Monkey is a common image in Chinese history and culture. The most famous one is the image of Sun Wukong (the "Monkey King"), who figures prominently in Chinese mythology. Sun Wukong is the main character in the classic comic Chinese novel Journey to the West.
In Buddhism, the monkey is an early incarnation of Buddha but may also represent trickery and ugliness. The Monkey is the ninth in the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The next time that the monkey will appear as the zodiac sign will be in the year 2016.