The "Monkey King"

This is the work of Emily Carman and Shawn Simpson-Smith.


He is a larger than life mythological character. He is a character from Chinese folklore. He derives from a Chinese fable in a novel from more than 400 years ago. The Monkey King traces its origins back to the Tang Dynasty of China (602-644), based on a Chinese fable called “Xi You Ji” – Journey to the West” – a renowned classical Chinese novel. It is based on the “true” story of a famous monk, Xuan Zung – a rebellious prophet born out of rock and fertilized by the grace of both Heaven and Earth: after more than a decade of trials and tribulations, the monk arrives on foot in what is today modern India. The Monkey King is the allegorical tale of the monk’s journey, interspersed with Chinese fables, fairy tales, legends, superstitions, and monster stories from the Taoist, Buddhist, and other Chinese religions.

In this legendary story, the Monkey King is seen to have magical prowess, cleverness, a sense of mischief, and a fearless, rebellious spirit. Because he is born out of rock and fertilized by the grace of Heaven and Earth, he is considered to be strong and durable – especially since he has gorged himself on peaches from the orchards that he has been given to guard. He is considered to be the King of the Monkeys. He is extremely intelligent and full of magic tricks – he can transform himself into at least 72 different types of images (a tree, a bird, a beast of prey, sea creatures, etc.) including an insect that can sneak into the body of an enemy and fight the enemy from the inside out!

The Monkey King has an interesting physical appearance. He is constructed with a bronze head and iron shoulders. He has “magical hair” which can be transformed in various situations: on one occasion, it was changed into insects which were used to put people to sleep; on another occasion, his hair was turned into shields to stop enemy arrows. The red and white face paint shows his position as King of the Monkeys. His colorful outfit of shades of gold trimmed in turquoise and red befits his royal position – he is also the guardian of the Peach Gardens. He carries a gold-tipped stick given to him by the deity of the Dragon King. He possesses flexible, malleable legs; using clouds as his vehicle, he can travel 108,000 miles in a single leap!

In a high act of treason, he defies the Dragon King and claims himself as king over the heaven, the seas, the earth and the subterranean world: he calls himself Yu Huang Da Di – The Great Emperor of Jade. He fights with the masters of the high seas, Hell, and the Heavenly army! He even fights the Dragon King and steals his crown treasure – the gold-banded iron rod which is used as the ballast of the waters and which allows the owner to expand or shrink at will! The Monkey King runs amok – he is a disobedient, rebellious monkey out-of-control; he becomes a virtually invincible bully! At their wits end, all of the celestial figures ask the Buddha to intervene. The Buddha captures and imprisons the Monkey King under a great, immovable mountain – Wu Zhi Shan or The Mount of Five Fingers. The obstinate monkey survives the weight of the mountain and remains imprisoned under it for 500 years. He is rescued by Xuan Zang, the Chinese Tang Monk referred to at the beginning of this essay.

Buddha rewards the Monk and arranges to make the monkey the escort for and the disciple of the Monk; he is on his way to the West to get to the Sutras (strings of rules or aphorisms, written in severe form, composed in terse and symbolic language, meant to be memorized). Along the way, they meet two more stragglers who will also join this pilgrimage as disciples: a disgraced, once celestial Pig (who lost his position after he assaulted a fairy); and, a sea monster, once a celestial general (who lost his position after he committed some type of misdemeanor). This party of four – the most unlucky number in Chinese culture and numerology – is supplemented by a horse, who is an incarnation of the Dragon King’s son – and they all embark on a host of adventures where the Monkey King will play a prominent role.

In Gene Luen Yang’s story – which is modeled after the aforementioned Chinese folktale – the Monkey King is also a mythological figure in a Chinese fable that is a flawed, modern-day action figure. In this graphic novel, the figures are drawn with crisp, clean, distinct lines; vibrant yet muted earth-tones; a good number of panels contain scenes which are grotesque and disturbing; there are panels which are reminiscent of action-figures/heroes; and, the linear panel arrangements are of various shapes and sizes. The strong visual style of the distinctive artwork combines with the rich textual narrative to make this modern-day story a powerful and gripping tale.


Our modern Monkey King shares the same type of history with his folkloric predecessor. Yet he is also distinctly different: he is a flawed; he suffers from ‘unwanted identity syndrome’ (our term) – he is unhappy with his being a monkey. Our present-day Monkey King wants to be someone else – someone whom he is not nor can change himself to be: someone who can wear shoes; someone who can go to the finest parties and be admired and fawned-over; someone who wants to be a “hailed god”. When the Monkey King is thrown out of a most prestigious dinner party because he is not wearing shoes (he is, after all, a monkey remember), he suffers humiliation at the hands of the others around him due to their prejudices. This humiliation by others (the outsiders) together with his damaged self-esteem lead the Monkey King to experience anger, personal fear, heartbreak, confusion, and hostility – towards the others and, not surprisingly, directed inward towards himself. Like the previous Monkey King in the old Chinese folktale, our present-day Monkey King starts down an identically-frightening and destructive path; he, too, becomes an invincible bully. Our current Monkey King is reprimanded and disciplined after his face-to-face meeting with Tze-Yo-Tzuh – the “Creator Of All Existence” – who chastises and enlightens the Monkey King:

