Monkey King

[ghostexorcist]

Many of the members here may not be aware that Monkey appears in a literary precursor of Journey to the West printed in the 13th-century. The linked article summarizes the 17 chapter novelette and compares and contrasts it with the version that we all know and love.

http://historum.com/blogs/ghostexorc...rney-west.html

[GeneChing]

Jia Zhangke's history-centric Journey to the West is new.


Stephan Chow's Journey to the West: Part 2 has been going since 2013, but it just got serious.

[GeneChing]

And deaf too.

Wish there was a viral vid of this.

Seven 'Monkey Kings' taken to police station after fighting bloody turf war in Chengdu streets
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON NOV 9, 2016 7:40 PM



Police in Chengdu briefly detained seven mythological figures on Sunday, in order to figure out why exactly they were battling it out on the city's streets.
At around 3 p.m. that afternoon, police received a curious report that multiple Monkey Kings were fighting in public nearby. When they arrived, police were astonished to in fact find seven men that were all dressed up as Sun Wukong, the famous character from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.
At first, officers had quite a tough time figuring out who was attacking who. Not only were they dressed similarly, but the men were all also deaf. To clarify the situation, police decided to just take all the Monkey Kings back to the station for questioning, Sichuan News Network reports.
There, a sign language instructor was called in. After a few exchanges, police discovered that the seven performers were part of two separate groups that each worked the same popular streets in Chengdu, performing tricks and posing for photos with curious passersby and tourists.
However, on this day, the two groups had squabbled over one premium piece of sidewalk. Things then turned violent when one Monkey King knocked another in the head with his golden staff, drawing blood.



In the end, the two sides agreed to a settlement in which the injured man received 1,500 yuan in compensation. Police then allowed them to go back to their monkey business.
[Images via Tencent]

[GeneChing]

Monkey King 3 - this is the 3rd installment following Monkey King 2 and Monkey King.

This is not to be confused with the aforementioned Stephen Chow's Journey to the West: Conquering Demons and his upcoming sequel Journey to the West: Demon Chapter or Paramount's Monkey King.

[GeneChing]

Let me see if I've got this straight:

Monkey King 3

Journey to the West: Demon Chapter

and now...
Wu Kong

It's like Ip Man at the beginning of this decade. :roll eyes:

I will be happy when this Year of the Monkey is done.

[GeneChing]

Dr. Harold Winston & Winston

[GeneChing]

Traffic police stop 'Monkey King' driving bus full of mythological characters
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON FEB 8, 2017 6:15 PM



The legendary "Monkey King" was stopped at a routine police checkpoint in Jiyuan city, Henan province yesterday behind the wheel of a bus.
Officers only became more befuddled with the situation when they stepped onto the bus to find it full of mythological figures from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.



Police then ordered all of the various deities off the bus and asked the Monkey King to please hand over his license and registration.





Despite his reputation as an infamous trickster, Sun Wukong patiently answered officers' questions. It turns out that rather than immortals, the passengers were all in fact members of an acting troupe headed for the countryside to perform Journey to the West at a local temple fair.







After careful questioning, police let the "Monkey King" and his friends continue on their journey. Unfortunately, reports don't mention which way they were heading.
[Images via China News / Sina]

Isn't it illegal to drive wearing a mask in the U.S.? Maybe that's just a municipal law. Not that I've ever been busted for that...

[GeneChing]

A new one: A Hero's Journey to the West

Plus I've been meaning to add Buddies in India here because the lead character is named Wu Kong.

[GeneChing]

A Monkey with a magic staff and a pig comrade? Produced by ToonBox Entertainment, Redrover, Shanghai Hoongman Technology, & Gulfstream Pictures.

This opened last week.

[GeneChing]

The Legend Of Monkey - Monkey Magic redux

[GeneChing]

I'm hijacking the Chinese Martial Satellite thread for this because I don't really understand where diego was going with this 3 years ago and it's a good title. Plus it's gotta go on the Monkey King thread too, of course.

