Somebody was walking their tortoise in a Taipei park. It's that big and only seven years old.

JTTW twice refers to Sun Wukong as “not 4 chi tall” 不滿四尺 (1.272 m/4.17 ft). But ch. 37 gives a more specific height. He transforms into a 2 cun 寸 tall monk (6.36 cm/2.5 in), but grows '3 chi & 4 or 5 cun' to reach his normal height. That's roughly 1.176 m/3.86 ft tall.

My followers have surely noticed my inactivity. I'm slowly chipping away at a catalog of all of Sun Wukong's magic powers. I'm up to chapter 34. This is what I have so far. Hopefully it will hold you over.

docs.google.com/document/d/1tP…

I'll write an analysis article when finished.

I've heard the superstition that cameras steal someone's soul when a picture is taken. I'm not sure when or where this belief first took hold, but Journey to the West (1592) exhibits an example that predates the camera.

I once served as a paratrooper in the US Army 82nd Airborne Division. People who slammed into the ground hard were described as 'eating shit.' Interestingly, Zhu Bajie / Pigsy tripping and falling hard to the ground in Journey to the West is also associated with consuming feces.

Ch. 24-26 of JTTW states the Great Immortal Zhenyuan 鎮元大仙 is the patriarch of all earthbound immortals. He is the size of a child w/ the bearded face of a beautiful woman.

There is a Daoist deity known as 真元聖祖 (Ancestor of the True Origin). Perhaps there is a connection.

Here is a lovely Thai idol of Zhu Bajie. He is holding his rake with the Shuni mudra.

facebook.com/groups/9019997…

Here's an article on the origins of the immortal peach-stealing episode from Journey to the West. Sun Wukong's theft is likely based on the story of the Han-era trickster Dongfang Shuo (東方朔) & a magic white ape from Song-era material.

journeytothewestresearch.com/2024/04/01/ori…

My friend Irwen Wong of the Journey to the West Library blog wrote a lovely article about a historical monk named Zhu Bajie (朱八戒) that the pig-spirit Zhu Bajie (豬八戒) is likely based on.

journeytothewestlibrary.weebly.com/the-historical…

I've written an article about Red Boy's (Honghai’er, 紅孩兒) description in Journey to the West for the benefit of artists and cosplayers. Fans of Lego Monkie Kid can compare it to the design for Red Son.

journeytothewestresearch.com/2024/03/23/wha…

I was reminded that Sun Wukong has the power to 'seize the wind' (抓風) like an animate object.

I'm sad to hear of Toriyama's passing. I wouldn't have developed an interest in Journey to the West without Dragon Ball. Rest in Peace.

I have archived the Chinese script for the Yuan-Ming zaju play 'The God Erlang Captures the Great Sage Equaling Heaven' (二郎神鎖齊天大聖).

The play mentions Monkey having brothers and sisters.

journeytothewestresearch.com/2024/02/18/arc…

Master Golden Cicada (Tripitaka), Miao Jixiang, & the Great Peng are all Buddhist deities from Chinese literature exiled from the Western Heaven for disrespecting Buddha (sleeping/murder). I analyze their stories & note similarities to Greek philosophy.

journeytothewestresearch.com/2024/02/16/bud…

I finally had a chance to scan the Doctor Who vs Sun Wukong comic book story. It's pretty bad. My tumblr post includes a link to a PDF.

tumblr.com/journeytothewe…

The authors of 'The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art' (2003) have graciously made this great resource available for free via a series of scans on Academia.edu. I downloaded and combined them all into a single PDF.

journeytothewestresearch.com/wp-content/upl…