Journey to the West: Between Abstraction and Reality

The Journey of the Monkey King (2009) is based on the classical Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’ and depicts the spiritual experiences of Sun Wukong, the monkey king, and his journey to the West with the monk Tripitaka. Chen-Ming Huang’s score is a contemporary take on traditional Chinese orchestral music, drawing on the ensemble’s strong command of traditional instruments.  A juggler working with a glass ball represents the infinite mutations of the monkey king’s mind. The performance is directed by renowned Chinese opera director Hsiao-Pin Lee.

ABOUT THE JOURNEY OF THE MONKEY KING

Many of us are familiar with the classical Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’. It provides the background for Chai Found Music Workshop’s newest production ‘The Journey of the Monkey King’. Just as in Chai Found’s first Eastern Instrumental Theater production ‘Ambush!’ of 2005, the centerpiece in this production is still the music. However, the musical performers - attired in simple yet colorful costumes - employ a combination of physical and theatrical elements. Chen-Ming Huang’s music is a continuation of the dialogue between Taiwanese music and the musical needs of modern theater art. Ko-Chien Che’s lighting and Akibo Lee’s stage design add to the uniqueness of the performance which is directed by Hsiao-Ping Lee, a notable director of Chinese Opera.

There is something in this novel depicting the journey of the monk Táng Sānzàng and his three disciples to India in the West, which is easily overlooked: Even before he joined the monk, the monkey, the smartest and most powerful disciple, had already extensively traveled to learn from spiritual masters. In fact, not only him, all the protagonists made their life journeys before they set out together: Zhū Bājiè (‘Pigsy’) and Shā Wùjìng (‘Sandy’) had already been punished by God, and Táng Sānzàng, the monk, is a reincarnation of a Buddha. The performance revolves around the spiritual experiences of the protagonists, and of the monkey in particular. Instead of following the tale, Chai Found’s version takes Sūn Wùkōng’s point of view to establish the two main topics:

The first half of the performance is entitled ‘Self-Scrutiny under Buddha’s Palm’. It shows the monkey’s birth from a stone, his years of spiritual practice, him wreaking havoc in heaven, and his punishment. The sequence of music titles is as follows: Practice, Brooding, Endurance, Serenity. Havoc, the last piece of the first half, shows the monkey’s rebellion against the order of the world and his extraordinary strength and vitality.

The second half is called ‘Setting-Out’ and describes the pilgrims’ journey to the West. There is not only one ‘literary voice’ anymore, the perspectives keep changing. In this half, we get a glimpse of ‘the good life’, we look into loneliness, and we see some of the people (or are they demons?) that the pilgrims meet on their trip. Those evil angels (or were they people?) cannot always control their human affections.

If we look at ourselves from their perspective, we may find that the world as well as relationships between humans are already developed to infinite depth. That is why life is wonderful.

Some day the journey may come to its end and we may finally go home to where we came from. But a meaningful life is not about removing ourselves or others to the other world, rather it is about the hope that everybody can exist happily in their lives.
by Jian-Hua Lin

MUSIC TITLES

“Self-Scrutiny under Buddha’s Palm”

Overture: Practice (Part 1) - The beginning of life
Open your eyes, stretch your body, be aware of your feelings, and you will start to understand the world.

1 Brooding: For those of you who think you are clever
When it all began, you were a sacred stone near to a mountain peak and a waterfall.
You’ve said YES to the principles of nature, to the spirit of sun and moon. Then a wind started to blow and bore a monkey from an egg of stone. Now you learn how to crawl, to walk, and to play.

Sequence: Practice (Part 2) - Soothe your heart
You want to learn and try everything. But first you must learn how to calm down. Close your eyes and soothe your heart.

2 Endurance - For those of you who are under pressure
Are you boiling in a hot pot or are you thrown under a heavy rock? You are constrained, you are anxious, you are in pain. Your only chance is to endure it. Someone will rescue you, but you will have to listen to him. Can you bear that?

3 Serenity - For those of you who want to better yourselves
Don’t you remember? Not long after you were born, you started to travel across oceans - you wanted to become god-like. From continent to continent, from country to country, from here to there, from then to now - decades have passed: It has been a long-lasting journey for you.

4 Havoc - For those of you who like to make trouble
Come on! Come! Fight! Use all your power, never mind the chaos you cause.
Your 72 tricks are a wellspring for the creation of music scores. Guess! Chase! Make trouble! Let the cat out of the bag!
And tell me: Is the head band spell the only one he has?

“The Journey”

5 Setting Out - For the newborn me
We’re carrying our travel bags, we’re ready to embark between the sky and the earth, between the good life and loneliness. Make your first steps, raise some dust.
We can be seen from near and far. At last, we’ll have become a grain of sand.

6 Joking - For those of them who are so hard to control
They’re playing pranks thoughtlessly, they’re indulging in them, they’re wreaking havoc, they’re questioning everything, they’re bluffing, and they’re pretending they don’t care.
Actually, they are just like me, they like to joke…

7 Images - For me being on my way
I see flowers and trees, rivers and bridges, cities and towers, houses and living things passing by in countless colors.
I close my eyes and images appear in my mind. I’m carrying my travel bag and I keep going forward.

8 Human Feelings - For her who is blushing
A soft breeze strikes lightly, perfume lingers on her sleeves, the moonlight falls on the flowers, and her heart blushes.
Who is it that troubled your heart strings?

9 Homeward Journey - Look at me and relax
Listen to the sounds of the bugs and the songs of the birds, see fish jumping and kites flying. Flowers are shaking wildly, the world is full of life.
Look at you, look at me. We wish this glee could be felt in all the world, and we hope it will make your travels safe and happy.