CHINA DETECTS WEIRD SPACE SIGNALS WITH ITS DARK MATTER ‘MONKEY KING’ SATELLITE
BY HANNAH OSBORNE ON 11/30/17 AT 8:55 AM

China has detected some weird space signals while hunting for dark matter with its "Monkey King" satellite.

Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have spent the past two years recording cosmic rays with the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) satellite. After measuring over 3.5 billion high-energy particles, the team has now found a blip in the data—a break in the electron and positron spectrum that could point to the annihilation or decay of dark matter.

Normal matter—everything we can see—accounts for up to 5 percent of the universe. Around 68 percent is dark energy, which is the mystery force thought to be driving the universe’s expansion. The rest, around 27 percent, is dark matter—the mystery substance that we cannot see, but that we know exists because of the gravitational influence it has over galaxies.

Scientists have been trying to detect dark matter for decades through various methods, all of which have so far proved unsuccessful.


Artist impression of China’s dark matter detector satellite.
NATIONAL SPACE SCIENCE CENTER, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

China launched DAMPE—a satellite that sits 310 miles in space and collects data on cosmic rays, which are high-energy radiation particles that mostly come from outside our solar system—in December 2015.

One of the main theories about dark matter is that it may decay into detectable particles, like electrons, positrons and photons, when it is annihilated, something that could potentially be recorded in space with a sensitive detector like DAMPE.

The latest findings, published in Nature, show how there is a spectral break at 0.9 TeV (teraelectron volts) and a potential spike at 1.4 TeV. This discovery narrows down the potential parameters of models relating to events in space like pulsars, supernovas and, as a consequence, the candidates for dark matter.

"Together with data from the cosmic microwave background experiments, high energy gamma-ray measurements, and other astronomical telescopes, the DAMPE data may help to ultimately clarify the connection between the positron anomaly and the annihilation or decay of particle dark matter," Fan Yizhong, deputy chief designer of DAMPE's scientific application system, said in a statement.

"DAMPE has opened a new window for observing the high-energy universe, unveiling new physical phenomena beyond our current understanding," Chang Jin, chief scientist of DAMPE, told Xinhua. "Our data may inspire some new ideas in particle physics and astrophysics. We never expected such signals.”


The aftermath of a typical, short-lived supernova as it fades.
NASA'S GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER/ESA/HUBBLE/L. CALCADA

Fan added that the spike was highly unusual. “The signals might have originated from either dark matter or pulsars,” he said.

Chang continued: “The spike might indicate that there exists a kind of unknown particle with a mass of about 1.4 TeV. All the 61 elementary particles predicted by the standard model of particle physics have been found. Dark matter particles are beyond the list. So if we find a new elementary particle, it will be a breakthrough in physics. Even if they were from pulsars, it would be quite a strange astrophysical phenomenon that nobody had known before.”

The team will now continue to record cosmic rays to try to confirm their findings. “So far, we are 99.99 percent sure this spike is real, but we need to collect more data. If the statistical probability exceeds 99.99994 percent, it will be a groundbreaking discovery in particle physics and astrophysics,” Chang said.

There's a fair amount of Chinese satellite and space news. Maybe I'll just post it all here when I find stuff that might amuse.

[GeneChing]

Commercializing Religion in China
Communist Party policies encourage the development of temples, monasteries into profitable tourist attractions
By Annie Wu, Epoch Times
December 12, 2017 4:39 pm Last Updated: December 12, 2017 4:39 pm


Chinese monks attend a ceremony at a Shaolin Temple to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Dengfeng County, Henan Province, on January 28, 2017. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

The kung-fu-fighting monks of Shaolin Temple are world-famous ascetics, depicted in countless movies and television shows.

But under the Chinese Communist Party’s rule, the historic temple has become a shell of its former self. It is no longer a place for spiritual meditation but a business empire, with multiple companies established: a film and television company, painting academy, publishing house, and performing troupe among them.

