A fantastical-satirical novel in 100 chapters tells of the journey of the monk Xuanzang along the Silk Road to India for Buddhist sutras. The main character, however, is not Xuanzang himself, playing a rather passive role, but his companion—the King of the Apes, Sun Wukong. Among Xuanzang’s other companions are the comic half-man, half-pig Zhu Bajie, the monk Sha Seng, and the white dragon horse who was once a prince.
Structurally, the book is a chain of entertaining episodes in which a transparent Buddhist allegory layers over the fabric of a trickster novel. Stylistically, the novel is complex: the historical foundation is overgrown here with the most fantastic adventures; the folk narrative beginning is combined with the author’s voice; people’s sayings—alongside high literary prose; prose is interspersed with many poetic inserts.
On the road, travelers encounter and face various creatures, often shapeshifters. Sun Wukong has the ability of 72 transformations and carries a magical staff. Yet, despite this and help from his companions, he often finds himself unable to defeat shapeshifters—then bodhisattvas come to his aid.