Sun Wukong

Sun Wukong (Chinese孙悟空/孙悟空, W.-G. Sun Wu - k'ung ) is in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West the king of the monkeys. He is an ambivalent supernatural entity, " born a stone egg from a rock, fertilized by the wind created from the pure essences of Heaven, the subtle scents of the earth, the sun's power and grace of the moon ."

The king of the monkeys is embedded in an ancient history. In the 7th century, the monk Xuanzang from China made ​​their way to India to fetch the scriptures the Buddha for his emperor. The trip lasted sixteen years and after his return, the monk wrote a detailed trip report. This " Journey to the West " to this day is one of the most important historical evidences of life in those early times. Over the centuries, legends and fairy tales grew up around the Pilgrimage of Hsuan Tsang - and one of them is the story of the Monkey King.

Thanks to the teaching at various Daoist masters Sun Wukong learned not only the battles, but also the ability to jump very high and to transform itself to 72 different ways. The Monkey King acquired a wand that can change its size as desired, and a cloud on which he flies.

The learned arts he abused for all sorts of pranks until he is caught by a trick of Buddha and held for 500 years under a mountain. For purification it may eventually accompany the monk Xuanzang on his journey to India. " At once he becomes king, finds a blessed corner of the earth for his people and keeps his daily banquet with pleasure. But he wants more - he wants immortality and the throne of the Jade Emperor. "

With its mix of impetuous behavior, great courage, humor and strange places, surprising wisdom he is the real main character of the story and a typical trickster: a cheerful young rebel who challenges the ossified kingdom of heaven naughty.

In Asia, the monkey is considered smart, wise, kind and disrespectful. The Monkey King of legend - whether under the name Sun Wukong in China or Hanuman in India - is a very popular figure to this day. For example, Sun Wukong is one of the most famous mythical creatures both in China and in Japan, where it is pronounced Goku.