Who Is Erlang Shen (the Illustrious Sage Erlang) (Yang Jian)?
The shape-shifting master who cornered Wukong
Erlang Shen, the Illustrious Sage True Lord
Erlang Shen is a god widely worshipped in Chinese folk religion. In Journey to the West he is the Jade Emperor's nephew, lives at Guanjiangkou, and is the one who captures Sun Wukong. He is portrayed as an independent god who does not simply follow Heaven's orders, but lends his strength when asked.
Recommended by Guanyin, he sets out with the Six Brothers of Plum Mountain and his hunting hound and falcon. He fights Wukong as an equal: when Wukong turns into a sparrow, Erlang becomes a hawk; when Wukong turns into a fish, Erlang becomes a fish-hunting bird and gives chase. Even when Wukong disguises himself as a little temple, with his tail standing up behind it as a flagpole, Erlang sees through the trick. In the end, when Laozi's Diamond Snare strikes Wukong, the hound bites him and the Seven Sages pin him down.
In the novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi) he appears under the name Yang Jian. Later in Journey to the West he also helps Wukong and his companions defeat a demon.
