Wu Ch'eng-En

Monkey Wu Ch'eng-En

Monkey: Folk Novel of China

The Illustrated Edition



Monkey is the adventurous, picaresque hero of Chinese folklore, equipped with magic and wit, who annoys and escapes the gods as long as he can. In this episode, Monkey runs afoul of the Celestial Emperor, the God of Venus, and the Supreme Taoist Dignitary before the God Erlang, the divine avenger, takes him on in all-out battle. Monkey's daring pranks include stealing the divine peaches from Grandma Wang's orchard, swallowing the golden pills of immortality from the Dou Sai Palace, and stealing a magical sword from the Dragon King. For these and other misdemeanors, he at last is tamed by the Buddah Ru Lai, to serve 500 years imprisoned in a mountain.


Probably the most popular book in the history of the Far East, this classic sixteenth century novel is a combination of picaresque novel and folk epic that mixes satire, allegory, and history into a rollicking adventure. It is the story of the roguish Monkey and his encounters with major and minor spirits, gods, demigods, demons, ogres, monsters, and fairies.