Xiao Hui Wang – författare

"The Rise of the Monkey King" is the first book in the multi-volume "Journey to the West" series of stories by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang. Other titles include "Trouble in Heaven", "The Immortal Peaches" and "The Young Monk".

Sun Wukong, the Handsome Monkey King, is one of most famous characters in Chinese literature and culture. His legendary bravery, his foolish mistakes, his sharp-tongued commentary and his yearning for immortality and spiritual knowledge have inspired hundreds of books, television shows, graphic novels, video games and films.

The full story of Sun Wukong''s adventures is told in Journey To The West, an epic 2,000 page novel written in the 16th Century by Wu Cheng''en. Journey To The West is probably the most famous and best-loved novel in China and is considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Its place in Chinese literature is roughly comparable to Homer''s epic poem The Odyssey in Western literature. Wikipedia sums up the book''s role perfectly, saying "Enduringly popular, the tale is at once a comic adventure story, a humorous satire of Chinese bureaucracy, a spring of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeys towards enlightenment by the power and virtue of cooperation."

Journey To The West is a very, very long story, consisting of a hundred chapters. It is loosely based on an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Xuanzang who traveled from the Chinese city of Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and texts of Buddhism. Over the course of the book Xuanzang and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Xuanzang had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

This book, The Rise of the Monkey King, covers the events in the first two chapters of this epic story. We learn how the little stone monkey is born, becomes king of his troop of monkeys, leaves his home to pursue enlightenment, receives the name Sun Wukong (literally, "ape seeking the void") from his teacher, and returns home to defend his subjects from a ravenous monster. Future books in this series will tell more stories from the life of this famous monkey and his companions.

Because of this story''s importance in Chinese culture, we''ve made every effort to remain faithful to the original while retelling it in simple language suitable for beginning Chinese learners at the HSK3 level. We have tried to not add or change anything, though of course we''ve had to leave out a lot of detail. Wherever we had to use a word or phrase not contained in the 600-word HSK3 vocabulary (which for example does not include the word "monkey"!) or that has not entered common usage since the HSK lists were created, those new words are defined in footnotes on the page where they first appear. New compound (multi-character) words and expressions are, whenever possible, chosen so that they use characters already in HSK3. An English version of the story is included for reference at the end, as well as a complete glossary.

In the main body of the book, each page of Chinese characters is matched with a facing page of pinyin. This is unusual for Chinese novels but we feel it''s important. By including the pinyin, the English version and the glossary, we hope that every reader, no matter what level of mastery they have of the Chinese language, will be able to understand and enjoy the story we tell here.

Our website, www.imagin8press.com, contains many helpful study aids, including an audio recording of the book, downloadable word lists, study questions and exercises for classroom use, and links to other books you might enjoy, including other books in this series as they become available.

"Trouble In Heaven" is the second book in the "Journey to the West" series of stories by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang. Other titles include "Rise of the Monkey King", "The Immortal Peaches" and "The Young Monk".

 Sun Wukong, the Handsome Monkey King, is one of most famous characters in Chinese literature and culture. His legendary bravery, his foolish mistakes, his sharp-tongued commentary and his yearning for immortality and spiritual knowledge have inspired hundreds of books, television shows, graphic novels, video games and films.

In this book, the second story in the "Journey to the West" series, we cover the events of chapters 3 and 4 in the original epic. Things begin to unravel for Sun Wukong, as he starts to see the consequences of his outrageous actions. While trying to defend his troop of monkeys, he manages to offend the underwater Dragon King, the Dragon King''s mother, all ten Kings of the Underworld, and the great Jade Emperor himself. Finally, goaded by a couple of troublemaking demons, he goes too far, calling himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and setting events in motion that will cause him some serious trouble.

The story is written, as much as possible, using the 600 word vocabulary of HSK3. It is presented in simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and complete glossary. Additional study aids are on our website, www.imagin8press.com.

"The Immortal Peaches" is the third book in the "Journey to the West" series of stories by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang. Other titles include "Rise of the Monkey King", "Trouble in Heaven" and "The Young Monk".

