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BEIJING, CHINA, December 3, 2003: Chinese television has started airing a series of special programmes featuring a mythical monkey king, believed to be partly based on the Hindu God Hanuman. The producers of the programs hope that the 10 television specials, which run for 20 minutes each, will promote the monkey king character as a potential mascot for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. The special programs will be aired by China Central Television Station on Channel 4 – a TV program that is aired in Chinese language for a foreign audience. The monkey king is a key character from “The Pilgrimage to the West,” the story of the famous Chinese monk, Xuanzang, who brought Buddhist holy scriptures from India to China around the year 630. During Xuanzang’s journey, he was believed to be protected by three creatures. One of them, the monkey, has profoundly influenced Chinese culture. It is believed that the monkey king character, Sun Wukong, was partly based on Lord Hanuman, as described in a book by Xuanzang. Experts say Sun Wukong became so well-known in China that it was once worshipped by some a God, as is Lord Hanuman.

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