Adapted from the famous Chinese classic novel of the same title by Wu Cheng'en, a writer in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), "Journey to the West" in the TV version is directed by the female director Yang Jie. In 1986, the series topped the TV ratings.
Based on the actual pilgrimage of the monk Xuanzang to India in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the story had already become a favorite of the Chinese people when Wu Cheng'en shaped it into a romantic novel which describes the Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong, and his entourage protecting Xuanzang against that is all kinds of demons on an adventurous journey westward.
Journey to the West is a mythological novel based on many centuries of popular tradition. It was probably put into its present form in the 1570s by Wu Cheng'en (1500-82). This lively fantasy relates the amazing adventures of the priest Xuanzang as he travels west in search of Buddhist sutras with his three disciples, the irreverent and capable Monkey, greedy Pig, and Friar Sand. The opening chapters recount the earlier exploits of Monkey, culminating in his rebellion against Heaven. We then learn how Xuanzang became a monk and was sent on his pilgrimage by the Tang emperor who had escaped death with the help of an Underworld official.
The main story, the journey, takes the priest through all kinds of entertaining trials and tribulations, mainly at the hands of monsters and spirits who want to eat him. Most, like the ferocious Red Boy, want to devour him. Some, such as the scorpion spirit of
Pipa
Cave
, take the form of beautiful women in the hope of seducing him. Only the courage and powers of his disciples, especially Monkey, save him from death.
Monkey has to use all his connections in the supernatural world to find the help that will enable him to defeat these and other formidable enemies, such as the Bull Demon King and Princess iron Fan, or the imitation Monkey who is indistinguishable from himself.
On the last part of the journey the demons come in as wide a range of shapes and kinds as ever. Among them are spider-women who spin webs from their navels, a pride of lion monsters and a terrible female spirit who carries the Tang Priest down into her bottomless cave to marry him.
These and all the other fiends test to the very limit Monkey's ingenuity, supernatural powers and connections throughout the universe. Monkey is the hero of the fantasy, and the reader will soon learn why he has long been so loved in
China
.
The story is as full of imagination as Monkey is of magic, and packed with incident and down-to-earth humor.
Part 1
1 The Birth of Monkey King
2 Monkey King Being in Charge of Horses
3 Monkey King Making a Mess in Heaven Palace
4 Monkey King Being imprisoned in Wuhang Mountain
5 Monkey King Becomes the Body Guard of Monk Tang
6 Disaster in Kwan-yin Temple
7 Getting Ba Jie with Strategy
8 Facing Three Adversities During the Rough Journey
9 Stealing the Ginseng Fruit
10 Beating the Dead Bones Spirit Three Times
11 Stimulating the Monkey King Wisely
12 Seizing Treasures in Lotus Flower Cave
13 Killing the Devils in the Wuji Country
14 A Battle with the Red Boy
15 Defeating the Three Monsters with Magic
16 The Funny Advantage in the Women Nation
17 Getting the Palm-leaf Fan for Three Times
18 Cleaning the Tower and Clarifying the Injustice
19 Getting in the Little Thunder Temple Accidentally
20 Doctor Monkey King
21 Falling in the Spider Silk Cave Accidentally
22 Visiting the Abyss for Four Times
23 Teaching in Yuhua Continent
24 Getting the Rabbit Spirit in India
25 Arriving the Pure Land
Part 2
1. Dangerous Crossing at the Heaven-Reaching River
2. A Rift between Master and Disciples
3. Real and Fake Handsome Monkey King
4. Stopped at Lion Hump Mountain
5. Meeting Immortals at Peacock Stage
6. Buddha Captures the Great Roc
7. Heartbreak at Black Water River
8. Capturing the Green Bull Demon
9. Praying for Rain at Phoenix-Immortal Prefecture
10. Wreaking Havoc on Fragrance-Covered Hall
11. A Dead-End Becomes the Way
12. Shedding Tears on Mist-Hidden Mountain
13. Rescue in the City of Children
14. Catching Bandits in Bodhisattva Territory
15. Returning the Souls of Benefactor Kou
16. Admiring the Lanterns at Gold-Level Prefecture