Sun Wukong at Beijing opera - Journey to the West

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popu ...

'', one of the

Four Great Classical Novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known novels of pre-modern Chinese literature. These are among the world's longest and oldest novels. They represented a new complexity in structure and sophistication in language that helped to establish t ...

of Chinese literature, was written in the 16th century and attributed to

Wu Cheng'en Wu Cheng'en (, c. 1500–1582Shi Changyu (1999). "Introduction." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, ''Journey to the West'', volume 1. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 1–22. or 1505–1580), courtesy name Ruzhong (), was a Chines ...

. Stories and characters were widely used, especially in

Beijing opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

, and has been adapted many times in modern film, television, stage, and other media.

Paintings

* The Japanese artist

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Yoshitoshi ( ja, 月岡芳年; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi ; 30 April 1839 – 9 June 1892) was a Japanese printmaker. Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005)"Tsukoka Kōgyō"in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 1000. Yoshitoshi h ...

published a series of prints in 1865 titled ''Tsûzoku saiyûki'' (''A Modern Journey to the West'').

Stage plays

* ''The Monkey Sun'' (''Opičák Sun''), a 1984 production adapting several chapters from the novel by the Theatre Esence in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. * ''Amazing Adventures of the Marvelous Monkey King'', a 2001 children's play by Elizabeth Wong. * ''The Monkey King'', a 2005 production by the

Children's Theatre Company The Children's Theatre Company is a regional theater established in 1965 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializing in plays for families, young audiences and the very young. The theater is the largest theater for multigenerational audiences in th ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. * ''Journey to the West: The Musical'', a stage musical which received its world premiere at the

New York Musical Theatre Festival The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) was an annual three-week summer festival that operated from 2004 to 2019. It presented more than 30 new musicals a year in New York City's midtown theater district. More than half were chosen by leading theate ...

on 25 September 2006. * '' Monkey: Journey to the West'', a stage musical version created by Chen Shi-Zheng,

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual ...

and

Jamie Hewlett Jamie Christopher Hewlett (born 3 April 1968) is an English comic book creator, illustrator, music video director, and songwriter. He is the co-creator of the comic book ''Tank Girl'' with Alan Martin and co-creator of the virtual band Gorilla ...

. It premiered as part of the

Manchester International Festival The Manchester International Festival is a biennial international arts festival, with a specific focus on original new work, held in the English city of Manchester and run by Factory International. The festival is a biennial event, first taking ...

at the Palace Theatre on 28 June 2007. *

Mary Zimmerman Mary Zimmerman (born August 23, 1960) is an American theatre and opera director and playwright from Nebraska. She is an ensemble member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company, the Manilow Resident Director at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinoi ...

, Introduction by

Anthony C. Yu Anthony Christopher Yu (; October 6, 1938 – May 12, 2015) was an American literary theorist, sinologist, and theologian. He was a scholar of literature and religion, both East Asian and Western; and was the Carl Darling Buck Distinguished Serv ...

, ''Journey to the West: A Play'' (Northwestern University Press, 2011). * ''Monkey: A Journey to the West'', a live storytelling by Sebastian Lockwood of the New Hampshire Institute of Art, presented in February 2012.

Films

* '' The Cave of the Silken Web'', or ''Pan Si Dong'', a 1927 silent adaptation of one chapter of the novel. It was followed by a 1930 sequel, ''The Cave of the Silken Web II'' (alternatively known as ''Spiders II''). * ''

Princess Iron Fan Princess Iron Fan () is a character from the 16th century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. She is the wife of the Bull Demon King and mother of Red Boy. She is one of the most popular ''Journey to the West'' villains, alongside her husband ...

'', a 1941 liberal adaptation of a short sequence from ''Journey to the West''; the first Chinese animated feature film. * ''

Monkey Sun is a 1959 Japanese tokusatsu Fantasy film, fantasy action film directed by Kajirō Yamamoto, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was based on ''Journey to the West'' written by Wu Cheng'en and was the second adaptation of the novel ...

'', a 1959 Japanese film produced by

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

, released as ''Sun Wukong'' in Japan, as ''The Adventures of Sun Wu Kung'' in the United States, and as ''Monkey Sun'' internationally. *

Shanghai Animation Film Studio Shanghai Animation Film Studio () also known as SAFS () is a Chinese animation studio based in Shanghai, China, as part of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation. Shanghai Animation Film Studio was officially established in April, 1957, led by pione ...

produced several animated films based on chapters from ''Journey to the West'': **''

Havoc in Heaven ''Havoc in Heaven'', also translated as ''Uproar in Heaven'', is a Chinese donghua feature film directed by Wan Laiming and produced by all four of the Wan brothers. The film was created at the height of the Chinese animation industry in the 196 ...

