{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260418T162306Z","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/0804849145?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"0804849145","authors":["Guo Xiaoting","John Robert Shaw","Victoria Cass"],"book_id":"9780804849142","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/adventures-of-the-mad-monk-ji-gong-0804849145","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780804849142.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-18T23%3A16%3A50Z","description":"Follow the brilliant and hilarious adventures of the Zen Buddhist monk who became one of China's greatest folk heroes! During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Ji Gong studied at the renowned Ling Yin monastery, nestled in the steep hills above Hangzhou. The Chan (Zen) Buddhist masters of the temple tried to instruct Ji Gong in the spartan practices of their sect, but the young monk, following in the footsteps of other great ne'er-do-wells, distinguished himself mainly by getting expelled. He left the monastery, became a wanderer with hardly a proper piece of clothing to wear, and achieved significant renown—in seedy wine shops and drinking establishments! That could have been where Ji Gong's story ended. But his unorthodox style of Buddhism soon made him a hero for storytellers of his era. Audiences delighted in tales where the mad old monk ignored—or even mocked—authority, defied common sense, and never neglected the wine, yet still managed to save the day. Ji Gong remains popular in China even today, where he regularly appears as the wise drunkard in movies and TV shows. In these 89 stories, you'll read about Ji Gong's rogue's knack for exposing the corrupt and criminal while still pursuing the twin delights of enlightenment and intoxication. This literary classic of a traveling martial arts master will entertain readers of all ages!","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9780804849142","publication_date":"20170509","publisher":"Tuttle Publishing","slug":"adventures-of-the-mad-monk-ji-gong","subtitle":"The Drunken Wisdom of China's Famous Chan Buddhist Monk","title":"Adventures of the Mad Monk Ji Gong"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"LCO004010","confidence_band":"high","label":"Chinese Literary Collections","score":0.7824,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"LIT008010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Chinese Literary Criticism","score":0.7426,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"REL007010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Buddhist History","score":0.7106,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"LCO004010","confidence_band":"high","label":"Chinese Literary Collections","score":0.7824,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"LIT008010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Chinese Literary Criticism","score":0.7426,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"REL007010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Buddhist History","score":0.7106,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"LCO004030","confidence_band":"high","label":"Japanese Literary Collections","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"PHI028000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Buddhist Thought","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"REL007000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Buddhism - General","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Chinese Literary Collections","score":0.7824,"slug":"chinese-literary-collections"},{"label":"Chinese Literary Criticism","score":0.7426,"slug":"chinese-literary-criticism"},{"label":"Buddhist History","score":0.7106,"slug":"buddhist-history"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers who enjoy Chinese Literary Collections","Good for readers interested in buddhism","Good for readers who enjoy Chinese Literary Collections and Chinese Literary Criticism."],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Laozi","Ken Liu","Lao Tzu"],"book_id":"9781668019368","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781668019368.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-18T23%3A16%3A50Z","score":11.0522,"title":"Laozi's Dao De Jing","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781668019368"},{"authors":["Frances Wood"],"book_id":"9781629190075","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781629190075.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-18T23%3A16%3A50Z","score":10.4098,"title":"Great Books of China","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781629190075"},{"authors":["Dalin Ren"],"book_id":"9781632880680","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781632880680.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-18T23%3A16%3A50Z","score":10.3742,"title":"Timeless Folklore From China","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781632880680"},{"authors":["Bonnie S. McDougall","Kam Louie"],"book_id":"9780231110853","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780231110853.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-18T23%3A16%3A50Z","score":10.223,"title":"The Literature of China in the Twentieth Century","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780231110853"},{"authors":["Jeffrey Kinkley","Jeffrey C Kinkley"],"book_id":"9780231167680","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780231167680.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-18T23%3A16%3A50Z","score":10.2217,"title":"Visions of Dystopia in China’s New Historical Novels","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780231167680"},{"authors":["Lydia Liu","Lydia H. Liu"],"book_id":"9780804725354","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780804725354.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-18T23%3A16%3A50Z","score":10.1768,"title":"Translingual Practice","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780804725354"},{"authors":["Grace S. Fong"],"book_id":"9780824831868","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780824831868.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-18T23%3A16%3A50Z","score":10.1585,"title":"Herself an Author","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780824831868"},{"authors":["Robin Visser"],"book_id":"9780231199810","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780231199810.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-18T23%3A16%3A50Z","score":10.1535,"title":"Questioning Borders","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780231199810"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:zen buddhism"],"label":"Buddhism","score":0.0495,"slug":"buddhism"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: Buddhism.","Reading lane: Chinese Literary Collections and Chinese Literary Criticism.","Publisher: Tuttle Publishing."]},"llm_signals":null,"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":false,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":23,"goodreads_ratings_count":51,"goodreads_reviews_count":15,"quality_score":0.8729}}