Every week, Union Square of New York witnesses a modern adaptation of the traditional Peking Opera “Monkey King”.

Monkey King is a household name in China. Derived from ancient folklore, Monkey King symbolized freedom and rebellion. In the original story, “Journey to the West”, Monkey King went on a journey defeating monsters. In doing so, the Monkey King challenged authorities and traditional norms.

Yongxing Fu, a Chinese immigrant from Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, is 66 years old. Fu is a passionate Peking Opera lover since he was a little kid. He performs at Union Square, New York, several times a week. Fu has lived in the United States for 15 years now, and he has been performing at Union Square for 5 years. When the weather is nice, Fu brings his costume, his props, and his speaker to perform as Monkey King.

Fu originally immigrated to the United States with his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. After decades of being a doctor back in Wenzhou, Fu is tired of that lifestyle. He began to adapt to New York City by living out his true identity, one that was constrained in China.

“From a Chinese perspective, performing on the streets is practically a homeless person begging for money,” Fu said. “Nobody wants to do that.”

“But here, in New York, it’s an art. No one judges me. No one cares. No boundaries.” Fu said as he compared the two lifestyles.

Fu said he performed briefly back in China too, but it wasn’t as much fun as it is now in New York.

“You can’t have fun when you know people are judging,” Fu said.

He concluded that since the cultural environment is different, “even though you do the same things, you are perceived differently.”

However, Fu’s family does not approve of his performances. When Fu first started to do the Monkey King routine, his son opposed aggressively.

In Chinese culture, a man would be frowned upon if he can not provide for the elderly in his family.

“My son thought it was humiliating — like he couldn’t afford his father living with him,” Fu said. “But it’s not about money — it’s my art.”

Fu’s grandson, who now goes to high school in New York, is a huge fan of his performing art. Since his parents do not approve, he would sneak out of the house to see his grandfather perform on weekends.

Fu is not discouraged by his son’s opinion.

“I bet you 1/10 of the people in New York have seen me by now,” Fu said. “People love me.”

“I will continue to do this for as long as my health allows,” Fu said. “It makes me feel as if I’m not old.”

Fu said his performance is more embraced by immigrants.

“There’s a huge cultural gap between Chinese culture and American culture,“ Fu said.