Adapted from the famous Chinese classic novel of the same title by Wu Cheng'en, a writer in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), "Journey to the West" in the TV version is directed by the female director Yang Jie. In 1986, the series topped the TV ratings. Based on the actual pilgrimage of the monk Xuanzang to India in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the story had already become a favorite of the Chinese people when Wu Cheng'en shaped it into a romantic novel which describes the Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong, and his entourage protecting Xuanzang against that is all kinds of demons on an adventurous journey westward.