'', also known as ''Uproar in Heaven'', is a 1961 Chinese animated feature film directed by Wan Lai-ming and produced by Wan and his three brothers. In 2012 it was "restored" in 3D. ** ''人參果 (Ren Shen Guo)'', a 1981 Chinese animated film directed by Yan Ding Xian, in English known as ''Ginseng Fruit'' (also known as ''Stealing (the) Ginseng Fruit'' and "Monkey King and Fruit of Immortality") ** ''金猴降妖 (Jinhou jiang yao / Jin hou xiang yao),

The Monkey King Conquers the Demon ''The Monkey King Conquers the Demon'' is a 1985 Chinese donghua feature film directed by Te Wei, Lin Wen Xiao, and Ding Xian Yan and produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. The film serves as a loose sequel to ''Havoc in Heaven'', and a ...

'', a 1985 Chinese animated film directed by

Te Wei Te Wei (; in Shanghai in Shanghai) was a Chinese manhua artist and animator. He is probably best known for the 1956 short animated film ''The Proud General''. From about 1960, he worked in an ink-wash animation style that was influenced by the pai ...

. in English known as "Monkey (King) Conquers the (white bone) Demon" or "Golden Monkey Subdued the Evil" or "Golden Monkey Conquers the Evil". * '' Alakazam the Great'', a retelling of the first part of the story based on the characters designed by

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...

. It was one of the first anime films produced by

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...

. * 1960s Hong Kong film series produced by the

Shaw Brothers Studio Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...

and directed by

Ho Meng-hua Ho Meng Hua (1 January 1923 - 19 May 2009) was a Chinese film director from Shanghai, working in the Cinema of Hong Kong and the Cinema of Taiwan. Early life In 1923, Ho was born in Guangdong province, China. Ho grew up in Shanghai, China. ...

: **''Monkey Goes West'' (1966) ** ''

'' (1966), adapting two chapters from the novel. ** '' Cave of the Silken Web'' (1967) ** ''The Land of Many Perfumes'' (1968) * '' Battles With The Red Boy'', 1972 Taiwanese film *''

The Fantastic Magic Baby ''The Fantastic Magic Baby'' (紅孩兒) is a 1975 film directed by Chang Cheh. The film is based on selected chapters of Wu Cheng'en's classical 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' focusing on the story of Red Boy. Main cast *Ting Wa ...

'', a 1975 Hong Kong film directed by

Chang Cheh Chang Cheh (; 10 February 1923 – 22 June 2002) was a Chinese people, Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films in Greater China, the majority of them wi ...

. * ''Monkey King With 72 Magic'', a 1979 Taiwanese film directed and produced by Fu Ching-Wa, telling the story from the birth of Sun Wu Kong to his imprisonment by Buddha. * '' Doraemon: The Record of Nobita's Parallel Visit to the West'' is based on ''Journey to the West.'' It is the 9th feature-length

Doraemon ''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with List of Doraemon chapters, its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ' ...

film, which was released in 1988. The monsters of the Jouney to the West video game are released in the real world. Nobita and his friends become characters of ''Journey to the West'' and fight against the monsters to restore the peace. * ''New Pilgrims to the West'', a 1982 Taiwanese movie directed by Chan Jun-Leung. A sequel, ''Monkey War'', was released the same year. *Go West to Subdue Demons, a 1992 movie directed by

. *''

A Chinese Odyssey ''A Chinese Odyssey'' is a two-part 1995 Hong Kong fantasy-comedy film directed by Jeffrey Lau and starring Stephen Chow. The first part is titled ''A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box'', while the second part is titled ''A Chinese Odyss ...

'', a two-part 1995 Hong Kong fantasy comedy film loosely based on the novel starring

Stephen Chow Stephen Chow Sing-chi (, born 22 June 1962), known professionally as Stephen Chow, is a Hong Kong filmmaker, former actor and comedian, known for ''Shaolin Soccer'' and ''Kung Fu Hustle''. Early life and education Stephen Chow was born in British ...

as Sun Wukong. ** '' A Chinese Odyssey Part Three'' is a 2016 Chinese-Hong Kong fantasy comedy film and the threequel to ''

'', starring

Han Geng Han Geng (Chinese: 韩庚; Pinyin: Hán Gēng; ) (born February 9, 1984) is a Chinese Mandopop singer and actor. He started his career in 2001, when he was chosen by S.M. Entertainment to become a member of South Korean boy band Super Junior, ...

as Sun Wukong. * ''Heavenly Legend'', a 1998 Taiwanese film by Tai Seng Entertainment that is partially based on the novel. * ''

A Chinese Tall Story ''A Chinese Tall Story'' () is a 2005 Hong Kong fantasy adventure film written and directed by Jeffrey Lau. The story is loosely based on the 16th-century novel ''Journey to the West''. Synopsis It is a twisted story about Tang Sanzang and his t ...

