This year it's the monkey's turn to offer New Year's congratulations.
Since ancient times, we apes and monkeys have represented long life. It was said in ancient times that "a monkey becomes an ape after 800 years, which becomes a huge monkey after another 500 years." In Chinese paintings, white monkeys are used to celebrate prosperity and long life. The long life of Sun Wu-kung in the Journey to the West further deepened the impression that the monkey symbolizes long life.
In Chinese opera, the lively monkey dramas portraying our mischievous tricks and buffoonery traditionally accompanied celebrations of 0ld age and New Year's festivities. Tzu Hsi, the Ching dynasty empress dowager, was especially fond of monkey dramas. Whenever she had a birthday she would want to see scenes of Sun Wu-Kung causing a ruckus in the palace in heaven. In the current world of Chinese opera, Sun Yuan-ping, one of the old hands at monkey dramas, and Chu Lu-hao, who's got a serious case of the monkey bug, can't do without a lively performance every year of a few of the exploits of the Handsome Monkey King, another name for Sun Wu-k'ung. Now that it's the year of the monkey, the two will have even more of that simian initiative, performing nonstop.
With a lithe body and a sharp mind, down to the present we monkeys have come to represent health and wisdom, giving us a leading role in cartoons and advertisements--not to mention marathon and track and field competitions where illustrations of us connote good luck.
Let's here bow and wish everyone success and long life in the year of the monkey.
[Picture Caption]
The Chinese have long been fond of making allusions to monkeys stealing pears. Shown here is a paper cutting.
Monkey on the Back of a Horse: a Ching dynasty ornament. (courtesy of the National Palace Museum)
An old hand at monkey dramas, Sun Yuan-ping (right) is giving another one of his excellent performances. (Sinorama file photo)
The affection of mother monkeys for their young is a common theme in Chinese painting. Shown is Monkeys at Play by the Ming Dynasty Emperor Hsuan Tzung. (courtesy of the National Palace Museum)
An old hand at monkey dramas, Sun Yuan-ping (right) is giving another one of his excellent performances. (Sinorama file photo)
Monkey on the Back of a Horse: a Ching dynasty ornament. (courtesy of the National Palace Museum)
The affection of mother monkeys for their young is a common theme in Chinese painting. Shown is Monkeys at Play by the Ming Dynasty Emperor Hsuan Tzung. (courtesy of the National Palace Museum)