Ji Gong (濟公), better known as The Mad Monk, is the secondary antagonist in the Disney+ original two series American Born Chinese He is portrayed by Ronny Chieng.
Background[]
Ji Gong, also known as Chan Master Daoji, was said to have been a Buddhist monk who, through his usual prayer and practices, managed to obtain supernatural powers, essentially turning him into a bodhisattva, similar to Guanyin, or an arhat, someone who has achieved nirvana. He is seen in some circles as being a deity himself and is often portrayed as a smiling, tattered robe wearing, wine drinker who is usually portrayed as easy-going.
Personality[]
Ji Gong is shown to be somewhat embittered and cynical, following his loss at becoming a Great Sage to Sun Wukong. He is stuck in self-pitying and feels that he does not get the respect or admiration he deserves. So much so, that he was willing to team up with Niu Mowang to get back at Wukong and Wei-Chen. He is actually cowardly, yet somewhat honorable, as he did not think it was right to hurt Wei-Chen and ran away when Mowang put forth his plan to destroy Heaven and Earth.
Physical appearance[]
When in Heaven, Ji Gong wore non-traditional garments, reflecting his laid-back personality. This was carried over when he started living on Earth, wearing dirty pants and shirt, patchwork denim jacket and a beanie. He is also distinguishable with his long grey messy hair.
Powers and abilities[]
Ji Gong is a martial arts expert, particularly in drunken fist technique, and is shown to also possess some degree of seer reading as he makes paintings that foretell the future.
History[]
Season 1[]
In Make a Splash, upon arriving at the entrance to the Heavenly realm, Sun Wukong is denied entry over the fact that he does not wear shoes. When Ji Gong, who is slated to be the next Great Sage arrives, Wukong uses his magic to keep his wine jug full to keep him out as he and Niu Mowang sneak inside.
In Abracadabra, as Wei-Chen explores the basement of the Golden Temple he encounters the busboy who is revealed to be Ji Gong, the person he was looking for. The two have a brief fight before Wei-Chen convinces him to help him with information. Ji Gong reveals that he had created four paintings that delve into the history of the Fourth Scroll, which he himself has been looking for, but cannot find any leads on. The paintings explain that the first three scrolls, Discipline, Discourse, and Philosophy, were dwarfed by the fourth one which represents Power. The scroll was destroyed by Buddha who spread it somewhere on Earth and could be anywhere.
In Hot Stuff, Ji Gong arrives at the Bowling alley and Niu Mowang also arrives, offering Wei-Chen to join him, but Sun Wukong also appears, planning to confront Mowang himself. A fight between the two breaks out and Gong chases Jin Wang and Wei-Chen, only to get knocked out by Sha Wujing who goes to aid Wukong. Jin and Wei-Chen try to usher the party to end soon.
In Beyond Repair, privately a captured Wukong tells Ji Gong that it is not too late for him to turn, but he ignores him. However, when it comes down to it, Ji Gong does the right thing, and as Niu Wong proceeds to beat up Wei-Chen, Gong protects the younger boy. Mowang angrily destroys Ji Gong's paintings as Wukong and Gong force Wei-Chen to leave. Gong gives Wei-Chen some beads before fleeing as Mowang uses the Jingu Bang to finish off Wukong, forcing Wei-Chen to run.
Quotes[]
- "A million miles I've traveled, and it's all led me to this stupid town where you can't even get a good pizza."
- "I don't know if you know this, but humans love war."
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The real life Ji Gong was said to have lived from December 22, 1130 – May 16, 1209 and was said to have started a new Buddhist movement.
- Ji Gong's fighting style appears to be that of Zuì Quán (醉拳), better known as Drunken Fist, or Drunken Boxing. While this fighting technique has been around for, presumably, centuries (no one knows the true origin of the fighting style), it was made popular by action star Jackie Chan in his 1978 film Drunken Master.
Appearances: 5/8[]
References[]
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