'' (2005), a Hong Kong comedy film loosely based on the novel, starring

Bolin Chen Chen Bolin (; born 27 August 1983), also known as Wilson Chen, is a Taiwanese actor. Early life and education Chen was born on 27 August 1983. While in high school, Chen participated in the Taiwanese variety show ' due to his similarity to Tak ...

Sun Wukong The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong ( zh, t=孫悟空, s=孙悟空, first=t) in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West'' ( zh, ...

. * ''Fire Ball'', a 2005 Taiwanese animated feature film made by

Wang Film Productions Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd. (also known as Hong Guang Animation (宏廣) and Cuckoos' Nest Studio) is one of the oldest and most prolific Taiwanese-American animation studios since 1978. The company, based in Xindian, Taipei and Los Angeles, ...

and directed by Wong Tung. * ''Saiyūki'', also known as ''Monkey Magic: The Movie'' and ''Adventures of the Super Monkey'', is a Japanese feature film produced by

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba today is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially b ...

, released in Japan on 14 July 2007. The film was made in lieu of a second season of the 2006 television series by the same name. The film was a box office success, becoming the 8th highest-grossing film of 2007 in Japan. * '' Monkey King vs. Er Lang Shen'' is a 2007 CG Chinese animated film produced by Yuan Cheng depicting Wukong's fight against Er Lang Shen. * ''

The Forbidden Kingdom ''The Forbidden Kingdom'' (: ''Gong Fu Zhi Wang'' ( Mandarin) or ''Gung Fu Ji Wong'' (Cantonese) and translated ''King of Kung Fu'' (English); Working title: ''The J & J Project'') is a 2008 wuxia film written by John Fusco, and directed by Rob ...

'' is a 2008 Chinese-American fantasy-adventure martial arts film featuring

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial arts, martial artist, and retired wushu (sport), Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singapo ...

. * '' Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons'' is a 2013 Hong Kong comedy film loosely based on the novel directed by

and stars

Huang Bo Huang Bo (; born August 26, 1974) is a Chinese actor, film director, singer and the current vice-chairman of China Film Association. He is the winner of multiple Chinese film awards, and ranked 34th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, ...

. ** '' Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back'' is a sequel to '' Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons'', produced by

and directed by

Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...

, which stars

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. * '' The Monkey King'' is a 2014 Chinese-Hong Kong film directed by

Cheang Pou-soi Cheang Pou-soi (; born 11 July 1972), also known as his main credited as Soi Cheang or Bob Cheng, is a Hong Kong film director, assistant director, screenwriter, script supervisor, actor and film producer. Filmography As director * '' Mad Fate'' ...

and stars

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan (; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. Yen is one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by cho ...

. The movie depicts Wukong's rebellion against Heaven. ** ''

The Monkey King 2 ''The Monkey King 2'' (Chinese: 西遊記之孫悟空三打白骨精) is a 2016 Hong Kong-Chinese action fantasy film based on the classic 16th-century novel ''Journey to the West'' by Wu Cheng'en. The film was shot in 3D and is a sequel to the ...

'' is a 2016 sequel to the 2014 Chinese-Hong Kong film ''The Monkey King'' directed by

and stars

Aaron Kwok Aaron Kwok Fu-shing (born 26 October 1965) is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor. Active since the 1980s, Kwok is known as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. Dubbed the "God of Dance", Kwok's onstage dancing is influenc ...

, replacing

from the prequel. ** '' The Monkey King 3'', a 2018 sequel and director

's third installment in his

Monkey King The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong ( zh, t=孫悟空, s=孙悟空, first=t) in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West'' ( zh, ...

series, follows

and his Master and Junior Brothers

Tang Sanzang Tang Sanzang () is a central character in the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' by Wu Cheng'en. Tang Sanzang is based on the historical Buddhist monk Xuanzang. He is also widely known by his courtesy name, Tang Seng, () or Sanzang (). ...

