The Rise of the Monkey King: A Story in Simplified Chinese and Pinyin (2019)

Author: Jeff Pepper

Translator: Xiao Hui Wang

Publisher: Imagin8 Press

Format: Kindle

Genre: Fantasy

Date: June 2, 2019

Pages: 78 pages

Book Series: Journey to the West in Simplified Chinese

Number of issues: 31

ASIN: B07SGNCQYX

Language: English

Adaptation: Retelling

Summary:

This book is a retelling, in easy-to-read Chinese, of the legendary story of how a little stone monkey was born, became king of his troop of monkeys, left his home to pursue enlightenment, received the name Sun Wukong (literally, “ape seeking the void”) from his teacher, and returned home to defend his subjects from a ravenous monster. Sun Wukong, the Handsome Monkey King, is one of the 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. This is the first book in the best-selling Journey to the West series of stories for students learning to read Chinese. It is based on the events in Chapters 1 and 2 of the epic 16th century novel of the same name by Wu Chen’en. This story is told using only 507 Chinese words, most of which are in the standard HSK3 vocabulary. 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.

Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46250894-the-rise-of-the-monkey-king?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=lTF8prfGVu&rank=1

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The Journey to the West, Books 1, 2 and 3: Three Classic Stories in Simplified Chinese and Pinyin, 600 Word Vocabulary Level (2019)

Author: Jeff Pepper

Translator: Xiao Hui Wang

Publisher: Imagin8 Press

Format: Kindle

Genre: Fantasy

Date: December 21, 2019

Pages: 288 pages

Book Series: Journey to the West in Simplified Chinese

Number of issues: 11

ISBN: 9781733165044

ASIN: 1733165045

Language: English

Adaptation: Retelling

Summary:

This book is a compilation of books 4, 5 and 6 in our Journey to the West series of story books for people learning to read Chinese.The three stories told here - Rise of the Monkey King, Trouble in Heaven, and The Immortal Peaches - are unchanged from our original versions except for minor editing and reformatting.

Source: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53236406-the-journey-to-the-west-books-1-2-and-3

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The Journey to the West in Easy Chinese: The Complete Novel Retold With Limited Vocabulary, in Simplified Chinese, Pinyin and English (2025)

Author: Jeff Pepper

Translator: Xiao Hui Wang

Publisher: Imagin8 Press

Format: Kindle

Genre: Fantasy

Date: April 27, 2025

Pages: 3707 pages

Book Series: Journey to the West in Simplified Chinese

Number of issues: 1

Language: English

Adaptation: Retelling

Summary:

This book is a compilation of books 4, 5 and 6 in our Journey to the West series of story books for people learning to read Chinese.The three stories told here - Rise of the Monkey King, Trouble in Heaven, and The Immortal Peaches - are unchanged from our original versions except for minor editing and reformatting.

Source: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53236406-the-journey-to-the-west-books-1-2-and-3

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The Journey to the West Teacher's Guide: An enrichment program in Chinese language and culture at the HSK-3 level (2026)

Author: Sara Chao / Jeff Pepper

Publisher: Imagin8 Press

Format: Kindle

Genre: Fantasy

Date: January 6, 2026

Pages: 273 pages

Number of issues: 1

ISBN: 1959043641

Language: English

Adaptation: Crossover

Summary:

Help your students unlock the rich world of Chinese language and culture with the Journey to the West Teacher's Guide. This comprehensive textbook is designed for educators seeking to introduce students to one of China’s most beloved literary works.

It draws on the first three books – The Rise of the Monkey King, Trouble in Heaven and The Immortal Peaches – in the best-selling Journey to the West series written by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang, covering the first 7 chapters of the original novel by Wu Cheng’en.

This Teacher's Guide provides 59 classroom lessons that combine language and cultural learning. It includes detailed explanations of key vocabulary, grammar points, and idiomatic expressions, plus a variety of activities encouraging critical thinking and language practice.

Through the classic adventurous tale of the monk Tangseng, the troublemaking monkey Sun Wukong and their traveling companions, your students will explore ancient Chinese mythology, philosophy, and traditions while sharpening their language skills.

If you are teaching intermediate or advanced Chinese, this guide helps bring the magic of Journey to the West into your classroom. It's perfect for both experienced teachers and those new to Chinese language instruction.

This book is for teacher use, with exercises that can be freely photocopied for classroom work and homework assignments.
Students should use the three source books, The Rise of the Monkey King, Trouble in Heaven and The Immortal Peaches, which are written in Simplified Chinese using the 600-word vocabulary of HSK3 and cover the first few chapters of the original JTW. Students also have the option of using a single larger book, Journey to the West, Books 1, 2 and 3, which contains all the same material as the 3 individual books. All are available in both paperback and ebook formats.

Source: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1959043641?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tpbk_44&storeType=ebooks