LEGENDARY STORIES

Outside the city of Xi’an near the Da Yan Buddhist Pagoda, there is a cave with the plaque Gu Han Yao, or “Ancient Cold Cave-Dwelling.” Simple carved cave-homes are characteristic of China’s northern plateaus, but this particular cave is where a young woman once waited nearly two decades for her husband…

Art by Xiang Weiren (项维仁, 1947-). Brush watercolor on silk. A battle rages, clashes echo in the palace. Ministers shout and scuttle, weeping louder than the wounded. Reports of losses fill the king’s ear. Where, he asks himself, did it all go wrong? Where was the fruit of decades of…

The Monkey King is by far one of the most powerful figures in Chinese folklore, singlehandedly taking on entire legions of celestial generals and felling the mightiest of monsters with a single blow. But as glowing as his resume is, there was a time when even Golden Monkey was completely…

Legends say that China’s traditional culture is a gift from the divine. Accordingly, many symbols and motifs found on early Chinese artifacts depict heavenly themes such as gods, fairies, and celestial creatures. And permeating these age-old designs is the traditional principle of harmony between heaven and man. Today, these very…

Outlaws of the Marsh is one of the four classics of Chinese literature. Set in the 12th century during the Northern Song Dynasty, the book narrates the adventures of 108 outlaw-heroes atop Mount Liang. Written during the 14th century, this novel was inspired by folk tales about an outlaw band during the reign of Emperor…

Wu Song is a character from the classic Chinese novel Outlaws of the Marsh. The 14th of the 108 heroes of Mount Liang, he was known for extraordinary martial arts skills, and his capacity for liquor. One day, while passing by a small village in Yanggu County, he saw a sign outside…

One hundred and eight “heroes” form the main characters in the classic Chinese novel Outlaws of the Marsh. Unlucky number 13 is Lu Zhishen, a brash 8-foot-tall giant who loved to drink. Lu Zhishen was good at being bad, and bad at being good. Originally named Lu Da, this minor government…

Pigsy, one of the most memorable characters from Journey to the West, was once an admiral in the heavens, in charge of 80,000 sailors. But after getting drunk and making advances toward the moon goddess Chang'e, he was flogged 2,000 times and banished to the mortal world, where he was born…

The story of the White Bone Demon, which comes from Chapter 27 of Journey to the West, is a classic within a classic. It is the inspiration for Shen Yun’s dance The Monkey King Triumphs, and demonstrates his mighty powers. This is how the story goes. The Buddhist monk Xuan…

Journey to the West is one of the four classics of Chinese literature. Written by the Ming Dynasty novelist Wu Cheng’en during the 16th century, this beloved adventure tale combines action, humor, and spiritual lessons. The novel takes place in the seventh century. It tells the story of one of…