Zhu Bajie Zhu Bajie (), also named Zhu Wuneng, is one of the three helpers of Tang Sanzang and a major character of the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West''. Zhu means " swine" and Bajie means " eight precepts". Buddhist scholars consider that both e ...

and

Sha Wujing Sha Wujing () is one of the three disciples of the Buddhist pilgrim Tang Sanzang in the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' written by Wu Cheng'en in the Ming dynasty, although versions of his character predate the Ming novel. In the sour ...

respectively, to the Country of Women, also starring

, reprising his role from the second film. * '' Monkey King: Hero Is Back'' is a 2015 Chinese animation film directed by first time director Tian Xiaopeng. The film is based on the story of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King and his journey to the west to fight a powerful source of evil after being freed from his seal. As of 2015, it was the highest grossing Chinese animated film. * In New Gods: Nezha Reborn, Li Yunxiang (who is the reincarnation of Nezha) meets with a masked man who he believes is the Six Eared Macaque, who turns out to be the legendary Sun Wukong and offers to teach him how to control his powers to fight against his half-brother Ao Bing and his father the Dragon of the East

Ao Guang Ao Guang (; or ) is the Dragon King of the East Sea in Chinese folklore. He featured prominently in different works including ''Fengshen Yanyi'' and ''Journey to the West''. ''Fengshen Yanyi'' According to the ''Fengshen Yanyi'', after the passa ...

. * '' Spark: A Space Tail'' shows similarities to the novel such as Spark, a monkey protagonist who weirds a staff just like Monkey King, Vix who fills in as Tripitaka, Chunk as Pigsy and the Flagship Captain as Sandy. * ''Monkey King: Reborn'' is a 2021 animated film about Sun Wukong and his companions must rescue their master Tang Monk from the King of Demons who took him as revenge for his imprisonment. * '' Surprise'' is a low-budget 2015 Chinese fantasy comedy film directed by Show Joy. It had wide previews on 12 and 13 December and was released on 18 December 2015. *''Dream Journey'' is a 2016 Chinese comedy film. Followed by ''Dream Journey 2: Princess Iron Fan'' (2017), ''Dream Journey 3: The Land of Many'' (2017), ''Dream Journey 4: Biography of Demon'', ''Dream Journey 5: Legendary Treasure'' (2019) and ''Dream Journey 6:Tian Mang Shen Quan'' (2019). Produced by ''Zhejiang Meishi Zhongle Media.'' * '' Wu Kong'' stars Eddie Peng as Sun Wukong and Ni Ni as his lover, Zixia *''Two Princesses, Journey to the West'' (2017) a film directed by Jia Kai. *''

Buddies in India ''Buddies in India'' () is a 2017 Chinese action adventure comedy film directed by comedian and actor Wang Baoqiang, in his directorial debut, and also starring Wang. It was released in China by Tianjin Maoyan Media, Beijing Enlight Pictures an ...

'' (2017) a comedy film, starring

Wang Baoqiang Wang Baoqiang (; born 29 May 1984) is a Chinese actor, martial artist and director. His debut role was that of Yuan Fengming in the movie '' Blind Shaft'', for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards. Ear ...

Television series

* ''Monkey'' (''Saiyūki''), a 1978–1980 Japanese television series based on ''Journey to the West''. It was translated into English by the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' The Monkey King'' is a dark sword and sorcery manga inspired by the tale. * '' XIN'' is an American comic mini-series produced by

Anarchy Studio Harris Publications Inc. was an American special interest media company, operating over 75 brands with print, digital, mobile and live event platforms prior to its sale to Athlon Media in 2016. It produced magazines that educate, entertain, inf ...

. * The play in ''

Love Hina is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from October 1998 to October 2001, with the chapters collected into 14 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Kodansha. The ...

'' episode 16 is also based on ''Journey to the West''. * Episode 31 of Yo-Kai Watch has the characters kidnapped by a yokai and forced to act out the events of ''Journey of the West''. * ''Monkey King'', an animated series created in 2009 by

China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...

(CCTV). It was honored with the Golden Panda Award at the 10th Sichuan TV Festival in China. * Monkey Khan from '' Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics)'' comics is loosely based on Sun Wukong. *Oboro Shirakumo's quirk Cloud from ''

My Hero Academia is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 2014, with its chapters additionally collected into ...

'' is a reference to Sun Wukong. *Monty the Magic Monkey 小悟空 (1988 TVB) / ''

TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and ...

