介绍:
For most Chinese, there is nothing more nostalgic than listening to this rhythmic, mellifluous yet magical tune. Served as the opening music of the 1986 TV adaptation of Journey to the West, it has allured generations into that bewitching world, which is rife with lofty gods, vicious monsters and devout pilgrims.
Though every role is brimmed with character in this widely-loved drama, the Monkey King Sun Wukong, an impish, omnipotent monkey played by Liu Xiao Ling Tong, remains the darling of many audiences.
"Liu Xiao Ling Tong impressed me most. Even though I didn't follow the show from beginning to end, his performance still amazes me. It's very vivid and entertaining."
"I love watching Liu Xiao Ling Tong acting. I started to watch his show since five-year-old. Now I am ten. I love his every movement!"
"I grew up watching his show. Maybe because I watch it every year, it has made such a deep impression on me. Though the special effect of that time was terrible, I still enjoy his performance dearly. "
"His performance is so amazing. No other actors could parallel his Monkey King. "
However, just like the story of Journey to the West goes, the monk Xuanzang and his disciples have to undergo many trials and sufferings to collect sacred sutras. Liu Xiao Ling Tong doesn't achieve his fame in one day.
Born with the name Zhang Jinlai, Liu Xiao Ling Tong grew up in an artistic family that is proficient in performing Monkey King for four generations. As the artist recalls, even the number of monkey residents outnumbered human ones in the house.
"My father was crowned as the Monkey King of South China while Mr Li Wanchun was hailed as the Monkey King in northern China. As traditional Chinese opera performers, their facial makeups, costumes, golden clubs and performing styles were totally different. If using traditional Chinese paining as the metaphor, our southern genre is like meticulous painting. Every move is dealt with delicacy. The bearing of the performer should be consistent with real monkeys."
Since an early age, Zhang had witnessed his older brother following their forefathers' steps. However, as his brother died of leukaemia in 1966, he took up the baton of family business. He took the stage name "Liu Xiao Ling Tong", which literally means "junior six-year-old child".
"I admit that since my family has played Monkey King for a century, I have particular attachment for this character."
After years learning martial arts and crafts of Shaoxing opera, Zhang reached the epoch of his career in 1982. He was recommended by his father to portray Monkey King in the China Central Television production of Journey to the West. However, since one of the key features of this supernatural monkey is its penetrating eyesight, the actor's high myopia became his shortcoming. In order to visualise and convey the Monkey King's intense emotions through eyes, he stared at the sunrise, rapid-moving ping-pang ball and the burning end of incense on a daily basis.
"I don't look like a monkey. I just use limbs, expressions and emotions to imitate the animal. There is one photo that shows a monkey saluting me. Actually I was the one saluting to the monkey. Monkeys are my most valuable teachers, as well as my best friends. I mimic their every move and apply the movements to my character. "
Zhang Jinlai's endeavour paid off. In 1988, he snapped the Best Actor trophy at the 6th Golden Eagle Television Awards, the Chinese equivalence of Emmy Awards.
His portrayal of Monkey King has went viral nationwide. In the eyes of the Chinese public, Liu Xiao Ling Tong has become the synonym of Monkey King. For an actor, it can be a blessing as well as a curse.
"In fact, I have played characters other than Sun Wukong, such as the literary giants Lu Xun and Hu Shi, Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, as well as Wu Cheng'en(吴承恩), the author of Journey to the West. But it seems that my Monkey King impresses audiences most."
But Zhang has turned his astounding success into something else. For years, he has traveled worldwide to give lectures and speeches. Bearing a strong sense of mission, the actor is taking crusading journeys, just like what his character did a thousand years ago, and promoting Xiyou culture, in other words, anything related to Wu Cheng'en's epic saga.
"I want to tell people, especially foreigners that if you really want to understand China, you need to understand Journey to the West; if you want to understand Chinese people, you have to know who is Sun Wukong. The novel contains rich Chinese culture, such as Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. As for the Monkey King Sun Wukong, he embodies the Chinese enterprising spirit, indomitable will, strong conviction and optimism."
After the broadcast of Zhang's 1986 TV hit, other adaptions of Journey to the West have sprung up. Yet many of them deviate from the original setting and storyline, which vex this devoting actor to no end.
"I support innovation in the performance, but you can't make up the story.Adaptation is not the equivalent of reckless fabrication.Although Journey to the West is a fantasy,it leaves no room for falsification. "
So far, Zhang and his team are working with the Paramount Pictures to co-produce a 3D cinematic version of "Journey to the West".
"I am 56 years old. I want to leave an influential work for the future generations. When I shot the TV version of Journey to the West, the visual effects technology wasn't well developed.So this time, I want to blend the Eastern art with the cutting-edge technology from the West together to produce another classic."
But does this national icon feel entrenched or overwhelmed by his evangelical obsession with Monkey King?
"Some of my audiences once wrote that someone spent a lifetime on stage but left no impression. Yet some actors play one role but are memorialized all our life. I feel privileged. As a performer, encountering a time, an opportunity and epic like this, is such a great honour. "
Although the tale of the monk Xuanzang wound up thousands of years ago, it seems that our beloved Monkey King is still on his pilgrimage.
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