“I have searched your soul, little monkey. I know your most
hidden thoughts…even before a word is upon your tongue,
even before a word is upon your tongue, I have known it. My
eyes have seen all your days. Where did you think you could
hide from me? Where can you flee from my presence?....Even
at the end of all that is, my hand is there holding you fast. It
was I who formed your inmost being, I who knit you together
in the womb of the rock. I made you with awe and wonder, for
wonderful are all of my works. I do not make mistakes, little
monkey. A monkey I intended you to be. A monkey you are.
Please accept this and stop your foolishness.”

Because of his anger and stubbornness, the Monkey King refuses to listen and accept his mandated fate, Tze-Yo-Tzuh buries him under a mountain of rock and sets a seal over him which prevents the Monkey King from using his Kung-Fu to escape. The present-day Monkey King remains buried for five hundred years – just as his folkloric predecessor before him. It is not until he is set free by and becomes a disciple of the Monk Wong Lai-Tsao, achieves a level of self-actualization, and demonstrates compassion – all part of a plan orchestrated from the hands of– that the Monkey King comes to realize what the really important things are in life. His humanness radiates as he becomes an Emissary of Tze-Yo-Tzuh – along with the other Emissaries who are The Ox, The Eagle, and The Eagle – as he escorts Wong on his journey to the West as a test of the virtue of the Monkey King.

The first principle which stands out in this book deals with Chinese Numerology and the meaning of the number “four” (4). In the Chinese culture, the number “four” is generally feared and considered to be unlucky: the number “four” sounds like the word for “death” when it is spoken in the Cantonese dialect; and, the written character is made to look as though the sun is being obscured by a cloud – a cloudy day and ensuing bad luck.

For example, in Chinese culture: 4 = death; 14 = must die; 24 = early dying; 44 = dying and dead; 74 = surely dead. Thus, in the Chinese culture and in Chinese Numerology, the number “four” is to be avoided at all costs. Yet, in the story, there is repetition of the number “four” in positive practices: Four Major Heavenly Disciplines of Kung Fu; Four Major Disciplines of Invulnerability; Four Major Disciplines of Bodily Form; Four Emissaries of Tze-Yo-Tzuh; and, Four Disciples/Emissaries who accompany Wong Lai-Tsao. The number “four” is used to denote positive disciplines and persons throughout the story; yet, the Monkey King utilizes each of these groups of four practices for negative and self-centered purposes.

In spite of the negativity associated with the number “four” in the Chinese culture, it persists continually in the life and story of the Monkey King, until he comes to terms with and accepts his own identity and role in the world. The number “four” now marks a positive transformation in the life of the Monkey King, as he makes the journey to the West acting as both an assistant to and a disciple of Wong Lai-Tsao. The internal and external struggles and journeys of the Monkey King are now concluded: he has come full-circle, completes his test of virtue, and arrives at the place of self-actualization.

The story of the Monkey King speaks volumes regarding the issues of shame (lack of self-esteem), racism, and self-acceptance. Throughout American Born Chinese, author Gene Luen Yang speaks through his protagonists about their inability to accept their ethnic and racial identities; the racist taunts they experience from outsiders – as well the inner prejudices they feel about themselves, their relatives, and other Asians; and the personal shame they feel because of their heritage.

Each of the three stories deals with the aforementioned issues by using a unique storyline to tell of the protagonist’s internal and external journey. The story of the Monkey King, however, crosses over into the stories of Jin Wang/Danny and his cousin Chin-Kee and brings this book to its riveting climax: as an Emissary of Tze-Yo-Tzuh, the Monkey King’s fight with Jin Wang/Danny forces Jin Wang/Danny to face his ancestral past, connect with his ethnic and racial identities, and accept his birthright with pride and understanding. As the Monkey King speaks, he embraces and enlightens an angry and confused Jin Wang/Danny:

“You misunderstand my intentions Jin. I did not
Come to punish you. I came to serve as your
‘Conscience’ – as a Signpost’ to your soul….You
Know Jin, I would have saved myself from ‘Five
Hundred Years’ Imprisonment’ beneath a
Mountain of rock had I only realized how ‘Good’
It is to be a ‘Monkey’.

The Monkey King has come to accept both his life as a monkey and the important role he to perform – instead of his aspiring to the position of some type of ‘hallowed godlike-figure’. He has also shown Jin Wang/Danny the path to truth, acceptance, and self-respect. And that is Gene Luen Yang’s purpose in telling this story – a story which was his, the Monkey King’s, Jin Wang’s and Danny’s, and every ethnic and immigrant young person’s in America.