- Liu Xiao Ling Tong
Liu Xiao Ling Tong (Chinese: 六小龄童;
pinyin : Lìu Xiǎo Líng Tóng) is thestage name of Zhang Jinlai (Chinese: 章金莱;pinyin : Zhāng Jīnlái), a famous Chineseactor who was known for his critically acclaimed portrayal ofSun Wukong in the 1986 Journey to the West TV series.Biography
Liu Xiao Ling Tong was born Zhang Jinlai (章金莱) on
April 12 ,1959 inShanghai into a renowned artistic family. His family is one of two families with the mostPeking Opera players specialized in performingSun Wukong , the Monkey King from the Chinese literary classicJourney to the West . His great-grandfather Zhang Tingchun was even considered "better than a living Monkey King". [http://english.cri.cn/4406/2007/11/22/1701@297096.htm Liu Xiao Ling Tong-- the "Monkey King"] . Dandan. crienglish.com. Retrieved onMay 22 ,2008 .]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 toShanghai and trained two sons. Zhang Jinlai's father, stage named as Liu Ling Tong or "Six Years Old Kid", indicating his age when he started to perform, was a famousPeking Opera player who was acclaimed by Chinese leaders including late ChairmanMao Zedong and premierZhou Enlai . His specialty wasSun Wukong , gaining him the nickname "Monkey King of the South", as Li Wanchun dominated Northern China. Zhang Jinlai's uncle, who specialized in performingZhu 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 ofJourney 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. After that, he also appeared in other movies and TV series, such as "New Year's Day (过年)". OnSeptember 27 ,2006 , he was conferred the Certificate of Mouthpiece of the 3rd International Forum on China Cultural Industry. [ [http://www.cciif.com/english/n26.asp Liu Xiao Ling Tong (actor of Monkey King): Mouthpiece of the 3rd International Forum on China Cultural Industry] . cciif.com. Retrieved onMay 22 ,2008 .] Currently he is filming "Wu Cheng En Yu Xi You Ji" (吴承恩与西游记), a film based onWu 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. 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." [ [http://english.ipr.gov.cn/ipr/en/info/Article.jsp?a_no=5317&col_no=928&dir=200605 Foreign versions of "Journey to the West" tell a different story] . Chinanews.cn. Retrieved on
May 22 ,2008 ]Awards
*6th Golden Eagle Television Awards: Best Actor for "Journey to the West" as Sun Wukong (1988)
References
External links
* [http://www.liuxiaolingtong.com/ Official website]
* [http://blog.sina.com.cn/liuxiaolingtong Blog on sina.com.cn]
* [http://liuxiaolingtong.blog.sohu.com/ Blog on sohu.com(half ceased)]
* [http://yule.sohu.com/64/21/column208062164.shtml Collection of articles about Liu Xiao Ling Tong on yule.sohu.com]
* [http://datalib.ent.qq.com/star/1630/index.shtml Profile on Data library]
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