Monkey Mountain
'Monkey Mountain'
Yangjiabu, Shandong
52 x 28 cm
modern reprint of early 20th century image
This image seems to be based on the story of a peddler who was attacked by a band of monkeys. The monkeys grabbed his straw hats and jumped about imitating the peddler by placing the hats on their heads. Try as he might, the peddler could not catch the monkeys and retrieve his hats, and so in frustration he threw his own hat onto the ground. The monkeys again imitated him by throwing down their hats and finally the peddler was able to get his merchandise back. In this example the peddler carries peaches, although some of the monkeys continue to wear hats as described in the original story.
copyright 2003
