Monkey King returns to the spotlight

A wave of nostalgia swept through the Yugong Theater in Jiyuan, Henan province, on the evening of May 24, as the cast and crew of the classic 1986 TV adaptation of the 16th-century novel Journey to the West gathered for a gala marking the drama's 40th anniversary.

Among the actors were Zhang Jinlai, also known as Liu Xiao Ling Tong, who portrayed the Monkey King; Xu Shaohua, who starred as the Buddhist monk Tang Sanzang; and Zuo Dabin, who played Guanyin Bodhisattva.

The gala opened with a dazzling laser light show combining animation from the Monkey King and dance routines based on iconic scenes from the show, taking fans back to the familiar plotlines that have captivated generations. There were also performances of songs including Nyu Er Qing (A Woman's Love) and Tian Zhu Shao Nyu (Young Woman in India). A special holographic tribute was paid to the late director Yang Jie, whose famous words resonated through the theater: "Life is like a pilgrimage. No mountain is insurmountable if we follow our hearts."

Consisting of three chapters, the gala employed multiple artistic forms to re-imagine the mythological tale about a Tang Dynasty (618-907) Buddhist monk who, escorted by three powerful disciples, embarks on a dangerous journey to obtain sacred Buddhist scriptures.

Xu Yixian, Party secretary of Jiyuan, highlighted the shared spirit between the legendary tale and the city's cultural ethos. He said the story of Journey to the West exemplifies the perseverance and resilience of the Chinese nation, and expressed his wish to see more cooperation with actor Zhang to boost local tourism and the cultural products industry through the influence of the classic.

Actor Zhang, who opened his speech with the catchphrase "Here I come, the Monkey King", said that he is delighted to see the heritage of the classic being passed on, as evidenced by a cultural industrial park — the first of its kind in the country to focus on the themes of Journey to the West — which was inaugurated in Jiyuan on May 22.