I found this song (Wukong by Er Shen) around when I was in college and I always thought it was pretty. It references A Chinese Odyssey and a love story for Sun Wukong, so it's about a very different story compared to the novel, but I sometimes have a weird way of listening to romantic songs while interpreting it platonically, and the lyrics still have a lot of novel references. The lyrics are very poetic, I'm not doing them justice with the translation.
I think I like it because it's more reflective and sadder than the songs I usually hear about Sun Wukong; it's like it captures his thoughts in a nostalgic, melancholic moment.
Video description under the cut:
[Video Description: Lyric video with English and Chinese on a background of a drawing of Sun Wukong sitting on a rock at sea looking at the moon. Lyrics say:
How to describe the colourful haze that you’ve become?
A dream I’m afraid to be startled awake from
I remember the splash of the water curtain, the supple vines and ancient trees
I remember the starlit skies and seasons passed in freedom
How many times have the peaches in the mountain ripened?
How many waves of the sea have crashed over me?
I remember you calling out to me beneath the endless sky
Watch me rattle mountains and seas, showing off my magical power
Seventy-two transformations with endless possibilities
With foolhardy courage, wreak havoc in Heaven
Nothing clouds my vision; my gaze is all arrogance
Is that a smile?
Your smile is in my heart
I’ll be your one-in-a-million, unstoppable hero
Alas, the transient moments in life are but flowers in flowing water
In the blink of an eye, I’ve passed five hundred years in solitude
I realized that, in the cycle of reincarnation, I’m as alone as ever
That matters of cause and consequence ultimately end nowhere
What if I do not meet my destiny?
If I gain enlightenment, what then?
I realized you were my brief companion in the chaotic world
Since we parted, I’ve been caged and burned
Drinking copper and eating iron beneath the Five Elements Mountain
Overcoming eighty-one calamities, one after another
My companions of yesteryear scattered to the corners of the world
Is that a tear?
Your tears are in my heart
Give me ten thousand more years or even a minute more time
I’m Equal to Heaven and Earth, but my friends are no more
Deep loyalties gone so quickly
Demons I’ve been fighting but when have I been Victorious?
My sincere efforts have all come to naught
Did you know?
You remain in my heart
This world passes by, unremarkable but for you
Riding clouds and mist, wielding wind and lighting
There was no time for reunions]
When your favourite movie of 2025 is an animated masterpiece that no one even heard of😭😭😭😭
It's called Nobody or The Little Monster of Langlang Mountain. It's easy to find online. If you know Journey to the West it'll be even better. Its ending legitimately moved me to tears.
Please I beg you all you people who lament that no one's doing hand-drawn movies anymore:
[ID: Movie poster with title “The Little Monsters of Lang Lang Mountain” in Chinese and “Nobody” in English. Tagline says “We’re on the right track. On August 2nd, let’s assemble our team and head off!” The poster has a drawing of four little monsters or lesser demons - a boar, a toad, a gorilla and a weasel - who are dressed up like the master and disciples of Journey to the West and posing a bit awkwardly. Behind them is a banner that says “Unparalleled Heroes.”]
The White Bone Demon turns herself into a beautiful widow before approaching the master and disciples, from The Monkey King Conquers the Demon (1985)
One of the many beautiful, creepy scenes in this movie that left a deep impression when I first watched. I love how she moves in this animation - materializing out of smoke, her cloak rippling - and combined with the music the atmosphere is so unique and scary. And, of course, later on Sun Wukong looks incredibly badass fighting her as a result because she's the monster in a horror story, essentially, and he's not afraid at all.
Video description under the cut:
[Video description: 2D animation with painted background. The white bone demon flies into a dark cavern. She is wearing a long black cloak. Her movements are ethereal and floaty. She points her sword at a drip of water over a large, smooth boulder and the drip becomes a stream. The stream of water flows over the boulder and creates a mirrored surface. Facing the mirror, the demon begins to transform. She flies around and briefly reveals her true form, a skeleton in a tattered brown cloak, with a skull with long black hair. She transform from the skeleton form into a beautiful woman. The woman has a sharp chin and her hair in a bun on the top of her head. She has white cloth tied in her hair to indicate she is in mourning. The demon throws her sword in the air, it spins and transforms into a red flower. The demon poses before the mirror and pins the flower in her hair]
From Journey to the West (1999) Episode 8, Tang Sanzang frees Sun Wukong.
This cartoon was my childhood and looking back I think this episode was especially touching. I especially like the slightly melancholy tone of the scene, it really made the master and disciple meeting feel sort of quietly momentous.
There's another scene later where Sanzang mistakenly thinks Wukong died when the mountain fell (because he hadn't grasped the extent of Wukong's powers yet) and I've always thought touches like that in this show were really great.