Shaolin rents out its grounds as a venue for holding events, including a “bikini fashion” beauty pageant in the summer of 2009. That year, the temple also attempted to get listed on the stock exchange. If there was ever something to epitomize the idea of “selling out,” this would be it.

This blatant commercialization of religion has been endorsed by the Chinese regime for decades. In the era of the Cultural Revolution, Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong denounced “old ideas, culture, customs, and habits,” commanding the destruction of countless historic sites, temples, monasteries, and places of cultural significance across the country. But with the opening up of the Chinese economy, local authorities have cashed in on the lucrative potential of people’s growing interest in Buddhist temples and Daoist monasteries. To boost local economies, destroyed structures were reconstructed and developed into tourist sites.

But they’re no longer places of worship. Like with many phenomena in an increasingly materialistic Chinese society, the sole motivation has become making money, from building scenic parks to attract tourists, to selling god statues for people seeking to secure blessings.

Recently, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has even recognized this flagrant commercialization is bad optics, and have called on religious organizations to tamp it down. On Nov. 23, 12 departments within the Party’s central authorities—including the Propaganda Department, United Front, Cyberspace Administration, and National Tourism Administration—published rules forbidding Buddhist and Daoist organizations to be operated as corporations. It prohibited business capital, personal investments, or contracts, as well as the sale of expensive tickets for admission into temple grounds, or services such as selling the first stick of incense to be placed in the censer, believed to bring good luck.

Monks Colluding with the Party

Decades of the warping of religion has already left its mark. The Party allowed the existence of Buddhist and Daoist organizations in order to keep up the facade of religious freedom, when in reality, it has appointed abbots as puppets of the Party.

Shi Yongxin, abbot of Shaolin Temple, is the most well-known example. He held several administrative posts, including deputy president of the Buddhist Association of China, the CCP-led body that supervises Buddhism activities, and president of the Henan Province division of the association. Shaolin is located in Dengfeng County, Henan Province. Former CCP leader Jiang Zemin also appointed him as a representative to the Party’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress.


Shi Yongxin (center) attends the Chinese Kungfu Star TV Contest held at Shaolin Temple on September 9, 2006. (China Photos/Getty Images)

According to an expose published in the Chinese business publication Caixin in August 2015, Shi had a close relationship with Jiang, the Henan party boss Li Changchun, and the Buddhist Association president Zhao Puchu. It was under Zhao’s instructions that Shi turned Shaolin Temple into a business empire, the report said.

Since the CCP took over Tibet, the Tibetan Buddhist lamas all need to be recognized and approved by the central authorities. To get approval, some Tibetan monasteries have resorted to bribing and currying favor with CCP officials. Chief among them is Zhu Weiqun, who was the deputy head of the United Front Work Department and tasked with handling Tibet affairs.

Tourism Above All

Meanwhile, notable temples have been forcibly seized by local officials to be aggressively developed and promoted as sightseeing destinations. The four sacred mountains of Buddhism, Mt. Wutai, Emei, Jiuhua, and Putuo, have all been developed into tourist-friendly attractions by local authorities or state-owned firms.

Xingjiao Temple in Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province is known for housing the remains of the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang, whose journey to India to seek Buddhist scriptures inspired the famous novel “Journey to the West.” When local authorities sought for the temple to be recognized as a UNESCO heritage site, they proposed for large parts of the complex to be demolished and replaced with a newer building, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.


An aerial view of the Xingjiao Temple in Shaanxi Province on April 13, 2013. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

In some instances, tourism plans have backfired. At the 1,700-year-old Famen Temple, also in Shaanxi, local authorities built a scenic park nearby. However, the huge debt they incurred forced them to hire fake monks to roam the grounds and collect donations from visitors.

At the Panlong Temple in Yunnan, monks were so fed up with the flocks of tourists that they shut the doors, posting this message for visitors: “Due to the fact that the Jinning County and Jincheng Township governments wish to commercialize and corporatize the Panlong Temple, disrupting the temple’s order, the temple has decided today to temporarily shut the gates for a quiet meditation environment.”

