"Journey to the West" is one of China’s greatest novels, a 16th century classic in which mythical creatures protect a man on a quest of spiritual enlightenment.
But this weekend, the creatures went viral on China’s internet, as they were caught on video pummeling a tourist in Yunnan.
Details are hazy, but the brawl — in the tourist town of Dali — broke out between a man and two performers dressed as the novel’s most iconic characters: the Monkey King and his pig-like sidekick.
The 10-second video spread quickly in China, likely because of the unusual scene of such recognizable characters engaged in street violence. “Journey to West” has been adapted into numerous films and television series, and the characters are household names in the country.
One social media account remarked: “The Monkey King and Zhu Bajie (the pig character) are bullying a mortal instead of battling monsters as they always do!”
On Monday, a management team at the tourist site announced it has launched an investigation into the incident.
Sun Wukong/Son Goku (Monkey King) And Cho Hakkai/Zhu Bajie (Pigsy) joined forces to beat up a lengzhai
— Hilmi Adi Ruzaini (@HilmiAdi) January 27, 2019
Who would've guessed that Sun Wukong, who beat up Army of Heaven's 100,000 celestial warriors, all 28 constellations, four heavenly kings, and Nezha, is equal to a lengzhai XD pic.twitter.com/FUjv4LnwsR
Related: Audiences Are Angry China's Classic Hero Has Been Made to Look Like 'Iron Man'
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