Message from jwyss

[Anonymous]

Shang, Xiu Shi (adaptor and illustrator). Monkey and the White Bone Demon.
1984 Victoria, Australia: Kestrel Books, The Viking Press.

This is a beautifully illustrated episode of The Pilgrimage to the Westby Wu Cheng En. The White Bone Demon, evil shape-changer that she is, skeleton in the form of a beautiful maiden, wants to strip the flesh from the pilgrimaging monk, Hsuan Tsang, and share the feast with her mother, the Golden Toad Fairy. Her first attempt fails, but she learns that Monkey has the ability to see through mystic disguises and defeat evil. She also discovers that Hsuan Tsang has forbidden Monkey to kill in the monk's defense. The Demon attacks the party with two more transformations in which Monkey uses deadly force, and is forced to return home by Hsuan Tsang. This is the chance for which the Demon has been waiting. She captures the monk's party and prepares a feast. Pigsy, one of the monk's traveling companions, escapes and implores Monkey to return. He does, defeating both the Golden Toad Fairy, whose form he takes, and the White Bone Demon in a climactic battle.

I searched for this book for several years before I found my first copy. I had seen it listed in another Kestrel Book on the Ramayana from India. Of course, I wanted to digitize it, copy the text, and use it in class as part of the Monkey's myth cycle-White Bone Demon sounded like a delicious tale. Instead, I found this:

Hsu Kwang-jung and Pan Tsai-ying (adaptors). Monkey Subdues the White-Bone
1979 Demon. People's Republic of China:Liaoning Art Publishing House.

I shamelessly copied it and use it as a reading/viewing (PowerPoint) assignment in class. Interestingly, the Shang edition described above was originally published by Liaoning Art Publishing House. This is also gorgeously illustrated and we spend some time in class discussing what is contained in the illustrations.