Some temples have become completely occupied by local authorities, from the Administration of Cultural Heritage seizing precious artifacts, to the forestry and tourism department taking charge of the surrounding lands.

Current affairs commentator Li Linyi noted that many local officials are motivated by wanting to score political points and gain promotions by contributing to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) target. Tourism is an easy way for them to do so.

Prayers for Blessings

Why have places of worship become so popular? Li noted that many Chinese have turned to a higher being in hopes of gaining fortune and blessings. At the Nainai Temple in Hebei Province, patrons can sign contracts with the temple to construct a statue and altar depicting whatever god they’d like, whether it’s a “car god,” “study god,” or “government official god.”

Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily noted in a Nov. 24 article that former CCP leader Jiang Zemin and his underlings often visited Mt. Jiuhua and Shaolin Temple to alleviate their guilt about their corruption.

Zhang Ting, Xue Fei, and Luo Ya contributed to this report.

Before anyone gets too worked up on this Shaolin commercialism post, keep in mind that the source is Epoch Times.

I'm also copying this to the Monkey King thread for the Xingjiao Temple reference.

[GeneChing]

Chow has done Monkey so many times. There's Journey to the West: Conquering Demons, and prior to that, he did A Chinese Odyssey Part One - Pandora's Box (1995 西遊記101回月光寶盒) & A Chinese Odyssey Part Two - Cinderella (1995 西遊記完結篇仙履奇緣), both of which I reviewed on that same thread.

Stephen Chow Developing Epic ‘Monkey King’ With Pearl Studio
Shanghai-based Pearl Studio also confirms Albert Tsai, Tensing Norgay Trainor and Tsai Chin join Chloe Bennet in ‘Abominable’
By Jamie Lang @idonthaveaband


CREDIT: ELZER & ASSOCIATES

ANNECY, France — Legendary Chinese director Stephen Chow, the man behind 2004’s dark-horse hit “Kung Fu Hustle,” is in development on ‘The Monkey King’ with Pearl Studio, the Shanghai-based animation company announced Thursday at the Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival.

The studio also unveiled that young actor Albert Tsai (“Trophy Wife,” “Dr. Ken”), Tensing Norgay Trainor, the grandson of Tensing Norgay, the first man to reach the summit of Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, and Tsai Chin will be joining “Agents of Shield’s” Chloe Bennet in its upcoming feature “Abominable.”

The announcements came as Pearl detailed its upcoming slate of animated feature productions, backstory and ambitions, straight from the mouths of animation legends Jill Culton and Glen Keane.

“The Monkey King” is penned by animated-animal feature experts Ron Friedman and Steve Bencich, whose past credits include “Brother Bear” and “Chicken Little.” The film is an effort to bring to the world, a character described by Pearl as “one of China’s most mythical, mystical and mischievous superheroes.”

Chow’s “involvement in this very special project, which is beloved throughout Asia, is a true coup,” said Peilin Chou, chief creative officer for Pearl Studio. She added: “We know that he will bring all the comedy and scope that makes this adventure legend so special and translate ‘The Monkey King’ into an enchanting and exciting global animated event.”

The presentation kicked off with Pearl’s chief creative officer Peilin Chou introducing the audience to the Chinese studio and outlining their ambitious goal.

Pearl started out as DreamWorks Oriental, and co-produced “Kung Fu Panda 3,” a film that on its release became the highest-grossing animated film of all time in China.

A good deal of the presentation was dedicated to framing China’s place in the global animation marketplace today. While Pearl is, at its core, a Chinese company, there is no mandate to create specifically Chinese content,

“None of our films are for China only. Our films are English-first. We look for themes which are universal and can travel around the world,” said Chou.

Another key point of order in Peilin’s talk was the importance of diversity at Pearl Studio. In its Shanghai headquarters alone there are staff from over 25 countries. And, its current development slate features female protagonists in more than half of its films.