Sun Wukong, the Handsome Monkey King, is one of most famous characters in Chinese literature and culture. His legendary bravery, his foolish mistakes, his sharp-tongued commentary and his yearning for immortality and spiritual knowledge have inspired hundreds of books, television shows, graphic novels, video games and films.

In this, the third book in the "Journey to the West" series, we wrap up the story of Sun Wukong''s early years, before he joins the monk Xuanzang''s little band of travelers and journeys to the West. Once again the Monkey King''s unlimited ambitions and uncontrolled appetites land him in deep trouble. He is given a job in heaven taking care of the Emperor''s Garden of Immortal Peaches, but he can''t stop himself from eating all the peaches. He impersonates a great Immortal and crashes a party in Heaven, stealing the guests'' food and drink and barely escaping to his loyal troop of monkeys back on Earth. And in the end, he battles an entire army of Immortals and men, and discovers that even calling himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven does not make him equal to everyone in Heaven.

The story is written, as much as possible, using the 600 word vocabulary of HSK3. It is presented in simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and complete glossary. Additional study aids are on our website, www.imagin8press.com.

"The Young Monk" is the fourth book in the "Journey to the West" series of stories by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang. Other titles include "Rise of the Monkey King", "Trouble in Heaven" and "The Immortal Peaches".

This book is based on chapters 8 and 9 of Journey To The West, an epic novel written in the 16th Century by Wu Chen''en. Journey To The West is loosely based on an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who traveled from the Chinese city of Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and texts of Buddhism. Over the course of the book the band of travelers face the 81 tribulations that Xuanzang had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

Each book in our Journey to the West series covers a short section of the original 2,000-page novel. The first three books in the series all focus on Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. We tell the story of his birth, his early years, and his adventures in Heaven and Earth that lead, ultimately, to his capture and his centuries-long imprisonment under Five Finger Mountain.

In this, the fourth book in the series, we leave the imprisoned Sun Wukong behind, and tell the story of Xuanzang, the monk chosen by the Buddha to undertake the dangerous journey westward to India and bring sacred wisdom back to China. Unlike the previous books which told of Sun Wukong''s great adventures (and misadventures) across heaven and earth, this story deals with smaller, human-scale events and the traditional themes of love, loyalty, treachery and revenge. Our story begins with the Buddha''s decision to bring his wisdom to China. Then we meet the young couple - Guangrui and Wenjiao - who become Xuanzang''s parents. We witness their terrible ordeals around the time of Xuanzang''s birth, and we then jump ahead to when he turns eighteen, learns of his true parentage, and avenges his parents.

The story is written, as much as possible, using the 600 word vocabulary of HSK3. It is presented in simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and complete glossary. Additional study aids are on our website, www.imagin8press.com.

"The Emperor In Hell" is the fifth book in the "Journey to the West" series of stories by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang. Other titles include "Rise of the Monkey King", "Trouble in Heaven", "The Immortal Peaches" and "The Young Monk".

This book is based on chapters 9, 10 and 11 of Journey To The West, an epic novel written in the 16th Century by Wu Chen''en. Each book in our Journey to the West series covers a short section of the original 2,000-page novel.

Journey To The West is loosely based on an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who traveled from the Chinese city of Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and texts of Buddhism. Over the course of the book the band of travelers face the 81 tribulations that Xuanzang had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

This book, the fifth in the series, tells the final series of stories that lead us to the actual journey to the west, which starts in Book 6. It is by far the darkest and most frightening of all the stories we''ve told so far, with a series of horrifying visions of after-death punishment of evildoers that are reminiscent of those in Dante''s Inferno.

The story starts innocently enough, with two good friends chatting as they walk home after eating and drinking at a local inn. One of the men, a fisherman, tells his friend about a fortuneteller who advises him on where to find fish. This seemingly harmless conversation between two minor characters triggers a series of events that eventually cost the life of a supposedly immortal being, and cause the great Tang Emperor himself to be dragged down to the underworld. He is released by the Ten Kings of the Underworld, but is trapped and must escape with the help of a deceased courtier named Cui Jue.

The story is written, as much as possible, using the 600 word vocabulary of HSK3. It is presented in simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and complete glossary. Additional study aids are on our website, www.imagin8press.com.

