Draft:The Westward
The Westward (Chinese title: Xi Xing Ji) is a Chinese 3D animated fantasy series adapted from the Hong Kong manhua of the same name by Zheng Jianhe and Deng Zhihui. The first season, produced by Tencent Pictures and Baiman Culture with Penguin Pictures and Baioo Family Interactive as co-producers, premiered on Tencent Video on 18 July 2018.
The series consists of five seasons and 134 episodes, excluding related films and specials. It is distributed internationally by WeTV under the title The Westward.
Plot
[edit]The story begins sixteen years after Tang Sanzang and his disciples brought the Qi Jing back from the Other Shore and entrusted it to Emperor Shitian. The wordless scripture is actually the Eternal Fire, the fire of creation. Corrupted by the Dark Souls, Shitian seeks to use its power to rule the three realms. While protecting the scripture, Sun Wukong is killed by the Three-Eyed General. Zhu Bajie loses his tusks, Sha Wujing is stripped of his memories, and Sanzang returns to the human world.
After battling Emperor Shitian, Tathagata retrieves the Qi Jing and entrusts it to the Dragon King of Tianyu Mountain. It takes the form of a girl named Xiaoyu, whom the Dragon King raises as his daughter. When Heaven sends the Three-Eyed General to reclaim her, the wolf demon Bai Lang helps her escape. He seeks Tang Sanzang’s help in returning the scripture to the Other Shore.
Production
[edit]The series adapts a manhua by Hong Kong creators Zheng Jianhe and Deng Zhihui. The comic reworks Journey to the West, changing the roles and relationships of its characters.
Baiman Culture acquired the adaptation rights when only five instalments of the comic had been serialised. In 2016, it began working with Tencent Video to develop the property. Directors Zhong Zhixing and Mai Zhengle were involved in the early seasons.
According to a 2023 Xinsheng Pro report, the production team grew from more than 20 people to more than 200. Its production process involved storyboards, previews, animation, rendering, visual effects, lighting and compositing. Later seasons also combined two-dimensional and three-dimensional imagery in some scenes; the team said it had used artificial intelligence tools during production of the fifth season.
Release
[edit]Tencent announced the animated adaptation in 2018. Its first season premiered exclusively on Tencent Video on 18 July that year. The fifth season began on 2 August 2023, and its final episode became available in February 2025.
| Season | Title | First released | Episodes |
| 1 | The Westward | 2018 | 16 |
| 2 | The Westward S2 | 2019 | 22 |
| 3 | The Westward S3 | 2021 | 20 |
| 4 | The Westward S4 | 2022 | 12 |
| 5 | The Westward S5 | 2023–2025 | 64 |
Reception
[edit]Before the first season was released, CCTV-6 reported a favourable initial response to its 3D animation at a preview screening.
In an August 2018 analysis, ACGx praised the visual presentation and story but argued that less than ten minutes of main content per episode was a weakness for a weekly series. It also cited audience comments collected by Guduo Radar that increasingly focused on the short running time.
A 2023 Xinsheng Pro report stated that the first season ranked first among domestic animated programmes on its premiere day and received more than 120 million views that day. At the 15th China Animation Golden Dragon Awards, The Westward received the bronze award for Best Animated Series.