| Liu Xiao Ling Tong | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 12, 1959 Shanghai, China |
| Occupation | actor |
| Years active | 1965 – present |
| Awards | Golden Eagle 1988 |
Liu Xiao Ling Tong (Chinese: 六小龄童; pinyin: Lìu Xiǎo Líng Tóng) is the stage name of Zhang Jinlai (Chinese: 章金莱; pinyin: Zhāng Jīnlái), a famous Chinese actor who was known for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Sun Wukong in the 1986 Journey to the West TV series.
Contents |
Liu Xiao Ling Tong was born Zhang Jinlai (章金莱) on April 12, 1959 in Shanghai into a renowned artistic family. His family is one of two families with the most Peking Opera players specialized in performing Sun Wukong, the Monkey King from the Chinese literary classic Journey to the West. His great-grandfather Zhang Tingchun was even considered "better than a living Monkey King".[1]
Zhang Jinlai's great-grandfather mostly performed in the countryside of the Zhejiang Chinese province under the stage name "Sai Huo Hou", or "Better Than a Living Monkey". Zhang's grandfather moved to Shanghai and trained two sons. Zhang Jinlai's father, Zhang Songyi, stage named as Liu Ling Tong or "Six Years Old Kid", or famously known as "Nan Hou Wang" (the Southern Monkey King), indicating his age when he started to perform, was a famous Chinese opera player who was acclaimed by Chinese leaders including late Chairman Mao Zedong and premier Zhou Enlai.[2] His specialty was Sun Wukong, gaining him the nickname "Monkey King of the South", as Li Wanchun dominated Northern China. Zhang Jinlai's uncle, who specialized in performing Zhu Bajie, had the stage name "Qi Ling Tong", or "Seven Years Old Kid".
Named after his father, Zhang Jinlai's elder brother used stage name Xiao Liu Ling Tong, which means "Little Six Years Old Kid", or "Six Years Old Kid, Jr.". The role of Sun Wukong was originally offered to this elder brother, who died of leukemia in 1966. Zhang took the role instead. Zhang Jinlai's stage name Liu Xiao Ling Tong means "Six Little Years Old Kid", which was also named after his father. This name was constructed in an awkward way, because the normal way of putting "Jr." in a name was already taken by his brother.
Before his death, Zhang Jinlai's brother told him that he would see him when he played Sun Wukong. After he died, Zhang Jinlai tried very hard to do that, as well as to help the needy people with leukemia. In 1992, CCTV made an 8-episode series titled "Hou Wa" (猴娃）(monkey child) about this remarkable actor.
Zhang Jinlai gained international fame thanks to his starring role as Sun Wukong in the 1986 adaptation of Journey to the West. His compelling performance, which was greatly praised by critics, helped him capture the title of Best Actor at the Sixth Golden Eagle Prize, the highest honour in the TV production industry in China.[1] After that, he also appeared in other movies and TV series, such as "New Year's Day (过年)". On September 27, 2006, he was conferred the Certificate of Mouthpiece of the 3rd International Forum on China Cultural Industry.[3] Currently he is filming Wu Cheng En Yu Xi You Ji (吴承恩与西游记), a film based on Wu Cheng'en's life - Journey to the West's author. He would star in both roles as Wu Cheng'en and Sun Wukong.
His nowaday activities mostly focuses on promoting monkey culture.[1] Zhang also expressed his concern over recent Sun Wukong portrayals. He said while he was happy to see that "Journey to the West", as well as other Chinese classical novels, received such attention from foreign directors, he emphasized "...such adaptation has to be based on adequate knowledge of Chinese culture." and "Monkey King is not King Kong."[4]
|
|||||
|
|||||