'' is a children's animation about Little WuKong adventures post Journey to the West falling from heavens to live with a ''

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

'' family. *Some of

's items are based on ''Journey to the West,'' such as Clone Liquid Goku, Kinto food and Goku ring, Omniscient Reader makes reference to one of the constellations being the Monkey King from Journey to the West

Music

* Between 2005 and 2007, the American composer

Barry Schrader Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

created a four-part electro-acoustic composition cycle, ''

'', which was named after the deeds of Sun Wukong. * The 2008 album ''

'' is the soundtrack to the musical stageplay '' Monkey: Journey to the West''. It was composed by the English musician

with the UK Chinese Ensemble. The soundtrack itself is only based upon, but not a direct recording of the musical.

Dance

Shen Yun Performing Arts Shen Yun Performing Arts (, "divine rhythm arts troupe") is a United States-based non-profit performing arts and entertainment company that tours internationally, producing dance performances and symphony concerts. It is operated by the Falun G ...

has featured several vignettes from ''Journey to the West'' in its dance productions, which tour internationally. These include "The Monkey King Triumphs" and "Monkey King Captures Pigsy".
Pilobolus
staged a dance-theatre work entitled ''Monkey and the White Bone Demon'' in 2001. The piece, created by choreographer Alison Chase, one of the founders of Pilobolus, was based on a children's book adaptation of a tale from ''Journey to the West'' and featured dancer Matt Kent performing on stilts (as the Demon). The piece, which toured internationally and was critically acclaimed, is also the subject of a thirty-minute "making of" documentary film. Alison Chase has since revived ''Monkey and the White Bone Demon'' with her subsequent dance company, Alison Chase Performance.

Books referencing the novel

* ''

Xiyoubu ''A Supplement to the Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese ''shenmo'' (fantastic) novel written around 1640 CE by Dong Yue (). It acts as an addendum to the famous 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' and takes place between the end of cha ...

'' (西遊補; ''A Supplement to the Journey to the West'') is a

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

addendum to ''Journey to the West'' written by Dong Yue in 1640. The novel describes events which occurred between chapters 61 and 62 of ''Journey to the West''. * '' The Monkey King'' is the 1978 debut novel of British novelist

Timothy Mo Timothy Peter Mo (born 30December 1950) is a British Asian novelist. Born to a British mother and a Hong Kong father, Mo lived in Hong Kong until the age of 10, when he moved to Britain. Educated at Mill Hill School and St John's College, Oxfor ...

, whose protagonist mirrors the personality of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. * '' Tripmaster Monkey'' is a 1989 novel by Chinese American novelist

Maxine Hong Kingston Maxine Hong Kingston (; born Maxine Ting Ting Hong;Huntley, E. D. (2001). ''Maxine Hong Kingston: A Critical Companion'', p. 1. October 27, 1940) is an American novelist. She is a Professor Emerita at the University of California, Berkeley, wher ...

, with widespread references to ''Journey to the West''. *

Gene Luen Yang Gene Luen Yang (Chinese Traditional: 楊謹倫, Simplified: 杨谨伦, Pinyin: ''Yáng Jǐnlún''; born August 9, 1973) is an American cartoonist. He is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of graphic novels and comics, at comic book conventions a ...

's graphic novel ''

American Born Chinese American-born Chinese are the subset of Chinese Americans who were born in the US. The term may also refer to: * ''ABC'' (Jin album), a Cantonese language album by Chinese American rapper Jin, the name of which is the colloquially used acronym of ...

'' uses the legend of the Monkey King as a major metaphor throughout the book. He uses the Monkey King's quest to become equal to a god to compare the feelings of the main character, a Chinese immigrant, who is struggling to fit into American society. * In the children's novel ''Michael and the Monkey King'' by Alan James Brown, the Monkey King's mythical journey to the west becomes a modern-day quest to save the lives of a young boy's parents. * '' The Monkey King's Daughter'' is a series of books by Todd DeBonis for young readers, about the adventures of Meilin Cheng, a 14-year-old Asian-American girl who learns she is the daughter of

. * The ''Dark Heavens'', ''Journey to Wudang'' and ''Celestial Battle'' series are fantasy novels by

Kylie Chan Kylie Chan is a bestselling Australian author, best known for ''The Dark Heavens'' trilogy, set in modern-day Hong Kong. The first novel in the trilogy, ''White Tiger'', was published in July 2006, followed by ''Red Phoenix'' in January 2007. The ...

in which Sun Wukong is a frequently occurring character. * In

Kim Stanley Robinson Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American writer of science fiction. He has published twenty-two novels and numerous short stories and is best known for his ''Mars'' trilogy. His work has been translated into 24 languages. Many ...

's novel ''

The Years of Rice and Salt ''The Years of Rice and Salt'' is an alternate history novel by American science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, published in 2002. The novel explores how world history might have been different if the Black Death plague had killed 99 per ...

