The Kingdom of Black Rooster does not appear in any real historical records and is a fictional nation created by the author of Journey to the West. However, the story and certain plot elements in the Black Rooster Kingdom evoke associations with the Liang Dynasty during Emperor Wu’s reign.
Historical and Literary Connections
The Empress’ rebirth vs the Emperor’s prayer
Historically, Emperor Wu, Xiao Yan, was a fervent Buddhist patron who commissioned the Liang Emperor’s Repentance Ritual (Liang Huang Chan or Water Litany of King Liang as referenced in the novel Journey to the West) to liberate his deceased wife, Empress Xi, from her karmic rebirth as a serpent.
According to legend, Empress Xi’s lack of faith in Buddhism and selfish deeds condemned her to rebirth as a serpent. She appeared to Emperor Wu in a dream, pleading for liberation. His response—authoring the Liang Huang Chan—reflects the Buddhist belief in karmic redemption through merit and repentance.
This ritual, a ten-volume collection of repentance texts, became foundational in Chinese Buddhism and symbolizes the emperor’s devotion to redeeming his family’s spiritual fate.
Tripitaka was sitting in the Chan hall of the Precious Grove Monastery. He meditated for awhile beneath the lamps on the Water Litany of King Liang, and he read for awhile the True Sutra of the Peacock. Not until about the hour of the third watch did he wrap up the scriptures again in his bag. He was just about to get up and walk over to his bed when he heard the weird moan of a strong gust outside the door.
— Journey to the West, Chapter 37
The Water Litany of King Liang which was recited by Monk Tang here refers to the Liang Emperor’s Repentance Ritual (Liang Huang Chan).
The Baolin Temple
What’s more, the Precious Grove Monastery mentioned above is the Baolin Temple (also known Monastery of Precious Woods) which was built by the command of Emperor Wu in the history.
When Pilgrim heard these words, he stretched his torso and at once grew to over twenty feet tall. Wiping away the dirt, he said, “Master, please take a look.” There were seven words in large characters: “Precious Grove Monastery Built by Imperial Command.”
— Journey to the West, Chapter 36
The temple’s prominence in both history and fiction underscores Buddhism’s golden age under Emperor Wu’s rule, paralleled in the novel’s portrayal of Tang Sanzang’s state-sanctioned pilgrimage.
Well in the imperial garden
Legend has it that after the death of Xi Hui, Empress of Emperor Wu of Liang, she transformed into a dragon, plunged into a well in the imperial harem, and communicated with Xiao Yan (Emperor Wu) through dreams.
My master was reading the sutras in the night, and at about the hour of the third watch, he dreamed that your father appeared to him. Your father claimed that he was harmed by that Daoist, who pushed him into the octagonal well with the marble wall in the imperial garden. The Daoist changed into the form of your father, and this was not known to any of the court officials nor to you since you were so young. You were forbidden to enter the inner palace, and the garden was shut down so that the truth could not be discovered, I suppose.
— Journey to the West, Chapter 37
The novel’s Black Rooster Kingdom symbolizes Emperor Wu’s Liang Dynasty. Its ruler, who is usurped by a demon posing as a Taoist priest, mirrors historical tensions between Buddhism and rival ideologies during Xiao Yan’s reign.
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