Behind the Scenes of “Journey to the West”: The Trials of the Monkey King on the Fruit and Flower Mountain
Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong, famous for his portrayal of the Monkey King in the 1986 classic “Journey to the West,” once faced life-threatening dangers while filming at one of East Asia’s largest waterfalls.
According to The Paper, the actor shared behind-the-scenes stories from the 1980s during a lecture in Shanghai in early August. The first episode, filmed between 1982 and 1983, depicted the early life of the mischievous Monkey King, Sun Wukong, and was shot at three locations: Huangguoshu Waterfall in Guizhou Province, a cave in Hunan Province, and a temple in Beijing.
On screen, the young monkey moves with agility and grace, but in reality, Liu Xiao Ling Tong faced a near-fatal incident while filming at Huangguoshu Waterfall. During an aerial stunt, the actor made a mistake and fell, narrowly avoiding serious injury by catching his leg on a vine, preventing him from hitting his head on the ground.
Liu Xiao Ling Tong emphasized that, because Sun Wukong was covered in fur and heavily made-up, his eyes became the most crucial tool for expressing emotion. Despite having significant myopia, Liu trained his eyes by climbing mountains or rooftops to gaze directly at the setting sun. Although this caused eye discomfort, he would continue to stare until tears flowed, believing that this practice would make his eyes sharper and more expressive.
In the first episode, three stunt doubles were used for Liu Xiao Ling Tong during scenes involving rowing out to sea, staff-fighting, and acrobatics. Children from Hunan Province’s diving team were cast to play the young monkeys, including Xiong Ni, who later won a gold medal in diving at the Olympics. During filming, Xiong Ni sustained an injury when his head struck a rock in the cave. Actor Lin Zhiqian, who played Erlang Shen, rushed Xiong Ni to the hospital for stitches.
During his lecture, Liu Xiao Ling Tong shared these memories not to lament the hardships but to highlight the unity and dedication of the crew, led by director Yang Jie, which made “Journey to the West” one of the most frequently re-aired shows. According to the actor, while the series is not without its flaws, he believes in the beauty of these imperfections, stating, “There’s nothing perfect in this world, only perfectly imperfect things. At the time, we had only one camera, and each episode took four months to complete. The 25 episodes of ‘Journey to the West’ took more than 2,000 of us six years to film.”
The series follows the journey of the monk Tang Sanzang and his disciples—Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the White Dragon Horse—as they battle demons and overcome obstacles to retrieve sacred Buddhist scriptures. Liu Xiao Ling Tong compared the characters to the five fingers of a hand, different in length and function, but forming a fist when united, symbolizing determination and strength.
The actor has devoted his life to perfecting his craft. In recent years, he has authored books and given lectures at schools about the art of the Monkey King, aiming to promote traditional culture and awaken a sense of heritage among the younger generation.
At the end of 2023, Liu Xiao Ling Tong was named one of the “100 Outstanding Craftsmen” by Forbes China. This award honors individuals who embody the spirit of meticulous craftsmanship, valuing detail and perfection while balancing tradition with modern aesthetics. The recipients include professionals from various fields such as arts, baking, tea, and winemaking.