Once the overview had finished, Chou passed the mic to Jill Culton, director of Chinese animated road movie “Abominable,” a co-production with DreamWorks Animation, who presented first-look animatics and excerpts, all set to pop music. Culton has a sterling C.V. in animation, having worked on such films as “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” and “Monsters Inc.”

The plot has the 16-year-old female protagonist rescuing a kidnapped Yeti and tracking across China to get him back to his home on Everest.


“We have seen hundreds of road-trips across America,” Culton pointed out, “but no one has taken us on a tour of all the beautiful places in China.”

“This film is a very personal, character-driven tale, set in an epic landscape that lends itself beautifully to animation.” said DreamWorks Feature Animation Group president Chris deFaria in a statement. “Ultimately, this is a film about finding your way home, and the unbreakable bond that forms between these characters during a life changing adventure. These additional voice actors bring considerable emotion and comedy to this story.”

“Abominable” is scheduled for worldwide release through Universal Pictures Sept 27 2019.

Glen Keane, an Academy Award winner for “Dear Basketball,” received the presentation’s largest ovation before talked through his upcoming film, “Over the Moon,” inspired by one of China’s most beloved myths. Keane spent decades at Disney, and was a key contributor to one of that company’s golden ages having worked on such seminal films as “The Fox and the Hound,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Pocahontas” and many, many more.

After explaining his animation process, sharing a slideshow of his trip to China with Pearl, and a few early pieces of art that will influence the film, he treated the at-capacity room to a real-time sketching of the film’s protagonist, projected onto the theater’s screen.

“Over the Moon” will be distributed theatrically in Greater China, and by Netflix worldwide.

[GeneChing]

From Monkey King to Cantonese opera puppets, Hong Kong performer has a hand in centuries-old craft
Li Yi-hsin is a descendant of a family that’s been performing the art for five generations, and does not intend to slow down amid changing times
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 12 June, 2018, 10:01am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 12 June, 2018, 10:00am
Eddie Lee



A pair of costumed glove puppets come alive the moment they are in the hands of Li Yi-hsin.

“On my left is Pagoda-bearing Heavenly King Li Jing. The other is the Mighty Miracle God,” the puppeteer said.

Both are characters in Monkey Creates Havoc in Heaven, an adaptation of the earlier chapters of the famous Chinese mythological novel Journey to the West.

Li, who has performed thousands of traditional Chinese puppet shows during the past 50 years, said his repertoire included many works based on Chinese classical novels.


Li Yi-hsin has performed thousands of traditional Chinese puppet shows. Photo: Dickson Lee

The Hong Kong-based master comes from a family that has been performing glove puppet plays in China for nearly 300 years.

“The grandfather of my grandfather developed the southern style of glove puppetry. I am a member of the fifth generation,” said Li, who learned the craft from his grandfather, father and uncles.


Hand puppeteers have to master depicting emotions through movements as the expressions on the dolls are static. Photo: Dickson Lee

“My grandfather was an all-rounder, while my father and uncles were good at manipulating the puppet’s gestures and acrobatic movements respectively,” he said.

Apart from performing regularly in Hong Kong and overseas, the 70-year-old puppeteer also put a lot of work into grooming the next crop of puppet masters.

“Over the years I have taught more than 100 students. I want them to fully understand and master the art, rather than just scratch the surface,” Li said.

“It is more than about making a living. We must pass down the traditional art.”

It is more than about making a living. We must pass down the traditional artLI YI-HSIN, PUPPETEER

Li has been nominated by Hong Kong Theatre Works – which he is in partnership with – for the South China Morning Post’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards, which honour inspirational individuals and groups that make the city a better place to live in.

He is named under the Cultural Preservation category, which recognises people who have made a sustainable impact on cultural conservation.

According to Li, his teachings centre on hand movement to convey emotions, as the puppets do not have changing facial expressions. His students have to acquire the art’s basic manipulation skills.

“The dan, or the female role, has to maintain ladylike behaviour,” he said. “The sheng, or the male role, must stride like a gentleman.”


The elaborate costumes of hand puppets. Photo: Dickson Lee

It would take years of training to be able to present every nuance of the expression style, according to Li.

