The Monkey King: Howard Ma

Howard Ma is a Taiwanese graphic artist with his own interior design company, Yunyi Design. He has designed numerous restaurants and condos, and has now begun work on hotels. He graduated from Soochow University and competes internationally in dart competitions.

What does the Monkey King mean to you?

I was born and grew up in Taiwan. The Journey to the West is a masterpiece that's so important to our culture, it even appears in our textbooks. It's one of the four great Chinese classics — the other three are The Water Margin: Outlaws of the Marsh, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Dream of the Red Chamber — and one of the greatest literary works in history.

Of course, it's not just about literary works. The Journey to the West and the Monkey King have also influenced many creations in our generation, such as movies, TV series, animation, video games, toys, even Japan's Dragon Ball, and many other works.

So it can be said that the stories and characters of The Journey to the West have become an inseparable part of my life and memory.

What’s one thing you hope viewers get from your work?

If I were to talk about this work alone, I would say that what I want to express is culture.

With two wise old man playing chess, you can see their thoughts and calmness through the position of the chess pieces on the board, how to play the correct way, and the “courtesy” that bystanders should maintain.

The real meaning of “觀棋不語真君子” (as seen in the work) is that people watching from the side should keep quiet and not disturb the game or the players. This is what it means to be a person of integrity and courtesy. And the idiom actually has another sentence, “起手無回大丈夫.” In other words, chess players cannot regret every move they make or ask for a redo. The hope is to become a responsible person through careful thinking.

All together these 14 words — “觀棋不語真君子，起手無回大丈夫”-- represent modesty, courtesy, thinking, responsibility, and fairness.

Who's your favorite superhero and why?

Since the show is about the Monkey King, I'd choose Vegeta (from the Japanese anime Dragon Ball) to be my favorite superhero. Although I don’t know if he can really be defined as a superhero, but I think he can because he is so powerful. He was originally a proud Saiyan prince and always wanted to surpass the protagonist Son Goku (Dragon Ball's version of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King). But as time passed, he gained family and friends. He no longer had the same passion to pursue first place as before. Even in the story, he values family more than Son Goku.

I think that's something ordinary people can relate to. When we were younger, we were very competitive and conceited. But as we grow older, with a family and everything around us, that sharpness has been worn away. But that doesn’t mean we're not strong enough. It’s just that we will cherish the things we value with a gentle heart.