Looking back, I think this whole series is brilliant, it's got great character designs and character moments, and the design for Wukong is especially iconic; it's a departure from how Sun Wukong is portrayed in earlier animations like Monkey King Conquers the Demon, but it's still really charming and recognizably him. I've always thought the voice actor for him is fantastic, too.
The music really hits me when I re-watch, too :')
Video Description under the cut:
Note: Please message me if you want the transcript for the English subtitles.
[Video Description: A 2D animated scene, subtitled. Tang Sanzang encounters Sun Wukong crushed under the Five Elements Mountain. When Sun Wukong explains the Bodhisattva arranged for Tang Sanzang to be his master, Tang Sanzang climbs the mountain to free him. Wukong is moved to tears that Sanzang makes the difficult climb for his sake. Tang Sanzang finally reaches the top and prays before the golden seal, which flies away in a breeze while colored divine light shines from the sky. Sanzang returns to tell Wukong that he's freed, and Wukong looks stunned and teary for a moment. Then he tries to climb out and shakes the mountain, causing a rockslide to start. He orders Sanzang to ride away on his horse out of harm's way.]
A bonding moment for the brothers when they share the stolen ginseng fruit. From Journey to the West (1986) Episode 9.
I love the comedy and characterization here, Zhu Bajie wants the fruit so badly you almost feel sorry for him. Also, the bit Wukong does with the chair is a move from Chinese opera, which might have to do with the actor's opera training. I love it when they do moves like that in operas, too.
Video description under the cut:
Note about the video description: I'm no longer including the transcript of the subtitles in the description, but if you message me, I will send the file to you.
[Video description: Sun Wukong steals some Ginseng Fruit. He comes back, and Zhu Bajie is impatient to try them. Wukong insists that they call for Sha Wujing to share the fruit. Wujing describes how he had seen the fruit before when he was a general in Heaven, but that he's never had any. The brothers share the fruit. Bajie swallows his too fast in his excitement and didn't savor what it tasted like. He tries to sneak a bite of Wujing's, and Wukong foils him by pulling on his ear. Then Bajie tries to persuade Wukong to steal more; Wukong refuses. He throws the golden fruit picker carelessly into another room, and it hits one of the Daoist boys on the head.]
Monks are outlawed in the country ahead; master and disciples try on new clothes to sneak through. From Journey to the West 1986 Episode 23, although this exact scene is often cut from versions of the episode.
I enjoyed watching them dressing up and coming up with aliases.
Video Description under the cut:
[Video Description:
Sun Wukong, Sha Monk and Zhu Bajie dig through a pile of local, layman's clothing, consisting mainly of long colorful robes and turbans. Captions say:
Zhu Bajie: There's quite a lot
Sun Wukong: Bajie
Zhu Bajie: I'll wear this one. (He tries on a hat)
Sun Wukong: Give that here. (He snatches a robe from Bajie)
Zhu Bajie: You have this one.. (He throws a robe at Sha Monk, then holds a yellow robe up to himself.)
Sun Wukong brings the clothes to Tang Monk.
Sun Wukong: Master, put this on quick, all right?
Tang Monk looks reluctant, pushes them away.
Tang Monk: Wukong, I've never worn lay people's clothes before.
Sun Wukong: Master, we must abide by local customs. I think you could make do, hm? (He leaves Tang Monk with the clothes and runs off)
Zhu Bajie has put on the yellow robe. They're a bit small for him.
Zhu Bajie: Look at this. Brother Sha, look at this - not bad, isn't it?
Sun Wukong: (Grabs at and looks at the robe and laughs) Bajie.
Tang Monk: Bajie, those clothes don't fit you. Take them off, quick. Take them off.
Zhu Bajie: But... But I just put them on.
Sha Monk: Let's switch, Second Brother. (He holds up some striped robes)
Zhu Bajie: It looks fine! Now we have to switch. I just put them on, too... (He starts to remove the yellow robes)
Sun Wukong: Up. (The robe at his feet fly up around him by magic)
Sha Monk puts on his turban and helps Sun Wukong with the shoulder of his robe.
Sha Monk: Here.
Sun Wukong: Bajie, your ears.
Zhu Bajie pulls his large ears into his hat.
Zhu Bajie: How's that.
Everyone laughs. Sun Wukong puts on a tall hat.
Zhu Bajie: Brother Sha, look at him.
They all look around for Tang Monk.
Sun Wukong: Where's Master? Master?
Zhu Bajie: Where's Master?
Sun Wukong: (He spots Tang Monk) Master's over there.
Zhu Bajie: Master's over there?