'', the first chapter (entitled "Awake to Emptiness") is presented in the style of ''Journey to the West''. The protagonist of that chapter, a

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...

warrior named Bold, is an incarnation of Monkey. *

Mark Salzman Mark Joseph Salzman (born December 3, 1959 in Greenwich, Connecticut) is an American writer. Salzman is best known for his 1986 memoir '' Iron & Silk'', which describes his experiences living in China as an English teacher in the early 1980s ...

's second book ''The Laughing Sutra'' (1991) partially re-imagines the ''Journey to the West'' in the context of late 20th century Chinese history. A young man, Hsun-ching, sets out to recover a lost sutra and gains a strange-looking companion, ″the colonel″, who claims extremely long life and carries a metal staff. Stories of the Monkey King and Chinese heroes are referenced throughout. *

Pu Songling Pu Songling (, 5 June 1640 – 25 February 1715) was a Chinese writer during the Qing dynasty, best known as the author of '' Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio'' (''Liaozhai zhiyi''). Biography Pu was born into a poor merchant family from Z ...

writes of Sun Wukong in " The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal", collected in ''

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio ''Liaozhai zhiyi'', sometimes shortened to ''Liaozhai'', known in English as ''Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio'' or ''Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio'', is a collection of Classical Chinese stories by Qing dynasty writer Pu Songling, ...

''. * "The Epic Crush of Genie Lo" by F.C. Yee a young adult fiction book. * Girl Giant and the Monkey King follows a

Vietnamese-American Vietnamese Americans ( vi, Người Mỹ gốc Việt, lit=Viet-origin American people) are Americans of Vietnamese ancestry. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American ethnic group after Chinese ...

Thom Ngho and her adventures with the Monkey King. The sequel, Girl Giant and the Jade War, takes place after the Monkey King betrayed Thom. * The Fallen Hero, written by Katie Zhao. The protagonist, Faryn Liu Falun, gets help from the Monkey King and his weapon, the

Ruyi Jingu Bang Ruyi Jingu Bang (), or simply Ruyi Bang or Jingu Bang, is the poetic name of a magical staff wielded by the immortal monkey Sun Wukong in the 16th-century classic Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. Anthony Yu translates the name simply as "Th ...

, to battle the Heaven who have turned against humanity.

Video games

Kung Fu Chaos, a 3d party fighting game that came out in 2003 for the original Xbox had a character named "Monkey" (Son Wukong) as one of its selectable fighters. * ''

SonSon is an arcade video game by Capcom released in July 1984. It is loosely based on the Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. The player assumes the role of a monkey boy (who is patterned after Sun Wukong from the story) and fights their way from on ...

'', a 1984

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...

. * '' Ganso Saiyūki: Super Monkey Daibōken'' is a 1986

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

RPG based on ''Journey to the West'' and made popular by ''

GameCenter CX , also known as ''Retro Game Master'' in other regions, is a Japanese gaming-variety show television program produced by Fuji Television and Gascoin Company. The name is a combination of "game center" (the Japanese term for an arcade) and Fuji TV ...

'' * ''

Cloud Master ''Cloud Master'' is a horizontally scrolling shooter released as an arcade video game by Taito in 1988. Home versions were released for the Master System, PC Engine, and Famicom, with all save the Master System version released only in Japan. Th ...

'', released in 1988 by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

for

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

and

Master System The is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 and ...

. * ''China Gate'' is a 1988 arcade game by

Technos Japan Corp. Technos may refer to: * Technos (watches), a watch brand established 1900 in Switzerland * Technōs Japan, a defunct Japanese video game developer, 1981–1996 * Techno Twins The Techno Twins (later known simply as The Technos) were a British e ...

It was based on the original story and characters. The Japanese version is titled . * '' Saiyūki World'', a 1988 Japan-exclusive

game by

Jaleco was a corporate brand name that was used by two previously connected video game developers and publishers based in Japan. The original Jaleco company was founded in 1974 as Japan Leisure Company, founded by Yoshiaki Kanazawa, before being renam ...

. It was followed by a 1990 sequel, ''Saiyūki World 2: Tenjōkai no Majin'', adapted and released in 1991 as ''

Whomp 'Em ''Whomp 'Em'', the North American version of the Japanese game (1990), is a platform game released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in March 1991.http://www.sydlexia.com/whompem.htm It is named after Wampum. Gameplay ''Whomp 'Em'' is a ...

