The Women’s Kingdom (Women State) in Journey to the West is an all-female society sustained by supernatural and cultural mechanisms.
The Kingdom of Women of Western Liang possesses the Child-Mother River, whose waters enable women, even men, to conceive and give birth independently.
Since your master drank some water from the Child-and-Mother River, he, too, has become pregnant and will give birth to a child. How could hot water cure him?
— Journey to the West, Chapter 53
While this river allows reproduction without men, the gender of the child is not predetermined—it may be male or female. Logically, this suggests the kingdom could have male inhabitants. However, only women exist in this realm. The explanation lies in two key mechanisms.
Fetal Gender Screening
Women drink from this Child-and-Mother River to become pregnant, bypassing the need for men. After conception, pregnancies undergo ritual inspection at the Fetal Reflection Spring (Pregnancy Reflection Stream).
Outside our capital we also have a Male Reception Post-house, by the side of which there is also a Pregnancy Reflection Stream. Only after reaching her twentieth year would someone from this region dare go and drink that river’s water, for she would feel the pain of conception soon after she took a drink. After three days, she would go to the Male Reception Post-house and look at her reflection in the stream. If a double reflection appears, it means that she will give birth to a child.
— Journey to the West, Chapter 53
A “double shadow” in the water confirms a female fetus, while other results indicate male or abnormal pregnancies.
Terminates male pregnancies
While the Male-Fetus Spring identifies the fetus’s gender; the Abortion Spring(or Abortion Stream) is used to abort male fetuses, ensuring only girls are born.
“Even drugs are useless,” said the old woman, “but due south of here there is a Male-Undoing Mountain. In it there is a Child Destruction Cave, and inside the cave there is an Abortion Stream. You must drink a mouthful of water from the stream before the pregnancy can be terminated.”
— Journey to the West, Chapter 53
Cultural and Social Enforcement
The kingdom’s matriarchal system rejects patriarchal norms, viewing men as threats to its autonomy.
The names Male-Undoing Mountain and Boy-Destruction Cave (or Child-Destruction Cave) suggest mechanisms in the Women’s Kingdom to eliminate male offspring.
Consequences of Foreign Men Entering
Historical accounts suggest men who entered were either expelled，exploited as “human seeds” for reproduction or killed but never integrated into society.
Tripitaka said, “Both of you who are healthy will be gone, leaving behind the two of us who are sick. Who will look after us?” The old woman waiting on them said, “Relax, old arhat. You don’t need your disciples. We will serve you and take care of you. When you first arrived, we were already fond of you. Then we saw how this bodhisattva traveled by cloud and fog, and we knew that you had to be an arhat or bodhisattva. We’ll never dare to harm you again.”
“You are all women here,” snapped Pilgrim. “Whom do you dare to harm?” “O dear father!” said the old woman, giggling. “You’re lucky to have come to my house. If you had gone to another one, none of you would have remained whole.” “What do you mean,” said Eight Rules, still groaning, “by not remaining whole?” The old woman replied, “The four or five of us in this family are all getting on in years. We have given up the activities of love. If you go to another family, there may be more youthful members than old ones. You think the young ones will let you go? They will want to have intercourse with you, and if you refuse, they will take your lives. Then they will cut you up to use your flesh to make fragrant bags.”
— Journey to the West, Chapter 53
Soon they reached the head of the street that opened to the eastern gate. The people there, with long skirts and short blouses, powdered faces and oily heads, were all women regardless of whether they were young or old. Many of them were doing business on the streets, and when they saw the four of them walking by, they all clapped their hands in acclaim and laughed aloud, crying happily, “Human seeds are coming! Human seeds are coming!”1 Tripitaka was so startled that he reined in his horse; all at once the street was blocked, completely filled with women, and all you could hear were laughter and chatter.
— Journey to the West, Chapter 54
Scorpion Spirit’s Predation
The Scorpion Spirit, who lives in Toxic Foe Mountain, Cave of the Lute and later kidnaps Tang Sanzang, likely preys on foreign men entering the kingdom.
As he cocked his ear to listen, he saw two other girls with disheveled hair walking up to the arbor, each holding a plate of steaming hot pastries. “Madam,” they said, “on this plate are buns stuffed with human flesh, and on the other buns stuffed with red bean paste.” “Little ones,” said the female fiend with a giggle, “help the royal brother of Tang to come out.” The girls dressed in colored silk went to one of the rear chambers and led the Tang Monk out by his hands. The master’s face, however, had turned yellow and his lips, white; his eyes were red and brimming with tears. “Master has been poisoned!” sighed Pilgrim to himself.
— Journey to the West, Chapter 55
The demon’s predation on humans, likely targets outsiders, serves as a supernatural “enforcer” of the kingdom’s gender segregation.
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