On July 3, 1982, "Journey to the West" was officially launched in Yangzhou Geyuan. Unconsciously, 38 years have passed.

On October 1 of that year, CCTV broadcast the first episode of "The Black Chicken Country". The first 11 episodes were broadcast during the Spring Festival in 1986, and 25 episodes were broadcast in 1988. According to incomplete statistics, "Journey to the West" has been replayed more than 4,000 times so far, making it the most played TV series in Chinese history. The distinctive characters and wonderful storyline in the play have left eternal memories for the audience and become a classic in the minds of generations.

As the years go by, many actors who used their passion and youth to film this classic work have left us forever. In April 2020, CCTV's "Chinese Literature and Art" program specially produced a video to remember with the audience the names and faces that accompanied us through our childhood.

A classic that should not be forgotten. On the occasion of commemorating the 38th anniversary of the launch of "Journey to the West", let us remember those old artists who created vivid artistic images, and pass on their dedication and pursuit of art greater than heaven.

Sha Seng——Yan Huaili

Yan Huaili, July 24, 1936 - April 12, 2009. In addition to Sha Seng, Yan Huaili played many roles in the play, including Dragon King of the West Sea, Taishang Laojun, etc., and performed each role brilliantly. On a big stage like the Beijing People's Art Theater, Yan Huaili has a strong sense of presence. As a drama actor, his line skills must pass the test. In this regard, Yan Huaili is undoubtedly very qualified. His ups and downs, passionate and magnetic voice is fascinating. In 1993, Yan Huaili participated in the movie "The Demon Cult Leader" starring Jet Li, playing the role of the golden lion king Xie Xun; in 1999, he played Prime Minister Pei Yan in the historical TV series "Daming Palace Ci"; in 2000, he played the role of Prime Minister Pei Yan in the TV series "Iron Teeth". Chen Huizu is played in "Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan I".

Centipede Spirit - Li Hongchang

Li Hongchang, from 1930 to February 12, 2003, served as deputy drama director and deputy production director in the crew of "Journey to the West" for a long time. He played roles such as the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord and the Guide to the Buddha.

In 1986, "Journey to the West" was almost cut in half because CCTV no longer provided funding. Thanks to Li Hongchang's 3 million yuan in funding from the 11th Bureau of China Railway, this classic drama was able to be filmed Completed 25 episodes. In 1998, the filming of "Journey to the West Sequel" began. In the film, Li Hongchang played the post officer of the Bhikkhu Kingdom and the fisherman of the Jing River. Although he was nearly 70 years old, his acting skills were still good. Mr. Li Hongchang has been working in Shandong Provincial Theater for a long time and is a colleague of Xu Shaohua, who plays Tang Monk. He is also the former chairman of the Shandong Provincial UFO Research Association.

Queen Mother——Wan Fuxiang

Wan Fuxiang, whose original name was He Yizhen from July 1941 to November 8, 1994, was a native of Dongshan Town, Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province. Graduated from the Suzhou District Opera School in 1960, and has starred in the Huangmei opera "The Fairy's Match" and "The Consort", the Xi opera "The Legend of White Snake", the opera "March 3", etc.

She plays the role of the Queen Mother in "Journey to the West". She does not appear often, but has a strong sense of presence. Wan Fuxiang studied opera when she was young, and specialized in soprano as an adult. She was a famous soprano singer at that time. She can sing extremely well in opera, Yue Opera, and Huangmei Opera. She is an actress with excellent overall skills.

Water Thief Liu Hong - Han Shanxu

Han Shanxu, April 13, 1937 - June 19, 2016. In "Journey to the West", he played many small roles such as Liu Hong, the water thief who killed Chen Guangrui, the old man in the episode "The Monkey King Protects the Tang Monk", a military minister of the Tang Dynasty, the One-horned Ghost King, etc. Voiced by King Golden Horn. Han Shanxu's most deeply rooted role in the play is the water thief Liu Hong. This character makes people want to eat his flesh and bite his bones. The wonderful performance vividly explains what a deeply rooted performance is. As a veteran actor from Beijing People's Art Theatre, Han Shanxu has played Lu Gui in the drama "Thunderstorm", Gao Kuoting in the TV series "Zhen San", Niu Er in the movie "The World in Black and White", Cao Kun in "Sun Yat-sen", "The World's No. 1" The roast duck master "Luo Datou" in "The First Floor" is a small character, but he can portray each character vividly and expressively.

Lishan Mother - Li Enqi

Li Enqi, January 17, 1917 - February 24, 2013, was a native of Qingdao, Shandong Province, and a former actor in the Frontline Repertory Theater of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. She started acting in the 1930s, and was loved by the audience together with Bai Yang, Shu Xiuwen, Zhang Ruifang and other old artists, especially Lin Naixian, who played the role in the drama and movie "Sentinel Under the Neon Lights", "Eastward March" The character Jiuyi Tai played in "Overture" left a deep impression on the audience. In the 1980s, after retiring, Li Enqi was visiting Jiuzhaigou and met the crew of "Journey to the West" that was being filmed, so he volunteered to play the role of "Lishan Old Mother". Although he doesn't have many roles, he is deeply loved by the audience.