Tang Monk emerges from the trees in pants, shirt and a red turban, covering his face with his hands. The red turban looks comically small on him.
Sun Wukong: Master! (To the brothers) Look.
Tang Monk: Um...
Everyone looks at Tang Monk and gather around him, chuckling.
Zhu Bajie: Master, that hat doesn't suit you.
Tang Monk: No, it doesn't. (He looks embarrased but is smiling)
Sha Monk: You could switch with eldest brother.
Sun Wukong: Yeah, let's switch.
They switch hats. Tang Monk puts on the tall hat, Sun Wukong the small red turban.
Tang Monk: How's this?
Zhu Bajie: That's much better.
Sun Wukong: Everyone, from now on, refrain from saying "Master" or "Brother."
Sha Monk: Then how do we refer to each other?
Sun Wukong: Master is Tang the Big Boss. I'm Sun the Second Boss.
Zhu Bajie: Then I'm Zhe the Third Boss. Brother Sha would be Sha the Fourth Boss.
Sha Monk: I am Sha the Fourth Boss.
Zhu Bajie: Remember that, all right?
Sun Wukong: That's right - has everyone got it?
Tang Monk: Then let's get back on the road. (They head off)
Sun Wukong: Let's go.
Zhu Bajie: (Muttering to himself) I am Zhu the Third Boss...
Tang Monk: (Stops, turns back to Wukong) Wukong, what was my name again?
Sun Wukong: From now on, you are Tang the Big Boss. (He gives a thumbs up)
Tang Monk: Oh, Tang the Big Boss.
Sun Wukong: Master, please mount the horse.
Tang Monk: (Looks at Sun Wukong) Wukong, you got it wrong.
Sun Wukong realizes and laughs.
Zhu Bajie: Master, you got it wrong, too.
Tang Monk: Me?
Sha Monk: Second Brother, you got it wrong, too.
Sun Wukong: We all got it wrong!
They laugh.
Next scene, they walk through the streets in their new clothes. The streets look quite empty.
Sun Wukong: Why are they all closed? Strange. (He points) This one's open.
Tang Monk: Then let's go take a look.
Sun Wukong; Let's go.
Sha Monk: Come.
Zhu Bajie: That's the place. Hurry. (He pulls the white horse along)
Next scene, a bunch of men in a local inn are in boxers and undershirts. They are complaining to each other.
One man: I lost my pants, too!
The Inn Keeper is putting on some new pants, looking stressed.
The Inn keeper: Calm down, calm down. Last night, someone called "the Great Sage" came...
[ID: Old woodblock printed illustrations. From top to bottom: Image 1: a horse pulling Zhu Bajie back by the shirt. Image 2: Sun Wukong running naked from the toppled Trigram Furnace, various Heavenly officials scattered all around. Image 3: Sun Wukong running after bandits with a grimace and stick in hand. Image 4: Zhu Bajie, Sun Wukong and Sha Monk in a row, Sun Wukong is much shorter and has his hands around the shoulders of the other two to prop himself up. Image 5: Sun Wukong has been beheaded. Court officials are watching Sun Wukong sprout a new head while his old severed head is held in place by an earth spirit. Image 6: Tang Monk lies contorted in bed with his hands and feet tied together. Image 7: Sun Wukong grinning as he looks at a table full of food. Image 8: Tang Monk has fallen off his horse while his disciples look concerned. Image 9: Sun Wukong pulling Zhu Bajie along by the ear. Image 10: A ball is flying towards Tang Monk while he is standing in a crowd. Image 11: A child is dragging Tang Monk away; Tang Monk's expression is tranquil, possibly numb. Image 12: A pack of hairy monkeys smiling and carrying various weapons including bows, spears and a fiery wheel.]
A conversation in the Shao Opera, The Monkey King Strikes the White Bone Demon, 1960. Link has the full opera with English subtitles!
This is the first Chinese opera I really got into. The lead actor is Liu Ling Tong, the father of the man who played Sun Wukong in the 1986 TV series, and one of the most famous monkey king opera actors of his time. He was known for playing Sun Wukong with attention to portraying monkey behaviours. I can definitely see the influences from this film in subsequent animations and TV shows.
For me, this opera has everything - vibrant costumes and sets, good plot and writing, amazing actors, great songs and fight scenes. I especially like the fun, familiar dynamic between the main characters, and the lighthearted but simultaneously down-to-earth way Sun Wukong is portrayed here. It reminds me a bit of my grandparents' generation, and what optimism, resilience and connection looks like for them.
For those new to Chinese opera, you probably would need to adjust to the different dramatic conventions and the way suspension of disbelief works here, but I find the acting so expressive I really think it could be easy to appeciate for anyone.
