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Powerful Sun Wukong

72 Transformations

Sun Wukong is a key figure in "Journey to the West," one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. Born from a magical stone on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, he becomes the "Handsome Monkey King" after leading his tribe into the Water Curtain Cave. Seeking martial arts mastery, he learns seventy-two transformations and other skills from Patriarch Subhuti. Sun Wukong is known for his intelligence, bravery, and a spirit of justice, often acting to confront challenges and aid others, embodying the Confucian goal of "bringing peace to the world." His cleverness helps him solve many problems during the quest for sacred scriptures, including his famous rebellion in the Heavenly Palace and adventures in the Dragon Palace and the underworld. After being trapped under Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, Guanyin guides him to join Tang Sanzang on a scripture-retrieving journey to the West. Sun Wukong's enduring appeal reflects his resonant character traits and the significant cultural impact of his story, both in China and globally.

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The Origin of Sun Wukong

"Journey to the West" is a seminal Chinese novel attributed to Wu Cheng'en during the Ming Dynasty, recounting the mythical pilgrimage of the monk Xuanzang and his three disciples—Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing—on a quest for sacred Buddhist texts. Rich in fantasy, adventure, and allegorical teachings, it blends elements of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, and has profoundly influenced Chinese culture and global storytelling.

Monkey King

An unruly westbound guardian

Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, is unruly, loyal and guarded on the way to the west, wise and brave, demons are unstoppable, and the legend lives forever.

Monkey King

Sun Wukong, the protagonist of the classic Chinese masterpiece "Journey to the West", known as the Monkey King, is intelligent, lively, and jealous by nature. He has seventy-two kinds of changes and somersault clouds and other extraordinary abilities, once made a big havoc in the heavenly palace, and then protected the Tang monk Xitian to learn scriptures, after nine hundred and eighty-one difficulties, finally achieved a positive result, and was named the Buddha of Fighting.

Journey to the West character introduction

The characters in "Journey to the West" are rich and diverse, including four Tang monks and apprentices - Tang Seng, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Seng

Tang Seng

Tang Seng, the law name Xuanzang, compassion, firm belief on the way to learn the scriptures, led the apprentices through hardships, and finally reached the West Heaven to obtain the true scriptures.

Pig

Zhu Bajie is the main character in "Journey to the West", originally Marshal Tianpeng, who was demoted to the mortal world for molesting Chang'e, mistakenly cast a pig's fetus, and later converted to Buddhism and became Tang Seng's apprentice.

Sha Wujing

Sha Wujing is a character in "Journey to the West", an apprentice of Tang monks, originally a curtain general in the Heavenly Palace, who was demoted for making mistakes, with the legal name Wujing, a calm personality, loyalty and reliability.

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