Monkey King, standing splits, and a bamboo flute: Why sharing China’s cultural history matters

Chinese Culture

Painted mural depicting the Monkey King (center, in yellow) and other main characters of the Chinese classical novel “Journey to the West.” Public domain.

Traditional Chinese opera has a long, expansive history. One of the most famous characters is the Monkey King, a character based on a 16th century novel who recently made an appearance on the U.S. east coast.