In search of a weapon, he travels to the oceans and acquires the Golden-banded staff Ruyi Jingu Bang (如意金箍棒), a treasure of Ao Kuang, the dragon-king of the Eastern Seas. Sun Wukong establishes himself as a powerful and influential demon. He takes the throne and calls himself Handsome Monkey King. Sun Wukong then reminds them of their prior declaration, so they declare him their king. He persuades the other monkeys to jump in also, and they make it into their home. He finds a large iron bridge over rushing water, across which is a cave. The stone monkey volunteers and jumps into the waterfall. They declare that whoever goes through the waterfall, finds the stream's source, and comes out again will become their king. One day, they decide to seek the stream's source, and climb the mountain to a waterfall. After playing, the monkeys regularly bathe in a stream. On the mountain, the monkey befriends various animals, and joins a group of other monkeys. The Jade Emperor believes him to be nothing special. They report the stone monkey, and that the light is dying down as the monkey eats and drinks. When he sees the light he orders two of his officers to investigate. As his eyes move, two beams of golden light shoot toward the Jade palace and startle the Jade Emperor. When wind blows on the egg, it turns into a stone monkey that can already crawl and walk. The stone develops a magic womb, which bursts open one day to produce a stone egg about the size of a ball. Ĭontents Background Birth and early life ĭepiction of the Forbidden Temple's Sun Wukong as depicted in a scene in a Peking operaĪccording to the legend, Sun Wukong is born from a magic stone that sits atop the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. He is also considered by some scholars to be influenced by elements of both Chinese folk tales and the Hindu deity Hanuman from the Ramayana. Sun Wukong was initially developed as a Taoist immortal/Deity before being incorporated into Buddhist legends. These legends gave rise to stories and art motifs during the Han dynasty, eventually contributing to the rise of the Sun Wukong figure. Sun Wukong's origin is from the White Monkey legends from the Chinese Chu kingdom (700–223 BC), which revered gibbons and especially white ones. One of the most enduring Chinese literary characters, Sun Wukong has a varied background and colorful cultural history.
He knows spells to command wind, part water, conjure protective circles against demons, and freeze humans, demons, and gods alike.
Each of his hairs possesses magical properties, capable of being transformed into clones of the Monkey King himself, and/or into various weapons, animals, and other objects. Sun Wukong is a skilled fighter, capable of defeating the best warriors of heaven. Sun knows the 72 Earthlytransformations, which allow him to transform into various animals and objects however, he has trouble transforming into other forms, due to the accompanying incomplete transformation of his tail. He is also extremely fast, able to travel 108,000 li (21,675 kilometres (13,468 mi)) in one somersault. Sun Wukong possesses immense strength he is able to lift his 13.500 jīn or 7960 kg staff with ease. After rebelling against heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha, he later accompanies the monk Tang Sanzang on a journey to retrieve Buddhistsutras from "the West". In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoistpractices. He appears as a main character in the 16th century Chinese classical novel Journey to the West (西游记) and is found in many later stories and adaptations. Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, is a figure who features in a body of legends that can be traced back to the Song dynasty.