The Real and Fake Monkey

Adapted by Zhang Cheng, art by Zheng Jiasheng (Zhaohua Publishing House, Beijing)
No ISBN

The exploits of the Immortal Monkey-King have long been a main-stay of Chinese popular culture, and the tales of this self-made god have delighted untold billions since first written down in Xiyouji (“The Journey to the West”) by the sixteenth century scholar and novelist Wu Cheng’en.

This particular adventure occurs after The Buddhist Monk Tripitaka has begun his mission to India to obtain sacred scriptures on behalf of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. The wilful and arrogant Monkey has been ordered by the Gods to accompany and protect the Monk, in the desperate hope that responsibility will better him. Also travelling are the monk’s disciples Pigsy and Sandy.

When Monkey’s impatience causes Tripitaka to fall into the hands of bandits, he uses unnecessary force whilst rescuing the monk, killing two of them. The furious monk banishes Monkey, but when he leaves a demon duplicates our hero’s appearance, attacking the pilgrims and stealing their supplies.

So perfect is the substitution that not even the Gods themselves can tell the difference or indeed stop the carnage the real and fake Monkey cause by trying to kill each other. It takes the direct intervention of the Tathagata Buddha himself to resolve the crisis.

Although often at odds with the Western narrative convention the exhilaration and low comedy of the Monkey King and, of course, the fantastic, glorious battles are always a delight to see and the light touch of an illustrative master like Zheng Jiasheng imparts an thrilling exoticism to the mix.

Brilliant stuff, and in a refreshingly different manner.

© 1983 Shanghai People’s Fine Arts Publishing House.