''. * '' Yūyūki'', a 1989 text-based adventure video game for the

Famicom Disk System The commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System or just Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Nintendo Entertainment System, Family Computer home video game console, released only in Japan on February 21, 1986. It uses proprietary flopp ...

and developed by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

. * In '' Lunar: Eternal Blue'' (1994), according to scenario writer Kei Shigema, the concept of an oppressive god came from the image of Sun Wukong being unable to escape from the gigantic palm of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

. Shigema stated that "it was a picture showing the arrogance of a god who is saying, 'In the end, you pathetic humans are in my hands.' The moment I understood that, I thought, 'Oh, I definitely want to do this,' it'll definitely match perfectly. So we used it just like that." * ''Journey to the West'' (), is an unlicensed

Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

game produced by

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

ese developer Chengdu Tai Jing Da Dong and published by TXC Corporation in 1994. In 1996, Waixing Technology produced and released its sequel ''Journey to the West II'' (). * The boss of Yellow Desert Zone in ''

Sonic Blast ''Sonic Blast'' is a 1996 Side-scrolling video game, side-scrolling platform game, platform video game known for its use of Pre-rendering, pre-rendered visuals. To stop Doctor Robotnik from using Chaos Emerald shards to fortify his base, the pl ...

'' (1996) is a reference to Sun Wukong. *''

Legend of Wukong ''Legend of Wukong'', originally known as ''Wucom Legend'' ( – 外傳 ''wàizhuàn'' is analogous to the Japanese Gaiden), is a Taiwanese role-playing adventure game for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis developed by Gamtec. It was originally releas ...

'' (1996) is based on Journey to the West. * '' Oriental Legend'' (aka Xi You Shi E Zhuan) is a 1997 2D side-scrolling fighting arcade game with cartoon graphics from International Games System Co., Ltd. Players control versions of one of 5 characters from "Journey to the West": Long-Nui (girl), Ba-Chien (pig-man), Long-Ma, Wu-Kong (humanoid monkey, "monkey king") and Wu-Chin. * '' Monkey Magic'' is a 1999 video game for the PlayStation based on the anime series of the same title. * '' Saiyuki: Journey West'' is a 1999 tactical role-playing game for the PlayStation. It was developed by

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...

. * '' Ether Saga Odyssey'' is a MMORPG based on ''Journey to the West'' and developed by

Beijing Perfect World Perfect World Co., Ltd. ( zh, 完美世界股份有限公司) is a Chinese mass media company based in Beijing. It was founded in 2004 by Chi Yufeng. The company consists of two business segments: Perfect World Games, a video game publisher, an ...

. * '' Enslaved: Odyssey to the West'' is a multi-platform game developed by ''

Ninja Theory Ninja Theory Limited is a first-party British video game development studio based in Cambridge, England. Notable games it has developed include '' Kung Fu Chaos'', ''Heavenly Sword'', '' Enslaved: Odyssey to the West'', '' DmC: Devil May Cry ...

'' based on a futuristic take on the novel. * ''

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL''), commonly referred to as ''League'', is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for War ...

'', ''

Heroes of Newerth ''Heroes of Newerth'' (''HoN'') was a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game originally developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game idea was derived from the ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'' custom ma ...

'', ''Dota 2'', ''Paragon (video game), Paragon'', and ''Smite (video game), Smite'' all have a playable character based on the Monkey King.SMITE - God Reveal: Sun Wukong, The Monkey King - GameSpot
/ref> * ''Dota 2'' also has an Item (gaming), item called the ''Monkey King Bar'' which is based on Sun Wukong's weapon,