Also of note is that this opera was performed in the Shaoxing dialect. Shaoxing dialect is one of the Wu Chinese languages (distinct from both Mandarin and Cantonese), also sometimes referred to collectively as Shanghainese. I used to live in Shanghai and heard similar dialects a lot in daily life, it's very much a living language even though it's less well-known.
Video description under the cut:
[Video description: An old movie of a Chinese opera. Tang Monk and disciples are entering a mountain area. Sun Wukong looks around.
Captions say:
Wukong: Master, the mountains ahead are hazy and treacherous. There are sure to be demons abroad. Do not be alarmed, Master. I will scout ahead.
Bajie laughs and everyone looks at him.
Tang Monk: Bajie, why do you laugh?
Bajie: Master, if you believe the monkey's rubbish, before you die of cold and hunger, you'll die of fear and anxiety. You certainly won't reach the West or meet any Bodhisattvas.
Sha Monk: Elder Brother speaks reasonably. This mountain is indeed treacherous. Master, it would be wise to be careful.
Bajie: How could there be that many demons?
Wukong thinks for a moment.
Wukong: Got it. Master, why don't you order Bajie
to scout ahead and clear the path.
Tang Monk: Very well.
Bajie looks caught in the headlights.
Bajie: But…
Tang Monk: Bajie
Bajie dithers.
Tang Monk: Bajie
Bajie: Yes, I hear you
Tang Monk: I order you to scout ahead and clear the path.
Bajie: Master, I can't go
Tang Monk: Why is that?
Bajie: I've got to be here to protect you
Wukong: Bajie, could it be that you're scared of demons?
Bajie: Who, me? Scared of demons? There are no demons, so I've nothing to fear.
The introduction of The Monkey King Conquers the Demon (1985), by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. (The link has the full video with English subtitles)
Beautiful animation and background art, and unique, creepy atmosphere. I think it's JTTW with elements of a ghost story. I remember being incredibly scared of parts of this as a child.
Video Description under the cut:
[Video Description: A hand-drawn animation with painted backgrounds in the style of Chinese brush painting landscapes. Tang Monk lifts a yellow seal on the Five Elements Mountain and rides away on his horse. He watches from a distance as the mountain collapses and Sun Wukong emerges from the rubble. The title card reads The Monkey King Conquers the Demon. A montage of Wukong bowing before Tang Monk and the monks of the pilgrimage walking through deserts and mountains. The English subtitles read: The Monkey King, Sun Wukong, was sealed under the Five Elements Mountain by the Buddha. Five hundred years later, Tang Monk set off to retrieve scriptures from the Western Paradise. He rescued Wukong and took him as a disciple. Lest Wukong proved recalcitrant, he was given a golden circlet to wear. Whenever Tang Monk recited a spell, Wukong would be struck with an unbearable headache. But Wukong was deeply principled at heart. He protected Tang Monk on the pilgrimage to the West with unwavering loyalty. Along the way, Tang Monk took a second disciple, Zhu Bajie, and a third disciple, Sha Monk. The four endured countless hardships on their long journey west.]
Journey to the West (1986) with English subs is streaming an official marathon on Youtube. The subtitles are not the most high quality, but I think still understandable. As of this post it's on the first episode, Flower Fruit Mountain :)
"But what I fear most, what I fear most, is my master's disappearance."
"Sun Wukong's theme song" - Journey to the West 1996 Theme
"Before Heaven and Earth, may my dream be fullfilled"
"Tang Sanzang's theme song" - Journey to the West 1998 Theme
I think the two theme songs of TVB's Journey to the West clash kind of like the characters do. The 1998 song is I think underrated, I especially love the slow version of it, will post about it someday.
Video Source: Journey To the West (1986) Episode 5
One of my favourite clips. JTTW 86 has lots of little moments like this, depicting a warm, comfortable relationship between the monks on the pilgrimage. I really love the acting in this show; many of the cast have a background in Chinese opera, and their skills from the stage can often be seen in their performance. Whereas other shows have people depicting these characters, in this show I often feel like I'm looking at the actual characters themselves, straight from the novel and the folklore.
[Video Description:
Tang Monk sews a tiger pelt under lamp light, Sun Wukong watches.
Captions say:
Wukong: I never knew Master had such skills.
Tang Monk: The weather's getting cold. This tiger pelt could shield you from the wind.
Wukong: It's for me? It looks fantastic.
Wukong tugs the pelt and Tang Monk sticks his finger.
Wukong: Oh, Master.
Wukong blows on the finger for him.
Tang Monk: It's all right.
Wukong puts on the finished tiger pelt skirt, jumps around.
Wukong: Master, this tiger pelt skirt looks fantastic!
Tang Monk: Now you really look like a wandering monk.]
