Journey to the West

About This Book

Journey to the West (Chinese: Xi You Ji) is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, attributed to Wu Cheng'en and first published around 1592. Based on the real pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang to India in the 7th century, the novel transforms the journey into a mythological adventure. The monk Sanzang is accompanied by three supernatural disciples: Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), an irrepressible trickster imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha for 500 years; Zhu Bajie (Pigsy), a gluttonous former celestial marshal; and Sha Wujing (Sandy), a taciturn river demon. Together they face 81 tribulations in a landscape teeming with demons and divine beings. Sun Wukong's rebellious charisma has made him one of the most iconic characters in world literature, inspiring countless adaptations across opera, film, manga, and video games.

Excerpt

There was a rock that since the creation of the world had been worked upon by the pure essences of Heaven and the fine savours of Earth, the vigour of sunshine and the grace of moonlight, till at last it became magically pregnant and one day split open, giving birth to a stone egg, about as big as a playing ball.— Opening of Journey to the West

Publication Details