Monkey King: The Journey To The West

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Monkey King, also known as The Journey to the West, is one of most illustrious and famed classical Chinese novels. One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, the significance of the tale can be compared to the legacy of Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare or Peter Pan in English literature. However, unlike Romeo & Juliet, Monkey King is not a tale of romance but rather a tale accounting a journey towards spiritual wisdom and enlightenment through the power of unity. Sun Wukong, also known as Monkey King, is the titular character of the novel. He is a monkey born out of a magic stone, who later acquires supernatural powers under the apprenticeship of a Taoist master. Sun Wukong possesses colossal strength, amazing …show more content…

Capable of 72 transformations, Wukong can transform into various objects and creatures. Those godlike attributes allow him to battle Buddha’s greatest celestial warriors in Heaven. However, he is still unmatched to the power of the Buddha. In exchange for his crimes of defying heaven, Wukong agrees with Buddha to accompany Tang Sanzang, a Buddhist monk, on his pilgrimage to the west (China to India) in hopes to obtain sutras, or sacred Buddhist texts, Tang Sanzang is also accompanied by two other disciples, Zhu Wuneng and Sha Wujing as a penance for their own sins. In modern times, the story of Monkey King, has been adapted into various movies, cartoon/live action shows and books. The legend of Monkey King is a hit to audiences both young and

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