Monkey King is based on a true story of a famous monk, Xuan Zang of the Chinese Tang Dynasty (602-664). After a decade of trials and tribulations, he arrived on foot to what is today India, the birthplace of Buddhism. He was there for the true Buddhist holy books.

Is Wukong real?

This is hotly debated, with no obvious winner. The most popular hypothesis claims that Sun Wukong was based on a real historic monk of Buddhist name Wukong who journeyed west between 751 - 789 AD.

Who is Wukong based on?

Meir Shahar believes that Sun Wukong is based on the legend of Huili. The Huili's legend takes place in the year 330 (4th century) about the Buddhist master Huili who: Has a magical monkey as a disciple. The monkey lived in the mountain same as Wukong.