"The Journey Begins" is the sixth book in the "Journey to the West" series of stories by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang. Other titles are "Rise of the Monkey King", "Trouble in Heaven", "The Immortal Peaches", "The Young Monk", and "The Emperor in Hell".

This book is based on chapters 12, 13 and 14 of Journey To The West, an epic novel written in the 16th Century by Wu Chen''en. Each book in our Journey to the West series covers a short section of the original 2,000-page novel.

Journey To The West is loosely based on an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who traveled from the Chinese city of Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and texts of Buddhism. Over the course of the book the band of travelers face the 81 tribulations that Xuanzang had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

This story, the sixth in our series, marks the end of the first section of the novel, as we wrap up the preliminaries and begin the actual journey. Several threads and key characters from earlier books come together.

Taizong, the great emperor of the Tang Dynasty who spent most of Book Five trapped in the underworld, selects the young monk Xuanzang to undertake the journey, after being strongly influenced by the Buddhist teacher Guanyin. Xuanzang (now called Sanzang) sets out on his journey and receives help from Guanyin and from Bright Star of Venus, who previously appeared in Book Two. The Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean, who in Book One was Sun Wukong''s adversary and was forced to give him his Jingu Bang (golden hoop rod weapon), is now Sun Wukong''s old friend and gives him some life-changing advice. And near the end of the book Sanzang''s path crosses that of Sun Wukong himself.

The story is written, as much as possible, using the 600 word vocabulary of HSK 3. It is presented in simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and complete glossary. Additional study aids are on our website, www.imagin8press.com.

Our band of travelers arrives at Level Top Mountain and encounters their most powerful adversaries yet: Great King Golden Horn and his younger brother Great King Silver Horn. These two monsters, assisted by their elderly mother and hundreds of well-armed demons, attempt to capture and liquefy Sun Wukong, and eat the Tang monk and his other disciples.  Led by Sun Wukong, the travelers desperately battle their foes through a combination of trickery, deception and magic, and barely survive the encounter.

This is the 12th book in the best-selling The Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. That novel was inspired by an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng, who traveled from Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned seventeen years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

The story is written, as much as possible, using the 1200-word vocabulary of HSK4. It is presented in Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and glossary. A free audiobook is available on YouTube''s Imagin8 Press channel and also on www.imagin8press.com.

An orphan girl gets help from a goose. A poor family receives a magical gift. A boy is stranded alone on a ship in a storm. And two magicians perform a deadly trick.

Believe it or not, it''s possible for you to read and understand the four wonderful stories in this book even if you start off not knowing a single word of Chinese! We won''t lie to you and say it will be easy, but with time and patience you can certainly do it.

Each page of Chinese faces a page of pinyin (phonetic spelling), so if you don''t recognize a word, you can check the pinyin to see how it''s pronounced. You can then look up the word''s meaning in the glossary in the back of the book. A full English translation is also included.

You can also listen to a complete audiobook of all four stories, available free on YouTube and downloadable from our website.

These stories are written by the best-selling writing team of Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang, authors of the Journey to the West series of graded readers, translations of Chinese classics including the Dao De Jing, the Art of War, and the San Zi Jing, and lots of other great books. To learn more, visit www.imagin8press.com. 

Two friends find a golden nugget on the ground. A young girl meets a fox spirit. A dog saves a life, a tiger takes a life. A girl runs away from her fishing boat. And a boy saves the spirit of his grandfather.

Believe it or not, it''s possible for you to read and understand the stories in this book even if you start off not knowing a single word of Chinese! We won''t lie to you and say it will be easy, but with time and patience you can certainly do it.

Each page of Chinese faces a page of pinyin (phonetic spelling), so if you don''t recognize a word, you can check the pinyin to see how it''s pronounced. You can then look up the word''s meaning in the glossary in the back of the book. A full English translation is also included.

You can also listen to a complete audiobook of all of these stories, available free on YouTube and downloadable from our website.

These stories are written by the best-selling writing team of Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang, authors of the Journey to the West series of graded readers, translations of Chinese classics including the Dao De Jing, the Art of War and the San Zi Jing, and lots of other great books. To learn more, visit www.imagin8press.com. 

