Journey to the West

Journey to the West is a Chinese novel traditionally attributed to Wu Cheng’en about a pilgrimage to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Drawing on traditions surrounding the historical monk Xuanzang, it sends the pilgrim westward with Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the white dragon horse. Their encounters combine comic invention with Buddhist, Daoist, and Chinese religious imagery. Different temperaments create both difficulty and strength within the group, and repeated trials test perseverance, discernment, and self-mastery. Sun Wukong’s changing relationship with authority and discipline gives the expansive adventure one of its central lines of development.