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    Liu Xiao Ling Tong and Sun Wukong

    Written by: Xiao Ye
    Posted on: October 07, 2016 | | 中文

    Liu Xiao Ling Tong (stage name Zhang Jinlai)

    2016 is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. In classic Chinese literature and traditional folklore, there are many images of the monkey, amongst which the most popular is Sun Wukong, who, as depicted in the classic novel Journey to the West, is known as “Qitian Dasheng” (“Great Sage, Equal of Heaven”) and “Mei Houwang” (“Handsome Monkey King”). He is full of wit and has the capacity of seventy-two metamorphoses. He can travel thousands of miles with a single jump. On the journey to the west, he helped fight evil spirits and vanquish monsters. He was tenacious and strong, a perfect image of idealism. So the images of this Monkey King have been performed by many Chinese players in both stage and film. Liu Xiao Ling Tong (stage name Zhang Jinlai) is the most popular actor, who played the part of Sun Wukong in the TV series Journey to the West.

    Liu Xiao Ling Tong (Zhang Jinlai) was born on April 12th, 1959 in Shanghai. His ancestral home is in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. He is a national actor of CCTV and CTPC and also a part-time professor of the School of Humanities of Zhejiang University.

    Liu Xiao Ling Tong’s fame was mainly brought to him by his role as Sun Wukong. In 1982, he played the leading role of Sun Wukong (“The Monkey King”) in the TV series Journey to the West. People loved the show so much that Sun Wukong became deeply rooted in people’s hearts and a national icon on the screen. The famous line from the show “Here I come!” has accompanied generations of Chinese audiences. The super-witted Wukong who hates evil as his deadly foes, as depicted in the show, has always been a symbol of hero for Chinese audience. 

    Liu Xiao Ling Tong and Sun Wukong

    Zhang portrays the Monkey King in his hit 1986 TV series

    The great capacity of vivid performance of Liu Xiao Ling Tong comes partly from his family tradition. He was born in “the family of the Monkey King”, a family in which male members play the stage image of “the Monkey King” for generations.  He started learning the performance both as a kid and the youngest child of the great traditional Shaoxing Opera actor Zhang Zongyi (his stage name is “Liu Ling Tong”), the inheritor of this family tradition for the fourth generation.

    From Liu Xiao Ling Tong’s great grandfather, the family tradition has been inherited by his grandfather, his father, brother, and himself. His father started learning the performance at the age of six, hence the stage name “Liu Ling Tong” (literally meaning “six-year old opera kid”). When his brother got on the stage, his father named him “Xiao Liu Ling Tong” (“Liu Ling Tong Jr.”). Unfortunately, his brother Zhang Jinxing died of leukaemia in 1966. When Mr. Zhang Jinlai performed the part of “the Monkey King” for Journey to the West in 1982, his father thought about it and decided to change the stage name “Xiao Liu” to “Liu Xiao,” hence the name “Liu Xiao Ling Tong.

    Liu Xiao Ling Tong and Sun Wukong

    Sun Wukong or the Monkey King

    For most of the Chinese audience, the part Sun Wukong played by Liu Xiao Ling Tong is the most unforgettable version of the Monkey King. Every facial expression and every posture of Wukong is derived from certain genres of traditional operas. Liu Xiao Ling Tong successfully combined traditional Shaoxing Opera with the southern monkey-imitation genre of Peking opera. He has also carried down the artistic skills of stage performance from many great artists, including Zheng Faxiang and Gai Jiaotian (two great masters of Peking Opera). To practice with his eyes and make them look brighter, he often stared at the sun and the movements of flying Ping Pong balls.

    Liu Xiao Ling Tong and Sun Wukong

    A still from the TV series

    Many people may think that Sun Wukong was the only role that Liu Xiao Ling Tong has ever played. The fact is that he has also performed as famous historical figures, such as Hu Shih (a famous scho;ar of moder China), Lu Xun (a great writer and thinker of Moder China), and Zhou Enlai. The image of Monkey King that Liu Xiao Ling Tong created in the TV film, however, is the most famous. “Sun Wukong undoubtedly is the Mount Everest in my whole career as an actor. None of the other roles I’ve played could compete with the role of Monkey King for both influence and popularity.” Said Liu Xiao Ling Tong.

    Liu Xiao Ling Tong and Sun Wukong

    'Journey to the West' - the novel

    In June, 2007, Liu Xiao Ling Tong played two parts in the first 3D TV series in the world: he played both Wu Cheng’en (the writer of the classic novel Journey to the West), and Sun Wukong in Wu Cheng’en & Journey to the West. This year, the 3D fantasy epic film Journey to the West, co-produced by China and the U.S., is about to release. In this film, he starred as Sun Wukong again. The film tells the story about how Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing (three disciples of Tang Sanzang, a great budhhist pilgrim who travells thousands of miles to seek for Buddhist sutras) accompanied Tang Sanzang on the journey to the West during which they encountered many trials and endured much sufferings, fought evil spirits and monstrous beings, lived through eighty-one hardships, brought back Buddhist sutras to Chang’an, the capital of the Tang Empire, and finally became Bodhisattvas themselves.

    Liu Xiao Ling Tong and Sun Wukong
     

    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021