A modern reimagining of the Journey to the West story from a contemporary perspective—even becoming an immortal requires workplace wisdom.
— Harvest Magazine

Better than expected. While the first half is highly entertaining, the ending reveals a deeper message—this is classic Ma Boyong style, where the impulsiveness of an old bureaucrat, the moment of courage from a self-preserver, and the radiant flashes of humanity beyond fame and fortune shine through.
— Reader Manzai

★ Rights Sold:​ Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Arabic!

★ On China’s Amazon equivalent—Dangdang, it has received over 1.02 million reviews with a rating of 4.8/5; on China’s Goodreads equivalent—Douban, 140,000 readers have given it a 9.0/10 score, and it has been included in the authoritative Douban Top 250 Bookslist.

★ This is a whimsical story about a "divine office worker"—a globally resonant Eastern workplace fable that peels back the mythological facade to reveal universal pain points for modern professionals: bureaucracy, office politics, and endless KPIs.

★ Author Ma Boyong is one of China’s top-selling and award-winning writers. His novel The Longest Day in Chang’an(English edition) topped the New York Timesbestseller list, and his international profile continues to rise. Readers describe his work as "understanding Eastern intrigue better than Game of Thronesand capturing everyday life better than The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy".

★ If you enjoy the British humor and absurdity of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxyand are intrigued by the power struggles in Game of Thrones, this book will deliver familiar surprises. Readers describe it as "like placing The Officeinto a world of Eastern mythology."

★ Hailed as the pinnacle of Ma Boyong’s "historical mystery + social allegory" style, it was recommended by HarvestMagazine as "a modern reimagining of the Journey to the West story from a contemporary perspective—even becoming an immortal requires workplace wisdom".

Taibai Jinxing (Li Changgeng) has been feeling a bit annoyed lately. The Heavenly Court and the Western Paradise have jointly launched a major project—the "Journey to the West"—and he has been tasked with planning the 81 tribulations to ensure its success.

Li Changgeng’s official role is "Dharma Protector", which involves designing trials for deities or mortals with influential backgrounds. Though the job is tedious, it’s not particularly difficult. However, ever since he took on the Dharma Protection mission for Tang Sanzang (Xuanzang), his celestial life has been thrown into chaos. The collaborator, Guanyin Bodhisattva, communicates poorly, only informing him after completing one tribulation that there are actually 81. The composition of the pilgrimage team also undergoes constant changes—Xuanzang suddenly teams up with Sun Wukong.

The troubles don’t end there. During the project’s execution, various Heavenly deities try to insert their own protégés to claim a share of the benefits; earthly demons frequently deviate from the script; different departments sabotage each other and compete for credit; the pilgrimage team faces internal conflicts, ranging from strikes to infighting. Even the centuries-old grudge from Sun Wukong’s rebellion in the Heavenly Palace resurfaces, entangling deeper power struggles and vested interests.

It’s said that immortals should "transcend causality and forget emotions," but Li Changgeng finds himself entangled in more and more karmic ties, unable to remain detached. As he juggles KPIs and navigates the political landscape, he gradually realizes that the path to becoming a Golden Immortal is far more convoluted than he imagined...

Ma Boyon

One of China’s most influential and best-selling contemporary authors, Ma Boyong has won numerous prestigious literary awards, including the Galaxy Award for Chinese science fiction, the People’s Literature Award, the Zhu Ziqing Prose Prize, and the Mao Dun Newcomer Award.

Renowned for his unique historical mystery novels, Ma skillfully blends solid historical settings with modern perspectives and imaginative twists. He is hailed by readers as the "architectural genius of the Chinese historical mystery universe." Combining J.K. Rowling’s world-building prowess, Douglas Adams’ (author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) humor and absurdity, and Keigo Higashino’s nuanced portrayal of human nature, Ma’s style could be described as microscopic observations of "ordinary people" in the cracks of history, reflecting the grandeur of their eras through their fates.

His notable works include "The Longest Day in Chang’an", "Mystery of Antiques", "A Storm of Palmyra", "Two Capitals Fifteen Days", "A Tiny Life in the Ming Dynasty", and "The Great Doctor", many of which have been adapted into films and TV series. His works have been translated into over ten languages, including English, Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Korean, forming a global "Ma Boyong Universe". Among them, the English edition of "The Longest Day in Chang’an" topped the New York Timesbestseller list. On the international review site Goodreads, his works consistently maintain a high reputation with ratings above 4.2 out of 5.