. * ''Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Ori and the Will of the Wisp'' is a 2020 video game for the Xbox One which Opher is based on Sun Wukong * ''Westward Journey Online II'', a MMORPG developed and run by NetEase. * ''Puzzle & Dragons'' has Sun Wukong as a usable God. * ''Mega Man: The Wily Wars '' features the Genesis Unit, 3 Robot Masters called Buster Rod.G, Mega Water.S, and Hyper Storm.H; they are based on Sun Wukong, Sha Wujing, and Zhu Bajie respectively. The last letters in each Robot Master's name refers to the Japanese name of their correlating characters (G for "Gokū", S for "Sa Gojō", and H for "Hakkai") * ''West Adventure'' is a 1994 beat'm up game developed by Panda Entertainment for MS-DOS platform. The game is based on Journey to the West original story and characters. * ''Monster Strike'' has Sun Wukong as a usable Character. * ''Shin Megami Tensei IV'' has Sun Wukong as a usable Demon. * ''Persona 5'' has Sun Wukong as Ryuji Sakamoto's trickster persona named Seiten Taisei. * ''Summoner's War'' has a monster named Monkey King, the fire version becomes Wukong when awakened. * ''RaiRaiGoku'' is a pachislo slot machine with a Journey to the West theme. * ''Warriors Orochi'' games feature Sun Wukong as a character. ''Warriors Orochi 3'' specifically features both the Monkey King and Xuanzang (reimagined as a female dancer) as List of Warriors Orochi characters, playable characters. The after-mission cutscene for the mission in which the player unlocks Xuanzang make many references to the novel. Including a conversation between the characters Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Ishikawa Goemon speculating on whose roles from the novel they fill. * ''Warframe'' has a playable character named Wukong. * ''Project X Zone'' has two protagonists named Kogoro Tenzai and Mii Koryuji, they are both based on Sun Wukong and Xuanzang respectively. * ''Overwatch (video game), Overwatch'', in the seasonal event, Overwatch Year of the Rooster, the characters Winston, Roadhog, Reinhardt and Zenyatta are given alternate outfits that makes them look like Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing and Xuanzang. * The ''Pokémon'' franchise contains Chimchar, Monferno and Infernape (Sun Wukong) as well as Grumpig, Tepig, Pignite and Emboar (Zhu Bajie). *''Great Sage, Heaven's Equal'' (齐天大圣), a Chinese language Taiwanese video game for DOS created by Golden Genius * ''Minecraft'' made a mash-up pack for Chinese mythology with skins mostly from Journey to the West. * ''Monkey King: Hero is Back'' is adapted to a videogame on the PlayStation 4 in 2019 (4 years after the film's release) where you play as Sun Wukong (renamed Dasheng in the English dub) as you guide Liuer and Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) to fight off Mountain Trolls and other monsters to save the kidnapped children from the clutches of the demon king Hun Dun, use statues of Guanyin to unlock spells to enhance your skills and use various weapons to battle enemies. Two DLCs were available: Mind Palace, which is set within Sun Wukong's mind sealed inside the Buddha's crystal where he trains himself in a series of obstacles and traps between different biomes. And Uproar in Heaven, which is before the main story where the monkey king duals against three of the Jade Emperor's greatest warriors, Nezha, Juling Shen and his nephew Erlang Shen. * ''Unruly Heroes'' by Magic Design Studios for the Xbox One, the PS4, the Nintendo Switch and the PC. You play as Wukong, Sanzang, Kihong and Sandmonk going on a journey to retrieve the sacred parchments from fearsome foes like Rhynehard, Skeletosis, Lady White, Chief Chomp, The Hundred Eyed Demon Lord and King Bull. * ''Lego Brawls 2021 update has content from Monkie Kid with a battle arena of Flower Fruit Mountain and new characters consisting of Monkie Kid, Mei, Mr. Tang, Pigsy, Monkey King, Princess Iron Fan, Red Son, a Bull Clone, Gold and Silver Horn Demons, and the Spider Queen. * ''Tokyo Afterschool Summoners'', in an event quest called Desert Journey, which adapts the whole story of Journey to the West, in which the protagonist is Xuanzang (in the game he/she is called Sanzang), with the characters Seth, Hanuman and Ganglie representing Sha Wujing, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. * ''Black Myth: Wukong'', a Chinese adventure/role playing video game being developed by Game Science which depicts Sun Wukong's story, exploits and battles. * One of the new Copy Abilities used in ''Kirby Star Allies'', Staff, is based heavily on Sun Wukong, with Kirby's main weapon being an extending staff (similar to Ruyi Jingu Bang), and his helmet being based on that of Sun Wukong. * In Suikoden 2 (PSX), main character (Riou) wears circlet and his childhood friend (Jowy) uses staff as weapon. This represent Sun Wukong circlet and Ruyi Jingu Bang. * In ''Fate Grand Order'', the character Xuanzang Sanzang, a female version of

, debut in the event "Sanzang Coming to the West". * ''Rabbids: Party of Legends'' is a party game where the Rabbids travel themselves to the Journey to the West story thanks to their Time Washing Machine. The Awakened One (Buddha) trapped the washing machine inside a magic bell and task them to retrieve the scared books for him in exchange to return it while also facing off against gods and demons. * In the 2022 mobile game ''Dislyte'', Tang Xuan is a Legendary Esper with the powers and staff of Sun Wukong. His twin brother, Tang Yun, is given the powers of the Six-Eared Macaque.

References

{{Journey to the West Journey to the West, Lists of works based on novels, Journey To The West

Paintings

Stage plays

Films

Television series

Comics and animations

Music

Dance

Books referencing the novel

Video games

References