Liu Xiao Ling TongJourney to Immortality

Liu Xiao Ling TongJourney to ImmortalityEarly this February，just before the arrival of SpringFestival and the Year of Monkey，sensational rumors grippedthe internet：A report alleged that a Spring Festival galaperformance by Liu Xiao Ling Tong，best known as the MonkeyKing in the iconic 1986 Chinese TV adaptation of 16th-Centurynovel Journey to the West，was cancelled.The actor eventuallyexplained that he was never invited to perform at the gala inthe first place，but the flood of disappointed sentimentsignited a revival of interest in the Monkey King.Many declared that the inclusion of Liu Xiao Ling Tongshould have been a nobrainer for planners of the Spring FestivalGala heralding the Year of Monkey.And to many Chinesepeople，the actor is more than just an artist who onceportrayed the Monkey King?C he is the legendary figure.A Destined RoadNearly three decades ago，a television adaptation ofJourney to the West produced by China Central Televisiongraced almost every screen in China.One of Chinas four greatclassical novels，considered the pinnacle of pre-modernChinese fiction，Journey to the West was written in the 16thCentury.Although the central figure of the novel is actuallyTang Dynasty（618-907）Buddhist monk Xuanzang，whotraveled to todays Central Asia and India to retrieve sacredBuddhist texts，many readers feel like the heroic Monkey King，one of Xuanzangs three protective disciples，is the realprotagonist of the novel.Collateral evidence supports thissentiment：Arthur Waley s popular 1942 abridged translationwas titled Monkey：A Folk-Tale of China.Liu Xiao Ling Tongbrought Monkey King to life in the 1986 production，a role hewon thanks to a perfect combination of destiny and luck：BornZhang Jinlai，Liu Xiao Ling Tong was born into a renownedartistic family from Shaoxing，Zhejiang Province.For fourgenerations，every male in the family received specializedtraining to play the Monkey King on stage.His great-grandfathers portrayal was dubbed“better than the real monkey.”Hisfather，a veteran opera performer known as Chinas“Southern Monkey King，”received raves from Chineseleaders including Chairman Mao Zedong.Liu Xiao Ling Tongnaturally began studying the character at a young age，but henever expected to take over for his father?C because he is theyoungest of 11 children.His fathers first choice toinherit the role was his second son who，according to Liu XiaoLing Tong in his autobiography，possessed“natural talent forplaying the Monkey King，making him the most suitablesuccessor to my father.”Unfortunately，however，hisbrother died of leukemia at age 17.Another older brother whoalso trained for the role passed away from an intestinal disease.“Everyone in our family got a little scared，”revealed Liu XiaoLing Tong in an interview.“Was the Monkey King role cursed，or unfit for mere mortals？”Although destiny played a major role in terms of bringingthe actor to the role，Liu Xiao Ling Tong was already loggingpractice hours even before the second brothers death.Helearned martial arts from his father，but also learned directlyfrom monkeys.At one point，he was raising more than 20monkeys in his home.“After spending more time withmonkeys than with people，I was perfect for the role，”hequips.His“Only”RoleAfter graduating from high school，Liu Xiao Ling Tong wasadmitted to drama school，where he inserted his monkeyperformance into a wide array of dramas.When plans for a TVadaptation of Journey to the West emerged，the 23-year-oldwon the coveted role.The Monkey King depicted in the original novel is exquisite，impish，and rebellious.He possesses immense strength andcan transform into 72 different animals and objects as well ascasting spells and using magic.The monkey is as popular inChina as Mickey Mouse in the U.S.，but with a longer historyand stronger cultural connotations.“Producers believed thatMonkey King would be deciding factor in the success of the TVseries，”reveals the actor.“If viewers liked other charactersmore，the series would have been considered a failure.”The 25-episode series took a total of six years to shoot，and it was first broadcast in early 1986.As soon as it hit the air，the show was a hit.According to a survey from HunanTV.com，the series averaged a ratings share of 87.4 percent in 1987.Re-runs can be found on Chinese TV to this day.And despite thefact that Liu Xiao Ling Tong has been cast in many roles since，some comparably well known in China，people still know himas the Monkey King.Roles as iconic as the Monkey King，whichremains a household name everywhere in China，can make orbreak an actors career.Some actors pass on such risky roles，but Liu Xiao Ling Tong was happy to make the Monkey King hislifes work.“The Monkey King represents the wisdom of theChinese people，”the actor has stressed on many occasions.For him，the immortality of the Monkey King evidences agrassroots heros success after a lifetime of perseverance andpersonal struggle.Promoting Journey to the West CultureToday，Liu Xiao Ling Tong has embarked on a new missionto sprea