However, he said he believed glove puppetry could adapt and move with the times.

“We may incorporate lines of Cantonese opera into our plays to suit the tastes of [Hong Kong] audiences,” Li said.

“What’s most important is that we respect the traditions, and retain the essence and the basic skills of Chinese glove puppetry.”

THREADS:
martial puppet shows
Monkey King

[GeneChing]

The Little Prince of Qitian 《齐天小太子》 - another take on the Monkey King.

中美日合拍《西游记》改编动画电影
《齐天小太子》立项 《别惹蚂蚁》导演执导
2018-10-24 23:14:10 来源：Mtime时光网 23

前博纳影业与日本东映动画在东京电影节正式宣布了《齐天小太子》的合拍计划，而影片的主创团队则来自好莱坞 。


↑上图为《齐天小太子》3D概念模型图

时光网讯 据广电立项信息，一部由中、美、日三国共同创作的《西游记》改编动画电影《齐天小太子》已正式立项。该片由 博纳影业与日本东映动画合作拍摄，《别惹蚂蚁》导演约翰 A·戴维斯执导。

此前博纳影业与日本东映动画在东京电影节正式宣布了《齐天小太子》的合拍计划，而影片的主创团队则来自好莱 坞。导演由《别惹蚂蚁》导演约翰 A·戴维斯担纲，参与《怪物史莱克2》编剧的J. David Stem和David N Weiss执笔剧本。



此外，“刺猬索尼克”的设计者之一大岛直人将主导角色设计，前皮克斯和迪士尼的Chuck Williams参与制片，动画制作将有一家颇具经验的中国动画工作室完成。

影片的故事灵感源自《西游记》，据立项信息中的剧情梗概，故事将讲述齐天大圣之子淘气不上进，正值外星人侵 犯地球，大圣派其去保护地球。期间遇到了艾丽姐弟，在带领他们去寻找父母的途中一直受到外星人的攻击。后老 沙和猪仔加入进来，他们一起并肩作战，战胜外敌小太子成长的故事。

有消息称该片此前已经开发了3年时间，制作完成大约需要两年。

googtrans

China, the United States, Japan and the United States, "Journey to the West" adapted animation film
"Qi Tian Xiao Tai Zi" project "Do not provoke ants" director directed
2018-10-24 23:14:10 Source: Mtime Time Network 23

Former Bona Film and Japan’s Toei Animation officially announced the co-production of “The Little Prince of Qitian” at the Tokyo Film Festival, and the film’s creative team came from Hollywood.




The picture above is the 3D conceptual model of Qi Tian Xiao Tai Zi.

******According to the information of the radio and television project, an animated film "Qi Tian Xiao Tai Zi", a "Journey to the West" co-authored by China, the United States and Japan, has been officially established. The film was filmed by Bona Film and Japan’s Toei Animation, directed by John A. Davis, director of Don’t Make Ants.

******Previously, Bona Film and Japan’s Toei Animation officially announced the co-production of “The Little Prince of Qitian” at the Tokyo Film Festival, and the film’s creative team came from Hollywood. The director was directed by John A. Davis, director of "Don't provoke ants", and participated in the scripts by J. David Stem and David N Weiss, screenwriters of "Shrek 2".



******In addition, one of the designers of the "Sonic the Hedgehog", Oshima Naoto, will lead the character design. The former Pixar and Disney's Chuck Williams will participate in the production, and the animation will be completed by an experienced Chinese animation studio.

******The story of the film is inspired by "Journey to the West". According to the synopsis of the project information, the story will tell that the son of Qitian Dasheng is not up to the air, when the aliens invade the earth, and the Great Holy Spirit sends it to protect the earth. During the encounter with Alice's brother and sister, they have been attacked by aliens on their way to lead them to find their parents. After the old sand and pigs joined in, they fought side by side to defeat the story of the growth of the foreign prince.

******It is reported that the film has been developed for three years and it takes about two years to complete.