More epic than the myth

For the locations Wukong didn't describe in detail during his journey, Miao searched other contemporary historical literature and inferred what he might have seen and experienced.

"Compared with Sun Wukong, the fictional character, the monk Wukong didn't possess supernatural abilities," says Miao. "As a normal person, the obstacles he met on the way must have been very challenging and in no way less dramatic than Sun's legendary odyssey — one might even say that this mortal's pilgrimage is more epic than the myth."

"I was impressed by the broad vision in this book," Qiu Jingjia, a history professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong province, says at a recent book discussion. "The book not only traces a person's individual story but also offers a panoramic view of East Asia in the 8th to 9th centuries."

He is also impressed by the vivid depictions of figures like Wukong and many others in the book, saying the author "stands in their shoes as a voice for the 'nobodies' of their times".