The Year of the Monkey is just around the corner. One of the most famous depictions of the monkey is the Monkey King in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.

Efforts have been made over the years to pass on the adventures of the Monkey King, along with his mentor Buddhist monk Xuan Zang, to the younger generation through animations. Here is a history of such animation productions.

1941

DVD cover of Princess Iron Fan. [Photo/Mtime]

Princess Iron Fan

Director: Wan brothers

Release date: Jan 1, 1941

The film is based on an episode of Journey to the West, in which the Monkey King battles the vengeful Princess Iron Fan.

The film was made by the Wan brothers, namely Wan Laiming, Wan Guchan, Wan Chaochen and Wan Dihuan, one of the first batch of animators in China. This first animated feature film made in China took three years and 237 artists to make. It was a milestone for China's history of animation, and its influences were widespread. Abroad, it prompted the then-16-year-old Tezuka Osamu, a Japanese animator and father of many renowned works including Astro Boy, to get into animation when it was exported to wartime Japan in 1942.