The King of Pagodas - Wang Yuli

Wang Yuli plays the role of Li Jing, the King of Pagodas in "Journey to the West", and also serves as the behind-the-scenes dubbing of many characters in the play. He has voiced the King of Hell, Liu Boqin, the Yellow Robe Monster, Samantabhadra, the Yellow Wind Monster, the Silver-Horned King, Kasyapa, Erlang Shen, the monk incarnated by Avalokitesvara, and Zhu Bajie (***dubbing 6 episodes), which can be said to be the voice of "Journey to the West" "The voice behind the scenes that appears most frequently in ". On October 29, 2017, Wang Yuli passed away.

The King of Silver Corners - Guo Shouyang

Guo Shouyang, from 1929 to January 27, 2012, served as an actor and member of the Art Committee of the Shanxi Provincial Art Troupe, Qinghai Provincial Repertory Theater , actor at China Youth Art Theater in Beijing. Guo Shouyang plays the role of the Silver Horn King in "Journey to the West". He is an old artist with excellent acting skills. Later, he also played Guo Tu in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Shi Que in "The Kingdoms of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty: Spring and Autumn Period", and He Zhan'ao in "Harbin at Night".

King of Baoxiang Kingdom——Gu Lan

Gu Lan, 1922-2005, played the role of King of Baoxiang Kingdom in the play, and played Xun Yu in the 94 version of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", He is an old artist with superb acting skills. When he was still alive, he was an actor in the Kongzheng Repertory Theater, and his representative works include "Bitter Cauliflower", "Codename Jaguar", "Northern Navy", "Peach Blossoms in the Sky", "A Daughter in the Fei Family", "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", and "Hu Xueyan" wait.

In addition to these national first-class actors who have passed away, there are many old artists who have played various supporting roles, big or small, in "Journey to the West". Although they are no longer with us Gone, but the creative spirit and artistic wealth left behind are like the spring rain, "sneaking into the night with the wind, moistening things silently".

Elder Jinchi——Cheng Zhi

Cheng Zhi is an outstanding actor with both political integrity and talent in the Chinese film industry. His voice is mellow and his performance is penetrating and just right, leaving a deep impression on people. He also has profound attainments in the art of Peking Opera. In January 1983, Cheng Zhi participated in the filming of "Journey to the West" and played the role of Elder Jinchi, the treasure-obsessed and greedy head of Guanyin Temple in the sixth episode "The Misfortune Begins at Guanyin Temple". Cheng Zhi suddenly fell ill backstage during a performance in 1995 and never woke up.

Queen Chechi——Zhao Lirong

Zhao Lirong is a well-known people's artist. The sketches she performed are well-known to every household, but her fate with the sketches began with "Journey to the West". Because in the "Journey to the West Qi Tianle" party, director Yang Jie specially arranged for her to perform the first skit.

Originally Zhao Lirong was unwilling to act in a sketch because she felt her style was wrong. However, she did not expect Yang Jie to come to her home specifically, so she decided to give it a try. This time she tried it during the Spring Festival Gala. Teacher Zhao Lirong is illiterate, but we can see that her role as Queen Che Chi in "Journey to the West" is very classic and left a deep impression on people. In fact, she asked others to read the words to her. Memorized word for word.

Princess Iron Fan - Wang Fengxia

Wang Fengxia was the earliest among the actors in "Journey to the West" to die at the age of 38. Wang Fengxia is by far the most outstanding actress who plays Princess Iron Fan in opera, film and television works. When filming "Journey to the West", she was already ill, but she still insisted on filming, and the entire crew was unaware of it. In the play, she was rolling on the floor in pain, but in reality she was often tortured by illnesses. In 1993, Wang Fengxia died of breast cancer.

The King of Hell——Liu Jiang

Liu Jiang, a film performing artist, joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army in 1946, and has been an actor at the Bayi Film Studio since 1958. He is good at portraying villains. . The films he participated in mainly include "Tunnel War", "Breakthrough of Wujiang River", "Tan Sitong", "City Massacre", etc. His role as the wealthy tycoon Hu Hansan in the film "Shining Red Star" made him a household name overnight. In "Journey to the West", he plays the role of "King of Hell". On May 1, 2020, Liu Jiang passed away at the age of 95.

The old weirdo with yellow eyebrows - Cao Duo

Cao Duo is a famous performing artist. He participated in the revolution in 1948 and was an actor in the former East China Revolutionary Art Troupe. After the People's Liberation Army liberated Shanghai in 1949, he stayed in Shanghai to work. He entered the film industry in 1952 and has made more than 60 films and more than ten TV series, playing various types of characters. He played the role of the old monster with yellow eyebrows in "Journey to the West" "Strangely Entering the Little Thunder Sound". He died of illness in 2005 at the age of 76.

Mrs. Gao - Gao Yuqian

Gao Yuqian, 1927-2018.12.23, a famous Peking Opera performing artist. She has a loud and passionate voice and has participated in many operas and film and television dramas. She played the role of Grandma Li in the modern Peking Opera "The Story of the Red Lantern". She was very outstanding and is one of the actors loved by the audience.