The Buddhist monk Tangseng arrives with his disciples at a mountain monastery, and he is visited in a dream by someone claiming to be the ghost of a murdered king. The ghost claims that the king sitting on the throne is really an evil demon. Is he telling the truth or is he actually a demon in disguise? Tangseng''s chief disciple, the monkey king Sun Wukong, offers to go to the king''s palace and sort things out with his iron rod. But things do not go as planned...

This is the 13th book in the best-selling The Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. That novel was inspired by an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng, who traveled from Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned seventeen years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

The story is written, as much as possible, using the 1200 word vocabulary of HSK4, plus several hundred words introduced in previous books in the series. It is presented in Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and glossary. A free audiobook is available on YouTube''s Imagin8 Press channel and also on www.imagin8press.com.

The story of Cinderella is possibly the world''s most popular folk tale. The earliest known version is from Greece around two thousand years ago, and over the next thousand years, it traveled to France, Italy and Germany, and eventually to the Walt Disney studio in America.

But as the Cinderella story traveled from Greece to Western Europe, it was also carried eastward to Asia along the Silk Road and other ancient trade routes. The story of Ye Xian in this book is the oldest known Asian version, first appearing in a book of folk tales by Duan Chengshi in 860 AD. That story was told in just 750 Chinese words.

The Ye Xian story matches the modern Cinderella story more closely than later European versions. But unlike the Disney movie, it does not simply end with the heroine marrying and living happily ever after. The story is more complex and more interesting, showing Zhuang, Hindu, Buddhist, and Chinese influences.

In this book, the best-selling writing team of Pepper and Wang retell this wonderful story using just 450 different Chinese words, most of which are in the standard 1200-word HSK4 vocabulary. This limited vocabulary makes the story easily accessible to beginning and intermediate students of Chinese. A glossary of all words is in the back of the book, along with an English translation. A free audiobook version is available on the Imagin8 Press channel of YouTube, and also at www.imagin8press.com.

This is the 8th book in the Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. The novel is loosely based on an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng (formerly called Xuanzang), who traveled from the Chinese city of Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

In this, the 8th book in our series, we meet the pig-man Zhu Bajie, who becomes Tangseng''s second disciple. In his previous life, Zhu was the Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds, responsible for the Jade Emperor''s entire navy and 80,000 sailors. But unable to control his appetites, he got drunk at a festival and attempted to seduce the Goddess of the Moon. The Jade Emperor banished him to earth, but as he plunged from heaven to earth he ended up in the womb of a sow and was reborn as a man-eating pig monster. This book tells the story of how Zhu was married to a farmer''s daughter, fought with Sun Wukong, and ended up joining Tangseng and Sun Wukong in their journey to the Western Heaven. Zhu is the embodiment of stupidity, laziness, lust and greed. But he is brave and loyal, and also provides a bit of comic relief in the novel.

The story is written using a limited 1200 word vocabulary, roughly equivalent to HSK4. It is presented in simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and a complete glossary. Complete audiobooks of all books in this series are available on YouTube and can also be downloaded from the Imagin8 Press website.

This book is based on chapters 22 and 23 of Journey to The West (西游记, xī yóu jì), an epic novel written in the 16th Century by Wu Chen''en. Journey to The West is loosely based on an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng (called Xuanzang and Sanzang in earlier books), who traveled from the Chinese city of Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and texts of Buddhism. Over the course of the book the band of travelers face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.Each book in our Journey to the West series covers a short section of the original 2,000-page novel.

In this, the 9th book in our series, we meet another new disciple: the river-dwelling monster Sha Wujing (literally, "Sand Aware of Purity" or "Sand Seeking Purity") who was once the Curtain Raising Captain but was banished from heaven by the Yellow Emperor for breaking an extremely valuable cup during a drunken visit to the Peach Festival. Later, the band of pilgrims arrive at a beautiful home seeking a simple vegetarian meal and a place to stay for the night. What they encounter instead is a lovely and wealthy widow and her three even more lovely daughters. This meeting is, of course, much more than it appears to be, and it turns into a test of commitment and virtue for all of the pilgrims, especially for Zhu Bajie, the lazy and lustful pig-man. Zhu''s life is a constant battle against his appetites and desires, and in this book he faces his biggest battle yet.

