Monkey King
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The Monkey King or Sun Wukong is a fictional character best known as one of the main players in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, and many later stories and adaptations. In the novel, Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. After rebelling against heaven, he is imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha. After five hundred years, he accompanies the monk Tang Sanzang (唐三藏) riding on the White Dragon Horse and two other disciples, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, on a journey to obtain Buddhist sutras from the West (India), where Buddha and his followers dwell.
The golden statues at the Rua Yai City Pillar Shrine in Suphan Buri, Thailand
Depiction of the Forbidden Temple's Sun Wukong as depicted in a scene in a Peking opera
Sun Wukong with Tang Sanzang
Sun Wukong fighting a wind demon
Journey to the West
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Journey to the West is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popular literary work in East Asia. Arthur Waley's 1942 abridged translation, Monkey, is known in English-speaking countries.
Earliest known edition of the book from the 16th century
The four protagonists, from left to right: the Monkey King, Tang Sanzang (on the White Dragon Horse), Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing
Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an
Porcelain pillow showing characters