#magic ape

[journeytothewestresearch]

The Monkey King’s Divine Double

Here is my new article describing the appearance of the “White Ape Perfected Man” (白猿真人), a rare Taiwanese folk Taoist deity, in Chinese vernacular fiction and religious scripture. I suggest his depiction in religious statues as an armor-clad primate with long hear and a golden headband was directly influenced by the martial iconography of the Great Sage (Sun Wukong) based on a centuries-long association in Chinese literature.

https://journeytothewestresearch.com/2021/12/10/the-white-ape-perfected-man-sun-wukong-divine-double/

The images presented below all depict the White Ape Perfected Man, not the Monkey King.

[journeytothewestresearch]

Sun Wukong, Guardian of the Immortal Peaches

I suggest in my recent article that the episode in chapter four of Journey to the West where Sun Wukong (孫悟空) serves as a guardian of immortal peaches might be based on a Song-era story of the Warring States military strategist Sun Bin (孫臏) guarding fruit (Ming fiction identifies it as immortal peaches).

Both stories include: 

Characters surnamed Sun (孫) (Sun Bin VS Sun Wukong) guarding special fruit. 

Supernatural primates stealing the fruit for consumption (a white ape VS Sun Wukong).   

 So the Monkey King serves as both the guard and the thief!

[quarkmaster]

设定’卡牌——魔猿 --Card Set: Magic Ape