The Monkey King - Chinese

Hello there! I bet you've never met a king who was born from a stone egg, have you? My name is Sun Wukong, and my story began on the wonderful Flower-Fruit Mountain, a place filled with singing waterfalls and cheerful monkeys just like me. I was so happy there, but I always felt a spark of adventure inside me, a wish to be the strongest and cleverest hero of all. This is the story of how I became the famous Monkey King. After I was born from a magic stone that had soaked up the energy of the sun and moon for ages, I wanted to prove I was brave. I dared to leap through a giant, roaring waterfall that no one else would go near. Behind it, I found a huge, dry cave, a perfect new home for all the monkeys. They were so happy and amazed that they all shouted, “You will be our king!”. But I soon learned that even kings get old, so I decided to leave my mountain and find the secret to living forever.

I traveled far and wide across oceans and mountains until I found a wise master who taught me amazing things. I learned 72 magical transformations, which means I can turn into anything I want, from a tiny bee to a giant warrior with a flick of my fur. I also learned to fly on a fluffy cloud, zipping across the sky faster than a rocket. Best of all, I got my favorite weapon, a magic staff that can grow as tall as the sky or shrink to the size of a needle I can hide in my ear. I became so powerful and, I admit, a little bit naughty. I thought I was the best, so I flew up to the Heavenly Kingdom to show off. The Jade Emperor gave me a job watching over the heavenly horses, but I thought it was boring. So, I decided to cause a huge ruckus. I snuck into the royal garden and ate all the Peaches of Immortality, I drank the elixir of life, and I defeated the entire heavenly army with my staff. No one could stop me. I felt so proud and thought, “I am the greatest in all the universe!”.

Just when I thought I was unbeatable, the Buddha appeared, calm and smiling. He made a bet with me. He said, “If you can jump out of the palm of my hand, you can be the new ruler of Heaven.” That sounded easy. I took a mighty leap and flew on my cloud for miles and miles until I saw five giant pillars at the end of the world. I wrote my name on one to prove I was there and zoomed back. But the Buddha just wiggled his fingers, and I saw my name written on one of them. I had never left his hand at all. To teach me to be less boastful and more humble, he gently trapped me under a mountain made of five elements. I stayed there for 500 years until a kind monk named Tripitaka came and freed me. In return, I promised to protect him on his long and dangerous Journey to the West to find sacred scrolls. This was my chance to use my powers for good. My story, first told in a big book called 'Journey to the West' long ago, shows that even the most mischievous person can learn to be a true hero. Today, you can see me in cartoons, movies, and games all around the world, reminding everyone that it's great to be clever and strong, but it is even better to be kind and use your gifts to help others.