All of the stories in this series are all written in simple language suitable for intermediate Chinese learners. Our core vocabulary is 1,200 words, made up of the 600 words of HSK-3 plus another 600 or so words that were introduced in the previous books of the series. These words are all in the glossary at the back of the book. Whenever we introduce a new word or phrase, it''s defined in a footnote on the page where it first appears, and also appears in the glossary.

In the main body of the book, each page of Chinese characters is matched with a facing page of pinyin. This is unusual for Chinese novels but we feel it''s important. By including the pinyin, as well as a full English version and glossary at the end, we hope that every reader, no matter what level of mastery they have of the Chinese language, will be able to understand and enjoy the story we tell here.

Careful readers will notice that the English translation sometimes doesn''t exactly match the Chinese. This is because we''ve tried to express the story in both languages in the most natural style, and sometimes it''s just not possible (or desirable) to translate word-for-word from one language to the other.

Complete audiobooks of all books in this series are available on YouTube and can also be downloaded from the Imagin8 Press website.

In this, the 10th book in our "Journey to the West" series, the monk Tangseng and his disciples have been traveling for two or three years. They arrive at a secluded mountain monastery which turns out to be the home of a powerful master Zhenyuan and an ancient and magical ginseng tree. As usual, the travelers'' search for a nice hot meal and a place to sleep quickly turns into a disaster. Although Zhenyuan has gone away for a few days, he has left his two youngest disciples in charge. They welcome the travelers, but soon there are misunderstandings, arguments, battles in the sky, and before long the travelers are facing a powerful and extremely angry adversary, as well as mysterious magic fruits and a large frying pan full of hot oil.

This book is based on Journey to The West (西游记, xī yóu jì), an epic novel written in the 16th Century by Wu Chen''en. The novel is loosely based on an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng (called Xuanzang and Sanzang in earlier books), who traveled from the Chinese city of Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and texts of Buddhism. Over the course of the book the band of travelers face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

All of the stories in this series are all written in simple language suitable for intermediate Chinese learners. Our core vocabulary for this book is 1,200 words, made up of the 600 words of HSK-3 plus another 600 or so words that were introduced in the previous books of the series. These words are all in the glossary at the back of the book. Whenever we introduce a new word or phrase, it''s defined in a footnote on the page where it first appears, and also appears in the glossary.

In the main body of the book, each page of Chinese characters is matched with a facing page of pinyin. This is unusual for Chinese novels but we feel it''s important. By including the pinyin, as well as a full English version and glossary at the end, we hope that every reader, no matter what level of mastery they have of the Chinese language, will be able to understand and enjoy the story we tell here.

Free audio versions of all books in this series are available on YouTube. Go to www.youtube.com and search for the Imagin8 Press channel to find all of our free audiobooks.

In this, the 11th book in our "Journey to the West" series, the monk Tangseng and his ragtag band of disciples come upon a strange pagoda in a mountain forest. Inside they discover the fearsome Yellow Robed Monster, living a quiet life with his wife and their two children. Unfortunately the monster has a bad habit of ambushing and eating travelers. The ancient and powerful monkey king Sun Wukong, the monk Tangseng and his other disciples find themselves drawn into a story of timeless love and complex lies, as they battle for survival against the monster and his allies.

This book is based on Journey to The West (西游记, xī yóu jì), an epic novel written in the 16th Century by Wu Chen''en. The novel is loosely based on an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng (called Xuanzang and Sanzang in earlier books), who traveled from the Chinese city of Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and texts of Buddhism. Over the course of the book the band of travelers face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

All of the stories in this series are all written in simple language suitable for intermediate Chinese learners. Our core vocabulary for this book is 1,200 words, made up of the 600 words of HSK3 plus another 600 or so words that were introduced in the previous books of the series. These words are all in the glossary at the back of the book. Whenever we introduce a new word or phrase, it''s defined in a footnote on the page where it first appears, and also appears in the glossary.

In the main body of the book, each page of Chinese characters is matched with a facing page of pinyin. This is unusual for Chinese novels but we feel it''s important. By including the pinyin, as well as a full English version and glossary at the end, we hope that every reader, no matter what level of mastery they have of the Chinese language, will be able to understand and enjoy the story we tell here.

