Journey to the West – Legends of the Monkey King

7/30/1999

Seeking a suitable weapon, the Monkey King creates a disturbance in the Dragon King's underwater palace and obtains the Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden-Hooped Rod).

8/6/1999

Sun Wukong is offered a minor position in Heaven as Keeper of the Heavenly Horses (Bimawen) but, feeling insulted by the title, he rebels.

8/13/1999

Having declared himself "Great Sage, Equal of Heaven," Wukong fights the Celestial Army and wreaks havoc in the main halls of Heaven.

8/20/1999

The Jade Emperor summons his nephew, the powerful Erlang Shen, who battles Wukong in a fierce duel and finally captures him.

8/27/1999

Wukong is trapped in Laozi’s furnace, but he escapes; the Buddha intervenes, challenging Wukong to leap out of his palm.

9/3/1999

Wukong attempts the impossible leap but fails and is imprisoned by the Buddha beneath the massive Five-Elements Mountain.

9/10/1999

The Tang Monk, Xuanzang (later Tripitaka), begins his journey to the West and passes the mountain, freeing Sun Wukong to be his disciple.

9/17/1999

A dragon, son of the Dragon King, eats Xuanzang’s horse; Wukong helps subdue the dragon, who is then transformed into Xuanzang's new white steed.

9/24/1999

The pilgrims stay at a monastery where a greedy old abbot plots to steal the precious Kasaya (monk's robe) given to Xuanzang by Guanyin.

10/1/1999

The abbot’s black bear demon friend steals the robe; Wukong battles and subdues the demon, recovering the garment.

10/8/1999

In the Gaolao Village, Wukong subdues the lustful pig demon, Zhu Bajie (Pigsy), who agrees to join the pilgrimage as a second disciple.

10/15/1999

The group encounters a demon on Yellow Wind Ridge who uses a powerful sandstorm, forcing Wukong to seek aid from a divine helper.

10/22/1999

At the treacherous Quicksand River, the last disciple, Sha Wujing (Sandy), is subdued and joins the group.

10/29/1999

At the Wuzhuang Temple, Pigsy and Wukong steal the temple’s precious Ginseng Fruits, which are said to grant immortality.

11/5/1999

The angry Taoist master, Zhenyuan Great Immortal, catches the disciples; Wukong damages the immortal tree, which Guanyin must heal to resolve the conflict.

11/12/1999

A female demon tries three times to capture Xuanzang by transforming into a woman, an old lady, and an old man, but Wukong sees through her disguises.

11/19/1999

Xuanzang, furious after Wukong seemingly kills innocent people (the demon's disguises), dismisses Wukong from the pilgrimage.

11/26/1999

Xuanzang is captured by the Yellow Robe Demon in the Wave Moon Cave, who transforms the monk into a tiger.

12/3/1999

Pigsy is sent to Flower Fruit Mountain to beg Wukong to return and save their Master from the demon.

12/10/1999

The pilgrims encounter the Gold and Silver Horned Kings, two powerful demons armed with magical calabash gourds and ropes.

12/17/1999

Wukong uses his cleverness and transformations to trick and capture the two demon kings, recovering the powerful magical items.

12/24/1999

In the Kingdom of Wuji, Xuanzang receives a dream from the deceased old king, revealing that a fake king (a demon) has taken his place.

12/31/1999

Wukong finds the old king's body in a well and helps restore him, then battles and defeats the shapeshifting demon that had usurped the throne.

1/7/2000

The group encounters the Red Boy (Hong Hai'er), the son of the Bull Demon King, a powerful demon child who captures Xuanzang.

1/14/2000

Red Boy's powerful Samadhi True Fire nearly defeats Wukong, who must appeal to Guanyin to help subdue the child, who becomes her disciple.

1/21/2000

In the Chechi Kingdom, the group finds three Daoist Immortals oppressing Buddhist monks; Wukong challenges them to a contest of magic.

1/28/2000

Wukong, Bajie, and Sandy defeat the three demon immortals—a Tiger, a Deer, and an Antelope spirit—in a battle of supernatural skills.

2/4/2000

The pilgrims are stopped by the vast Heaven-Connecting River, which they can't cross, due to the influence of the Great White Turtle and a demon.

2/11/2000

The group encounters a powerful water demon known as the Lingmo, or "One-Horned Monster," who captures the Master.

2/18/2000

The pilgrims enter the Kingdom of Women, where Xuanzang is pressured to marry the queen, but Wukong devises a trick to escape.

2/25/2000

After leaving the kingdom, Xuanzang is captured by the Scorpion Demoness in the Pipa Cave, who tries to force him into marriage.

3/3/2000

A Six-Eared Macaque appears, impersonating Wukong perfectly and causing trouble; the two look-alikes fight bitterly.

3/10/2000

The two Wukongs go before the Buddha, who uses his spiritual sight to identify and expose the true identity of the Six-Eared Macaque, who is then slain.

3/17/2000

The journey is halted by the immense Flaming Mountains, which are too hot to cross, and they require the magical Iron Fan.

3/24/2000

Wukong fights his sworn brother, the Bull Demon King, to obtain the Iron Fan, which is held by his wife, Princess Iron Fan.

3/31/2000

Pigsy is captured by seven beautiful Spider Demons who try to lure him; Wukong attempts to rescue him and burns their lair.

4/7/2000

The Master is poisoned by the Centipede Demon, the sworn brother of the Spider Demons; Wukong defeats the demon with help from a divine Star Lord.

4/14/2000

Wukong investigates the theft of the Golden Light Treasure Pagoda relics by two demons, resolving a false accusation against two priests.

4/21/2000

The pilgrims encounter a group of demons disguised as the Buddha and his disciples, who capture Xuanzang in a false monastery.

4/28/2000

Wukong discovers the mastermind is the demon boy Huang Mei, who stole the magic of the Maitreya Buddha, who must come to subdue his own boy servant.

5/5/2000

In the Kingdom of India, Wukong acts as a traveling physician to cure the Queen, whose ailment is caused by a demon.

5/12/2000

The Master is captured by a powerful Lion Demon armed with a magical Purple-Gold Bell that causes a lot of trouble for Wukong.

5/19/2000

The group faces the immense Lion Camel Ridge, where three formidable demon kings (Lion, Elephant, and Roc) hold an entire city captive.

5/26/2000

Wukong fights the three powerful demon kings, who are finally revealed to be mounts of Manjusri, Samantabhadra, and the Buddha himself, who subdues them.

6/2/2000

The group encounters a king who is being advised by a deer demon disguised as a Daoist, who is secretly stealing the life essence of children.

6/9/2000

The Rat Demoness of the Bottomless Pit captures the Master; Wukong seeks help from Heaven, as the demon is the mouse who ate the Buddha's oil.

6/16/2000

The king of the Kingdom of Xuanyang is confused and Wukong must clarify the situation surrounding the capture of Xuanzang.

6/23/2000

The Master is captured by the Rhinoceros King, who has linked his cave to the palace, causing further chaos before he is subdued.

6/30/2000

The group arrives in the India Kingdom, where the princess announces she is seeking a husband; Wukong suspects something is wrong.

7/7/2000

Wukong discovers that the princess is actually the Jade Rabbit from the moon (servant of the Moon Goddess, Chang'e), who captured the real princess.

7/14/2000

After enduring eighty-one trials, the pilgrims finally reach Vulture Peak (Griddhrakuta) in the West and are granted the sacred scriptures by the Buddha.