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Children, have you heard the story of "Sun Wukong Three Dozen White Bone Spirits"? So did you know that the stone monkey that jumped out of Huaguo Mountain has already crossed 108,000 miles and jumped onto the world's bookshelves?
Under the Asian sky, "Journey to the West" is a cultural memory shared by children. In the West, "Journey to the West" has been translated into dozens of languages, standing side by side with "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings". Why can "Journey to the West" conquer the world? Because Sun Wukong has a power that transcends national borders, whether you are from the East or the West, speak Chinese or English, you can see your own shadow in "Journey to the West".
However, for young readers who are new to "Journey to the West", the volume of the original work nearly 100 times and the half-written language may be prohibitive. The 40-episode version, which is specially compiled for teenagers, is like a well-designed door - it retains the essence and charm of the original work, telling the most classic forty story fragments in fluent vernacular, so that young readers can easily step into this fantastic and gorgeous world of gods and demons.
So let's take a closer look at the book "Journey to the West" for young people.
Hero Prequel (Chapters 1-6)
From the birth of the Stone Monkey to wreaking havoc in Heaven, and then being trapped under the Five Elements Mountain. This was Sun Wukong's most free yet loneliest time—invincible in the world, yet understood by no one.
The Origin of the Journey to Obtain Scriptures and the Team Assembly (Chapters 7-12)
Guanyin was ordered to seek out the pilgrim; Tang Seng set out on the journey west. Wukong was captured at the Five Elements Mountain, the White Dragon at Eagle-Mourning Ravine, Zhu Bajie at Gao Village, and Sha Seng at the Flowing-Sand River. In this way, a strange team was assembled.
The 81 Hardships (Chapters 13-39)
White Bone Demon, Gold Horn and Silver Horn, Red Boy, Kingdom of Women, Banana Fan, Spider Demon… Each difficulty is a trial, testing the faith, courage, wisdom, and mutual trust of the master and his three disciples.
Achievement of Success (Chapter 40)
At the foot of Mount Ling, the final challenge; in Leiyin Temple, the true scriptures are obtained. The Five Saints achieve enlightenment and each returns to their place.
Courage
Sun Wukong's courage is the leap into the Water Curtain Cave, the shout of 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven' when causing havoc in Heaven, and the stubbornness to choose to move forward even after being trapped for five hundred years. True bravery is not the absence of fear, but the choice to move forward despite fear.
Growth
Sun Wukong took a full fourteen years to go from a stone monkey to the Victorious Fighting Buddha. He learned to control his temper, to take responsibility, and to protect those weaker than himself. Growth is not something that happens overnight. Every mistake, every apology, every time he gets back up, is a step toward becoming a better version of himself.
Partner
The four disciples of Tang Monk each have different personalities, quarreling and making a fuss, yet they never parted ways. Why? Because on the long journey, they learned to trust and tolerate each other. It shows that the most important thing in life is not to be strong alone, but to become stronger together.
Reading "Journey to the West," as a child, you watch the excitement; as an adult, you understand the deeper meaning. Sun Wukong's golden staff strikes at demons, but also at the greed, anger, and foolishness within us. Tang Sanzang's tightening spell pains Wukong, but it is also the cost of our own growth. The eighty-one hardships, each different, always have one that resembles the challenges we face in life. And when you close the book, you realize—the journey to obtain the scriptures, which stretches for 108,000 miles, is not in the Western Heaven; it is beneath your feet, in your heart, in every thought of wanting to become better.
Now, please turn to Chapter One. Your journey to obtain the scriptures begins at this very moment.