Complete audiobooks of all books in this series are available on YouTube and can also be downloaded from the Imagin8 Press website.

"The Monster of Black Wind Mountain" is the 7th book in the "Journey to the West" series of stories by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang. Other titles include "Rise of the Monkey King", "The Immortal Peaches" and "The Young Monk".

This book is part of the Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. The novel is loosely based on an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng (formerly called Xuanzang), who traveled from the Chinese city of Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

This, the seventh book in the series, tells the story of the first few months of the journey itself. Tangseng is accompanied by his disciple, the short-tempered Monkey King Sun Wukong. They first encounter a mysterious river-dwelling dragon, then run into serious trouble while staying in the temple of a 270 year old abbot. Their troubles deepen when they meet the abbot''s friend, a terrifying black bear monster.

The story is written using a limited 1200 word vocabulary, roughly equivalent to HSK 4. It is presented in simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and complete glossary. A free audio version of this book and all other books in this series is available on YouTube and also on our website, www.imagin8press.com.

While traveling the Silk Road, Tangseng and his three disciples encounter a young boy hanging upside down from a tree. They rescue him only to discover that he is really Red Boy, a powerful and malevolent demon and, it turns out, Sun Wukong''s nephew. Ignoring this family relationship, the demon kidnaps Tangseng and plans to eat him. The three disciples battle the demon but soon discover that he can produce deadly fire and smoke which nearly kills Sun Wukong. The two remaining disciples struggle to save Sun Wukong and Tangseng, enlisting the aid of several supernatural beings including Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy. At the end, they learn Red Boy''s true nature. 

This is the 14th book in the best-selling The Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. That novel was inspired by an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng, who traveled from Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned seventeen years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

The story is written, as much as possible, using the 1200 word vocabulary of HSK4, plus several hundred words introduced in previous books in the series. It is presented in Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and glossary. A free audiobook is available on YouTube''s Imagin8 Press channel and also on www.imagin8press.com.

Tangseng and his three disciples have traveled to the wild country west of China. They arrive at a strange city where Daoism is revered and Buddhism is forbidden. The few remaining Buddhist monks are enslaved, but every night they receive a dream message that the Great Sage Equal to Heaven will come to save them. This of course is the Monkey King Sun Wukong, the eldest disciple. Sun Wukong gleefully causes trouble in the city, and finds himself in a series of deadly competitions with three Daoist Immortals.

This is the 15th book in the best-selling The Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. That novel was inspired by an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng, who traveled from Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned seventeen years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

The story is written, as much as possible, using the 1200 word vocabulary of HSK4, plus several hundred words introduced in previous books in the series. It is presented in Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and glossary. A free audiobook is available on YouTube''s Imagin8 Press channel and also on www.imagin8press.com.

A wealthy girl runs away with her cousin, a poor stonecarver.  A scholar finds true love inside a book. Two lovers defy death to be together. And a young man finds love with two ghosts.

Believe it or not, it''s possible for you to read and understand the four wonderful love stories in this book even if you start off not knowing a single word of Chinese! We won''t lie to you and say it will be easy, but with time and patience you can certainly do it.

Each page of Chinese faces a page of pinyin (phonetic spelling), so if you don''t recognize a word, you can check the pinyin to see how it''s pronounced. You can then look up the word''s meaning in the glossary in the back of the book. A full English translation is also included.

You can also listen to a complete audiobook of all the stories, available free on YouTube and downloadable from our website.

These stories are written by the best-selling writing team of Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang, authors of the Journey to the West series of graded readers, translations of Chinese classics including the Dao De Jing, the Art of War, and the San Zi Jing, and lots of other great books. To learn more, visit www.imagin8press.com. 

The Monkey King Sun Wukong leads the Tang monk and his two fellow disciples westward until their path is blocked by a river eight hundred miles wide. On the riverbank is a village where the people live in fear of the Great Demon King, who demands two human sacrifices each year. Sun Wukong and the pig-man Zhu Bajie come up with a clever plan to trick the Demon King and save the people of the village, but they soon discover that the Demon King has clever plans of his own.

This is the 16th book in the best-selling The Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. That novel was inspired by an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng, who traveled from Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned seventeen years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

The story is written, as much as possible, using the 1200 word vocabulary of HSK4, plus several hundred words introduced in previous books in the series. It is presented in Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and glossary. A free audiobook is available on YouTube''s Imagin8 Press channel and also on www.imagin8press.com.

