When Sun WuKong is under the mountain, he’s fed “iron pellets when he’s hungry and molten copper when he’s thirsty” (Wu &Yu, Chapter 14). Even by deity standards, this would be considered cruel punishment. Given that he is already smooshed by a mountain, most western audiences would find this an extreme punishment.
In the original story, the gold band started out as a tunic and hat. Sun Wukong viciously tears the hat away, revealing a golden band. (Chapter 14)
In the original version, it’s also very clear that Sanzang, his master actually cares. “Seeing the state he was in, Sanzang had to stop, and the pain stopped again too” (Chapter 14). In other renditions, the tightening goes on until Sanzang feels like it, not when Sun Wukong in too much pain. In the original version, it’s not even clear that the “band” can cause a lethal amount of pain, but in subsequent renditions, its ability to cause Sun Wukong’s head to explode is over emphasized.
The original depiction of the band suggests something else about the nature of the Buddha. The reason for the band was unruliness, so now that the monkey king is a Buddha, he’s no longer unruly. This quote emphasizes the role of discipline in society. Master says, “Now that you are a Buddha it can of course go. There is no reason for it to stay on your head any longer” (Chapter 100). This indicates that the band is a teaching instrument used to enact discipline in order help growth. The band is beneficial to people in the long run. In contrast, most modern interpretations of the hoop, depict it as a form of corporal punishment. These interpretations of the band are hyper-barbaric because they all focus on the bands ability to make heads explode.
In this depiction, surprisingly geared towards children, the head band is a threat to make SunWuKong’s head explode. This goes far beyond discipline. This would constitute unbearable torture.
In this video portrayal, the Buddha must remove Sun Wukong’s band. Thereby, the key to the band’s removal is not through enlightenment. By extension, this means both that the Buddha could put the band back on and that it would have an effect. This is in contrast to the main storyline whereupon the moment Wukong becomes enlightened, the band disappears and can no longer affect him.
Martial Arts and Chinese Cinema 