OVERVIEW
The Monkey King is, worldwide, perhaps the most famous fable of all time.  Written as a novel in the 16th century by Wu Cheng'en (1500-1582), it is a tale of journey and redemption which tells how Buddhism came to China.  Since the story is so old, nobody is really sure who the author really is, but our best guess is Wu Cheng'en.

This site is for anyone interested in the story, but especially for teachers looking for resources and information on the Monkey King story and on the novel on which it is based, Journey to the West.  There are also links to sites which deal with all curricular areas and topics related to monkeys, fables, and anything else related to the story.  the site consists mostly of links to websites around the world.
 

VERSIONS OF THE MONKEY KING STORY
Sibu Zhong Hua Literature Association- This is a Malaysian site with a beautiful set of 100 prints telling the story, plus a written introduction.
Great Wall Acrobatic Script- A somewhat abbreviated version.
Warmcove Commons- An authoritative version from a California community website.
Encyclopedia Mythica- Sun Wu Kong (Monkey King) entry.
 

SCIENCE and/or MONKEY LINKS
Different kinds of monkeys- A service of the people who brought you Dunston.
Education Planet- Links to everything you'd ever want to know about real monkeys.
The Bronx Zoo- Perhaps the world's most famous zoo.  Check out the Congo Gorilla Forest.
Scopes Monkey Trial- A site on the spectacular 1920s evolutionary education trial in Tennessee, put up by students at Michigan State University.

CHINA INFORMATION
China Today- A truly comprehensive information site.
Meet China in 2000- A contest opens this page with loads of information about China. See:
     -Classical Literature: a description of all four great works
     -Tang Dynasty: the time period of Journey to the West, and the introduction of Buddhism.
AskAsia- This link will take you to the site's "Adult-Free Zone."
Chinese Zodiac- Look at the description of "monkey," including a recap of Journey to the West, with links to each of the other animals in the zodiac.

CHINA PHOTO SITES
Psybeast- Photos from the Great Wall of China, theForbidden City and Tianamem Square.
Three Great Pictures- Pictures of Chinese cultural landmarks.  The third picture is of the Shuilian Cave, the Monkey King's home in the original story.
Jade Dragon- Great Wall section.

ON BUDDHISM
Jataka Tales- The Jataka Tales are Buddhist tales which precede Journey to the West, and include an earlier Monkey King.  The tales on this site are re-told her by Princess Noor Inayat Khan.
Buddhism Basics- From a site called Tricycle, everything a beginner needs to know about the religion Journey to the West is based on.

FOLKTALES
Silk Road Legends- Loads of Chinese legends, including the Monkey King, from a webliography for a grades 5 through 8 Social Studies unit.  Follow the links to lesson plans on the Silk Road.
Story Arts Theatre- Listen to folktales using RealPlayer.
Animals, Myths and Legends- Chinese themed tales for young children.

ARTS LINKS
Jade Dragon- Why Jade? Why dragon? Find out about these evocative images here.
Taipei Cultural Office in Houston- Chinese folk prints page, including a description of a print from the "bottomless pit" scene of Journey to the West.
The British Library- A nice woodblock print with a scene from Journey to the West.
Beijing Opera- One must know about the Beijing Opera's production.  One picture here.
Kun Opera- A scene from the story put on by the Kun Opera, with pictures.

RELATED CHILDREN'S BOOKS
The Making of Monkey King- This book is available in five languages, and the site includes a five-part introductory story piece.
Georgeworld- Homepage of Curious George, the popular monkey.
Caldecott Medal Homepage- Many of these winners are folk tale books.

RELATED POP CULTURE LINKS
Monkey!- A tribute to the cult classic live action Japanese TV series Monkey, which is based on Journey to the West.
Dragonball Z- Find out how the popular cartoons, the entire Dragonball series, is actually based on the Monkey King!
Journey to the West- This is a somewhat provocative, free cyer-comic strip with a somewhat Southwestern US theme, and the same title as the original Monkey King novel.
New Monkey King movie- The Stone Monkey, in planning for almost a year.  See what's happening.

LESSON PLANS and INTERACTIVE
AskAsia- Link to their Asia lesson plan site.
Nebraska Wesleyan University- An ESL-based lesson plan, referring to a "Vietnamese folktale, the Monkey King."
Three Little Monkeys- A song for K-2.
Cyber Rainforest- An interactive internet project for early childhood, about many monkeys' natural habitat!
Third Grade Script- The script I wrote from collected information for my 3rd grade class theater production, with the children's roles.
2000 Version- Same as above, before minor modifications, with 2000's roles.
Mr. E's School Garden Central--A link to the growing Evangelista web empire.