Flowing Sand Country(流沙国):

In Chinese, it is pronounced as: liú shā guó，Written as:

Flowing Sand Country is a nation depicted in “Journey to the West.” Originally, the country thrived peacefully thanks to the Sunset Drum bestowed by the founder of Buddhism, with the entire populace devoutly following the Buddha dharma. They even crafted statues of the Buddha out of gold, creating a spectacle known as the Golden Buddha Nation. However, as the number of believers increased and temples proliferated, the people began to “revere the Buddha more than the king,” which displeased the monarch. The king ordered the demolition of temples and the expulsion of monks, and renamed the nation to Shihali Country. These acts significantly undermined the foundation of Buddhism within the country.

Not long after these events, the Sunset Drum, which had once brought peace and prosperity to the nation, turned overnight into a Guai Drum, summoning the monstrous Fuban. This creature, carrying the Buddha’s head and the treasure Dingfeng Dan, ravaged the border villages, causing countless deaths and destruction.

At this time, a yellow-furred marten, who had attained enlightenment at the foot of Lingshan, fearful of being captured by the Vajra for stealing ghee from the glass lamp, fled to Yellow Wind Ridge and took refuge in a den, turning into a Guai. While passing through Shihali Country, the marten could not bear to see the people suffer and eliminated the Fuban for them. For a time, the marten was revered as the National Preceptor and won the deep trust of the king of Shihali. However, it was not long before the citizens of Shihali Country one by one transformed into rat Guai.