As the travelers continue westward, the monkey king Sun Wukong steals rice from an elderly villager''s kitchen. Then the pig-man Zhu Bajie takes three silk vests from a seemingly abandoned tower. These small crimes trigger a violent confrontation with a monster who uses a strange and powerful weapon to disarm and defeat the disciples. Helpless and out of options, Sun Wukong must journey to Thunderclap Mountain and beg the Buddha himself for help.

This is the 17th book in the best-selling The Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. That novel was inspired by an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng, who traveled from Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned seventeen years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

The story is written using the 1200 word vocabulary of HSK4 plus several hundred words introduced in previous books in the series. It is presented in Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and glossary. A free audiobook is available on YouTube''s Imagin8 Press channel and also on www.imagin8press.com.

The four travelers run into difficulties and temptations in a nation of women and girls. First, the monk Tangseng and his disciple Zhu become pregnant after drinking from the Mother and Child River. Later, the nation''s queen meets Tangseng and pressures him to marry her. He barely escapes that fate, only to be kidnapped by a powerful female demon who takes him to her cave and tries to seduce him. The travelers must use all their tricks and strength to escape.

This is the 18th book in the best-selling The Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. That novel was inspired by an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng, who traveled from Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned seventeen years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

The story is written using the 1200 word vocabulary of HSK4 plus several hundred words introduced in previous books in the series. It is presented in Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and glossary. A free audiobook is available on YouTube''s Imagin8 Press channel and also on www.imagin8press.com.

The monk Tangseng has harsh words for his eldest disciple, the monkey king Sun Wukong. His pride hurt, Sun Wukong complains to the Bodhisattva Guanyin and asks to be released from his service to the monk. She refuses his request. This leads to a case of mistaken identity and an earthshaking battle that begins in the sky over the monkey''s home on Flower Fruit Mountain, moves through the palaces of heaven and the depths of the underworld, and ends in front of the Buddha himself.

This is the 19th book in the best-selling The Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. That novel was inspired by an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng, who traveled from Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned seventeen years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

The story is written using the 1200 word vocabulary of HSK4 plus several hundred words introduced in previous books in the series. It is presented in Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and glossary. A free audiobook is available on YouTube''s Imagin8 Press channel and also on www.imagin8press.com.

As the monk Tangseng and his three disciples travel west, they find their path blocked by a huge blazing mountain eight hundred miles wide. Tangseng refuses to go around it, so his senior disciple, the monkey king Sun Wukong, must discover why the mountain is on fire and how they can cross it. He soon learns that he himself caused the mountain to ignite five centuries earlier. But finding out how to extinguish the blaze is a far more difficult and dangerous task...

This is the 20th book in the best-selling The Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. That novel was inspired by an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng, who traveled from Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned seventeen years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book Tangseng and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

The story is written using the 1200 word vocabulary of HSK4 plus several hundred words introduced in previous books in the series. It is presented in Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin, and includes an English version and glossary. A free audiobook is available on YouTube''s Imagin8 Press channel and also on www.imagin8press.com.

An evil rainstorm of blood covers a city and defiles a beautiful Buddhist monastery. Three years later the monk Tangseng and his three disciples arrive at the city. They explore the monastery and discover two fish-demons drinking wine and gambling in the top floor of the monastery''s pagoda. This leads to an epic underwater confrontation with their boss, a powerful dragon king. And later, Tangseng is trapped in a vast field of brambles by a group of poetry loving but extremely dangerous nature spirits.

This is the 21st book in the best-selling The Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen''en. That novel was inspired by an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Tangseng, who traveled from Chang''an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned seventeen years later with priceless knowledge and spiritual texts. Over the course of the book the four travelers face the 81 tribulations that Tangseng had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

The first 21 books in the Journey to the West series have used a total of about 1800 different Chinese words, but only 897 are used in this book. All new words are defined on the page where they are first used. The book uses Simplified Chinese characters and includes pinyin, an English translation, and a full glossary. A free audiobook is available on YouTube''s Imagin8 Press channel and on www.imagin8press.com.