The Monkey King, or Sun Wukong in Chinese, is the protagonist in the Chinese classic Pilgrimage to the West (also known as Journey to the West) written by Wu Cheng'en (1504-1582) during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
The novel tells the tale of a Tang Dynasty (618-907) emperor who sent his sworn brother, Tripitaka, a Buddhist monk, to collect Buddhist scriptures from India. During his travels, Tripitaka meets the Monkey King and takes him on as a disciple, changing his name to Sun Wukong. The Monkey King is the first of three disciples that Tripitaka enlists to protect him from demons and spirits on his epic journey.
The Monkey King is described as a brave and quick-witted creature, humorous and charming, active and optimistic. To generations of Chinese literature readers, he embodies fun and heroism.
