the Buddha’s sermons
in the Western
Paradise. She was
exiled to earth for
stinging the Buddha.
Her weapons are the
trident and the “horse-
killing poison” of her
stinger.

53. King Gold Horn and King Silver Horn
The immortal
apprentices of
Laozi.
Their weapon is a
magic gourd that
sucks up anyone
who speaks
before it. It can
hold 1,000 souls.

54. The Azure Lion
The celestial mount of
the Bodhisattva
Samantabhadra who
became a demon king
on earth.
He has the power to
grow to any size. At one
point in the story, he
captures the entire
celestial army in his
mouth.

55. After 14 years of
traveling and fighting
malcontents, the
group finally made it
to India, where
Xuanzang received
the scriptures from
the Buddha.
Upon their return to
China, Xuanzang
performed a Buddhist
ceremony that
released untold
numbers of souls
from the torments of
hell.

56. For their efforts, Xuanzang and Sun Wukong are rewarded with
Buddhahood, while Sha Wujing is made an Arhat. Because he
remained glutinous and lecherous throughout the journey, Zhu
Bajie is only given the menial title of alter cleaner.

57. You may have
unknowingly come
into contact with
this story before.

58. Does this guy look familiar?

59. Son Gokū from
the Dragonball
franchise is
actually based on
Sun Wukong.
In fact, Son Gokū
is the Japanese
pronunciation of
the Chinese
characters for Sun
Wukong.

60. 谢谢大家