MONKEY’S JOURNEY
The most popular aspects of Monkey’s story deal with episodes of
his mischief-making, and his meeting with the Buddha. But the tale
concludes with his journey to India with Xuanzang and his disciples,
Zhu Wuneng (also known as Pigsy)
and Sha Wujing. They travel through
an imaginary landscape populated by
dragons, demons, volcanoes, and other
dangers, and Xuanzang’s companions do
their best to protect him so that he can
fulfil his quest for the scriptures. In the
end they return to China, and Monkey and
Xuanzang are rewarded by being bestowed
with the status of Buddhas.
THE HEAVENLY PEACH GARDEN
The heavenly garden, where the Peaches of Immortality grew,
belonged to Xi Wangmu (Queen Mother of the West). It was a place
of great beauty but also power, because eating the fruit made a person
immortal. Monkey abused his position in the garden by eating the
peaches, which were not only powerful, but very scarce, because the
trees rarely bore fruit. Moreover, Xi Wangmu’s banquet was held only
once every 3,000 years. Eating the peaches was just one of the three
ways in which Monkey made himself immortal – each time he was
challenging the power of the deities to
confer immortality upon him.THE NOVEL
The story of Monkey is told in a long novel, known outside
China as The Journey to the West. Published anonymously in
1590, it was probably written by a scholar called Wu Chengen
(1506–82). It has always
been a popular tale, even in
translation, because readers
can appreciate it on several
levels – as an adventure
story starring the colourful
Monkey; as a religious
narrative about the Buddha
and his scriptures; and as
a comedy narrating how a
subversive character defies
imperial power.The Journey to the WestTHE ADVENTURES OF MONKEYThe paradise garden
Chinese painters depicted the heavenly
peach garden as an elegant Chinese
garden, crossed with streams and
featuring pavilions where one could rest.Zhu Wuneng
A heavenly marshal, Zhu was banished to
Earth in the form of a pig because he got
drunk and flirted with the moon goddess.Sha Wujing
Sha was a powerful heavenly general who
was exiled to Earth because he broke a goblet
in the peach garden.The Jade Emperor
The emperor of heaven found Monkey hard
to deal with, and happily complied with the
Buddha’s solution to send him with Xuanzang.Xuanzang
The Buddha told Monkey
to accompany Xuanzang
because the monk was
too gentle to defend himself.Peaches113