Mao and the Monkey King

<p>Julia Lovell, author of <em>Maoism: A Global History</em> and <em>The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China</em>, discusses translating <em>Journey to the West (</em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Monkey-King-Journey-Classics-Hardcover/dp/0143107186" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Monkey-King-Journey-Classics-Hardcover/dp/0143107186</a>), for English audiences.</p><br><p>Joined by translator Brendan O'Kane as co-host, on this episode we discuss:</p><ul><li>The origins of <em>Journey to the West</em> and the exploits of its primate protagonist Sun Wukong.</li><li>Mao's relationship to the novel and how he saw himself in the Monkey King.</li><li>Why performances of the story in the Mao era cut out more than 90% of the story</li></ul><p>Outtro music: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvA78U8sWn0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvA78U8sWn0</a> Great Sage Equal to Heaven by Hua Chenyu</p><...