Chinese Mythology

The Jade Emperor is a very prominent figure in Chinese Mythology.  It is said that he was born as the crown prince of "the kingdom of Pure Felicity and Majestic Heavenly Lights and Ornaments."  He essentially radiated light when he was born.  During his early years, he was a very kind and charitable child.  He would spend his time helping the sick and the poor, among other afflicted people.  Even after his father passed away, he still continued to look after the needs of his people and made sure they were able to find peace and contentment.

The Jade Emperor had to pass through several kalpas before he could actually become the Jade Emperor.  It is said that he passed through 1,550 kalpas, or periods of time lasting 129,600 years each, in order to cultivate Tao, or a particular view of the world.  Upon completing this and another hundred million years, he became the Jade Emperor.  All-in-all, the period of time it took for him to become the Jade Emperor is 200,880,000 years.

Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, is a mythical being that has a very interesting story.

According to legend, Sun Wukong was born from a stone that formed from the primeval forces of chaos.  After his birth, he joined a clan of monkeys and eventually earned their respect.  This led to him becoming their king.  Sun Wukong, however, realized that he was just like these other monkeys and subject to death.  He desired immortality and therefore set out on a quest to obtain it.  Through his travels, he learned human speech and manners, allowing him to communicate with those he met.

Sun Wukong eventually became a disciple of a Buddhist/Taoist Priest named Bodhi, who was at first reluctant to accept him as a disciple, but eventually did so because he was impressed with the monkey's perseverence and determination.  The monkey then began learning from the Priest at the temple where the Priest lived.

The monkey also learned from other disciples of the Priest and was able to acquire the power of shapeshifting known as the "72 Transformations" (each one being a type, such as people, plants, etc).  Another thing he learned was cloud-traveling, which included the cloud-somersault, a jump allowing him to travel 33,750 miles in one flip.  He also learned how to transform each of the 84,000 hairs on his body into various things, including clones of himself.  He became boastful of his abilities and the Priest asked him to leave the temple because of that.  The Priest also made him promise not to reveal how he obtained his powers.

Sun Wukong then began his quest to find a weapon that would suit himself.  He searched out the Ruyi Jingu Bang, or the "As-you-will Golden-bound Cudgel" - an indestructable staff.  He traveled into the oceans in search of the staff and found it.  Upon approaching it, the staff began to glow, signifying that it had found its true master.  The Ruyi Jingu Bang was very versatile, being able to change its length to fit the needs of the user.  Thus Sun Wukong was able to change it to the size of a needle and keep it behind his ear when the staff was not in use.  With a weapon equal to himself, Sun Wukong continued on in his adventures.

Sun Wukong was also part of the story of The Forbidden Kingdom, a movie released in early 2008.