The Legend Of Ji-Gong

**HUGE SURPRISE SERIES** I was uninterested in the Ji-Gong mythology or parables and never knew why there were so many adaptations of this story. I came across different versions from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and now this Singapore version. At my mid adult age I have a new appreciation for this story because of the parables that come with it. It's like the Chinese version of Mulla Nasrudin (also known as Nasreddin Hodja) from the middle east, mediterranean and central Asia. This review will provide some context to this base story/legend, what made this version capture my attention and why it's a classic series for Chinese speakers. Ji-gong, who's also known as the "Crazy/Mad Monk" follows a 12th-century Buddhist monk from the Song Dynasty named Li Xiuyuan, who was famed for his tattered robes and unconventional love for meat and wine. Regarded as an incarnation of the Dragon-Monk Arhat from the Heavens, he roamed the earth as a compassionate "living Buddha," using supernatural powers to heal the sick and protect the poor. He is most famous for his "mad" or unconventional interventions to save lives—such as the time he kidnapped a bride during her wedding just to lure an entire village away from a mountain seconds before it collapsed in a landslide. The different adaptations have different reasons why the Lo-Han Dragon Monk Arhat from the heavens gets put back on earth. Th…

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