SUMMER TIME’S RIPE FOR FRUIT

When it comes to fruits, no one knows better than his majesty the Monkey King from “Journey to the West” written by Ming Dynasty novelist and poet Wu Cheng’en (1500-82), which is considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature.

The legendary pilgrimage of Buddhist monk Xuanzang and his disciples Sun Wukong (Monkey King), Zhu Bajie (Pig) and Sha Wujing (Monk Sha) is an all-time favorite story that Chinese people grew up enjoying.

The Monkey King is one of the most prominent fictional figures in Chinese literature, and before he was imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha and the journey to the west, he and the monkeys in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit lived a happy life of climbing trees, picking flowers and looking for fruits.

Their menu is filled with today’s favorite fruits: yellow-skinned loquats, fragrant peaches, tender apricots, ripe watermelons and bursting pomegranates.

In some chapters, the fruits play an important role that moves the plot along, like the Peach Orchard incident in heaven.

Peaches of Immortality

In the beginning chapters of “Journey to the West,” the Monkey King is invited to heaven by the Jade Emperor, but instead of receiving a rank amongst the gods, the monkey is made Protector of the Horses, the lowest job in heaven, and he rebels and succeeds.

The Heaven then makes Sun the guardian