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The Myth and Folklore of the Sheep Zodiac
Monkey Zodiac Myths and Folklore
The monkey is the ninth in the Chinese zodiac, and the twelfth rule belongs to “Shen”, so the “Shen Shi” in the twelve o’clock in the day – from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm is also called “Monkey Time”
3–5 p.m. (ie “Shen Shi”). At this time, monkeys like to cry the most, and the voice is the longest and loudest, so Shen Shi is a monkey.
Legend has it that at the beginning of the tiger, he became King Zeng with the prestige of Zhenshan making animals. At that time, all the animals in the mountains immediately avoided the tiger. Of course, the tiger was both proud and lonely. At that time, the monkey and the tiger were neighbors, and the two were called brothers. When the tiger king went out, the monkey took the order of Zhenshan. The beasts are intimidated by the majesty of the tiger king, so they have to listen to the call of the lion.
One day, the tiger king unfortunately fell into the hunter’s net. He struggled desperately but couldn’t get out. The monkey happened to come, and the tiger king shouted for help. When the monkey saw it, he quickly climbed the tree, untied the hunter’s net, and rescued the tiger king.
After the tiger king escaped, although he kept thanking the monkey brother, he was thinking in his heart: I am the king of beasts, but I fell into the trap of the hunter, or the little monkey rescued me. Tiger King’s prestige, it is better to kill the monkey, but after thinking about it, now he is alone, and if he kills the monkey, he will not even have a friend in the future. If there is more danger, who will help me? Besides, the monkey is afraid of me, and will never tell what happened today.
Therefore, the tiger told the monkey that the life-saving grace today will be repaid in the future. If the monkey has any embarrassment in the future, he will definitely repay it with all his strength. Of course, the monkey also kept silent about the tiger king’s distress, and saved the tiger king’s face. After that, the relationship between the two was even more extraordinary.
Many years later, the Jade Emperor began to choose zodiac signs. As the king of beasts, the tiger is a natural zodiac sign. When the monkey sees it, he also wants to be a zodiac sign. However, the Jade Emperor has a principle in choosing the zodiac sign, that is, it is useful to mankind.
Monkeys have nothing to do with humans, so naturally they can’t be chosen. So the monkey asked the Tiger King to plead with the Jade Emperor and make him a zodiac sign. Because the tiger king owed the monkey’s love, he had to do his best to help the monkey to intercede. He told the Jade Emperor that the monkey alliance was witty, and he was the leader of the beasts. He also said that when he was away, the monkey also had the credit for the mountain, so the Jade Emperor issued an decree. , the monkey is also included in the zodiac.
The monkey became the zodiac sign, and the tiger king also returned the monkey’s favor. Of course, the Tiger King was still unhappy. The monkey, who had no ability, was listed as the zodiac sign in the world alongside him, and the two broke off their friendship from then on. Today, the beasts themselves are no longer afraid of monkeys. Of course, the big truth of “there are no tigers in the mountains, the monkeys are the kings” has also become an irony today.
There are three stone monkeys scattered in Beijing Baiyun Temple, all of which are reliefs. It is not easy to find them. The so-called “three monkeys do not meet”. Tourists come to the temple to look for monkeys and touch monkeys. It is said that they will be blessed if they touch them one by one.
The monkey-playing performance can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. The “Xijing Fu” depicts hundreds of operas, “Ape Hu is super and high aid”. Emperor Zhaozong of Tang loved monkey opera very much, “given a row robe and named him a grandson”. After the Song Dynasty, monkey opera was popular in the market. Ming Prime Minister Hu Weiyong domesticated more than ten monkeys for driving, singing and dancing.
“Qing Barnyard Notes” contains Fengyang artist Han Qi, who uses monkeys to perform dramas, from beating gongs and drums to the end of the day and the end of the day, all of which are performed by monkeys. Modern zoos and circuses also have monkeys performing bicycle rides, jumping through fire rings, tightrope walking, somersaults…
The opera Wusheng plays the Monkey King, and has his own style in facial makeup, appearance, and movements. It is also called monkey opera, and is represented by Hao Zhenji, Yang Xiaolou, and Gai Yuetian.
Legend has it that Hua Tuo invented the “Five Animals Xi”, imitating the movements of animals to relax the muscles and collaterals, one of which is the monkey. There is “monkey fist” in traditional Chinese martial arts, which imitates the agile and agile movements of monkeys.
