Topic Archive

Myths about Chinese mythology

Explore myths connected by the recurring theme of Chinese mythology across cultures, characters, and sacred places.

115 myths currently featured for Chinese mythology.

Sha Wujing Cursed to Suffer Flying Swords in the Flowing Sands River

🐉 Chinese MythologyTaklamakan Desert, Xinjiang, ChinaSha Wujing • Jade Emperor • Guanyin

Sha Wujing, formerly the high-ranking Curtain-Raising General of the Celestial Court, was banished to the mortal realm after accidentally shattering a precious crystal cup during the Empress Dowager's Peach Banquet. He was condemned to live in the treacherous Flowing Sands River, where he was tormented every seven days by flying swords that pierced his chest. This period of suffering...

Sun Wukong Slaying the White Bone Demon

🐉 Chinese MythologyZhangjiajie, Hunan, ChinaSun Wukong • Tang Sanzang • Zhu Bajie

Sun Wukong protects his master Tang Sanzang from the shapeshifting White Bone Demon, who attempts to deceive the pilgrims by appearing as innocent villagers. Although Wukong sees through the demon's illusions and slays its forms, his master misinterprets the actions as murder, eventually leading to Wukong's tragic banishment from the group.

Tang Sanzang Rescuing Sun Wukong from the Mountain to Escort Him to the West

🐉 Chinese MythologyWuzhi Mountain, Hainan, ChinaTang Sanzang • Sun Wukong • Guanyin

After being imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for 500 years by the Buddha, the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, is finally discovered by the pious monk Tang Sanzang. Following a divine vision from the Bodhisattva Guanyin, Tang Sanzang removes the sacred seal atop the peak, liberating the monkey. In return for his freedom, Sun Wukong pledges to protect the monk on his perilous pilgrimage to...

Buddha Pinning Sun Wukong Underneath the Five Elements Mountain

🐉 Chinese MythologyWuzhi Mountain, Hainan, ChinaSun Wukong • Gautama Buddha • Jade Emperor

After Sun Wukong waged a chaotic war against the Heavens, the Jade Emperor sought the help of the Buddha to stop the invincible Monkey King. The Buddha challenged Wukong to a wager, leading the monkey to believe he had traveled to the edge of the universe when he had never left the Buddha's palm. As punishment for his arrogance and crimes, the Buddha transformed his hand into the Five...

Sun Wukong Surviving 49 Days in Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace and Gaining Fiery Golden Eyes

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Lao, Shandong, ChinaSun Wukong • Laozi (Lord Lao) • Jade Emperor

After consuming the Peaches of Immortality and Laozi's Golden Pills, Sun Wukong is sentenced to be refined in the Eight Trigrams Furnace to extract the elixirs and destroy his indestructible body. However, the clever Monkey King survives the forty-nine-day ordeal by hiding in the wind-protected corner of the vessel. He emerges with increased strength and the Fiery Golden Eyes, a mystical...

Erlang Shen Fighting Sun Wukong in an Epic Shapeshifting Duel

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Huaguo, Jiangsu, ChinaSun Wukong • Erlang Shen • Jade Emperor

The rebellious Sun Wukong faces his most formidable opponent, Erlang Shen, in a legendary battle that shifts from martial arts to a high-stakes shapeshifting duel. The conflict showcases their mastery of seventy-two transformations as they chase each other through the landscapes of Mount Huaguo. This clash eventually requires the intervention of the highest celestial powers to bring the...

Sun Wukong Forcefully Crossing Out His Name from the Book of Life and Death

🐉 Chinese MythologyFengdu Ghost City, Chongqing, ChinaSun Wukong • King Yanluo • Ten Kings of Hell

After achieving great spiritual power and immortality through Taoist practices, Sun Wukong is mistakenly dragged to the underworld by two soul-catchers. Enraged by this bureaucratic error, he rampages through the realm of the dead and reaches the Hall of the Ten Kings. There, he forces the lords of hell to produce the Book of Life and Death, where he strikes out his own name and those of his...

Sun Wukong Diving into the Eastern Sea to Extort a Weapon from the Dragon King

🐉 Chinese MythologyCrystal Palace of the Dragon King of the East SeaSun Wukong • Ao Guang • Ao Qin

After achieving immortality and mastery over his monkey tribe at Flower-Fruit Mountain, Sun Wukong realizes that ordinary weapons are too fragile for his divine strength. He travels to the underwater realm of the East China Sea to demand a worthy treasure from Ao Guang, the Dragon King. There, he discovers and claims the Ruyi Jingu Bang, a massive iron pillar once used to measure the depths...

Sun Wukong Bravely Leaping Through the Waterfall to Find the Water Curtain Cave

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Huaguo, Jiangsu, ChinaSun Wukong (The Stone Monkey) • The Monkey Tribe • The Jade Emperor

In the early days of his life on Mount Huaguo, the Stone Monkey accepts a challenge from his tribe to leap through a massive waterfall to discover its source. Behind the thundering cascade, he finds a mystical, fully-furnished cave that provides a perfect sanctuary for the monkey clan. By successfully returning and leading his people to this new home, he is crowned the Handsome Monkey King,...

Sun Wukong Born from a Magical Stone Nurtured by Heaven and Earth

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Huaguo, Jiangsu, ChinaSun Wukong • Jade Emperor • Thousand-Mile Eye

The legend recounts the miraculous birth of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, from a mystical stone atop the Flower Fruit Mountain. After emerging as a stone monkey and earning the respect of his peers by discovering the Water Curtain Cave, he is crowned the Handsome Monkey King. Driven by a sudden fear of mortality, he eventually departs his idyllic home to seek the secrets of eternal life from...