In "Journey to the West", she performed the role of Mrs. Gao of Lao Laozhuang so vividly that she left a deep impression on many fans of Journey to the West.

Maitreya Buddha - Tieniu

Tieniu, 1922-March 5, 2015, formerly known as Yang Xiye, was a native of Yexian, Shandong, and a famous Chinese film actor. In 1946, he joined the New Fourth Army and later served as a member of the Shandong Military Region Art Troupe. His representative works include "The Fans" and "The Red Detachment of Women." During his film career, he mostly played the roles of soldiers and workers. In the black-and-white movie "South and North War", he played a fat soldier "Little Fatty".

In "Journey to the West", Tieniu plays the role of Maitreya Buddha. His naive smile and cute fat belly left a deep imprint on our childhood, just like the first meal in childhood. The taste of cotton candy in your mouth will always linger in your heart.

Zhenyuan Immortal - Wu Guiling

Wu Guiling, December 1938 - June 21, 2016, came to Beijing People's Art Theater in 1958 and performed 70 stage plays in 40 years , including nearly 40 main roles, and participated in the filming of more than 40 film and television dramas. He played the role of Zhenyuan Immortal in "Journey to the West" and Huang Gai in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", leaving a profound artistic image on the audience. Wu Guiling gives people a sense of immortality and majestic appearance. His wife is Lu Zhong, a national first-class actor, who is widely known to the audience for her role as Wu Zetian in the TV series "Detective Di Renjie".

The Bull Demon King——Wang Futang

Wang Futang, January 1932 - December 1, 2005, played the role of the Bull Demon King in "Journey to the West". He joined the army in 1949 and became a scout of the 211th Division of the Fourth Field Army. He has starred in plays such as "Brother and Sister Opening up Wasteland", "Couple Literacy", "White-Haired Girl" and "Good Squad Leader". Later, he entered the People's Liberation Army Art College for further study. During his time in the Maritime Arts Troupe, he starred in plays such as "War Hymn of the Night and Sea" and "Eagle of the Sea and Sky", especially in "The War Drums of the Equator" and "Zheng He's Voyages to the West". Through his wonderful performances, he formed a unique stage style. and performance style, which aroused great social repercussions and high artistic evaluation, and was received by Premier Zhou.

The King of the Wuji Kingdom——Lei Ming

Lei Ming, 1939-April 23, 2010, graduated from the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy in the 1960s, and was later assigned to Beijing Film Production He worked as an actor in a film studio and has participated in or starred in the films "Black Triangle", "Super High School in Action", "Life and Death Decision", "South and North War", "An Unfinished Game of Chess", etc., and won the first place. The 20th China Film Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actor. Lei Ming played the king in "Journey to the West" and "Destroying Demons and Black Chicken Kingdom". In the play, he not only plays the role of the king of the Wuji Kingdom, but also plays the role of the impostor pretending to be evil. Through the subtle changes in his eyes, he can let the audience clearly see the truth and falsehood, vividly explaining what acting is.

Pleiades Star Official - Xu Guanchun

Xu Guanchun, 1930-2001, was born in a family of Peking Opera lovers in Shanghai. He later joined the Zhejiang Kun Opera Troupe as an actor and became Yu Zhenfei The master's favorite disciple. The traditional plays he performed, such as "Meeting the Mother", "Broken Bridge" and "Qiao Jing", are very impressive. He is especially particular about singing, chanting and articulating, and he has the charm of a master. In the 1986 version of "Journey to the West", he played the role of Pleiades star official. After the restoration of Zhejiang and Kunming in 1977, he mainly engaged in art education.

Yellow Wind Monster - Guo Jiaqing

Guo Jiaqing, October 1924 - October 7, 2012, was a performing artist at the Beijing People's Art Theater. In "Journey to the West", Guo Jiaqing plays two characters with huge contrasts, one with a sinister eyebrow and rat eyes, and the other as the incarnation of Guanyin with an immortal spirit. First, he played the yellow wind monster with sinister eyebrows and rat eyes to the extreme, making him look like a complete monster. When playing the incarnation of Guanyin, through the rhythm changes of language and body, he presented an image of immortality and awe-inspiring spirit, and made a monk in rags appear graceful and immortal. I have to say that the old What a great acting talent! In "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Guo Jiaqing played Sun Qian, Liu Bei's counselor, and Pu Jing, who helped Guan Yu.

According to incomplete statistics, among the actors of "Journey to the West" who have passed away are:

Liu Qin, the actor of "The Powerful Immortal"; Yang Yuzhang, the actor of "The Birthday Star"; Cai Guangqing, who plays the role of "Kou Yuanwai". Wang Jie, who plays the role of "Zhenhai Temple Lama", is a professional drama actor who plays the role of "Cao Hong" in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

Jin Sheng. Zhan Pingping, who played "Empress", was a professional opera actor who died of illness in 2017 at the age of 69.

Kong Rui, the actor of "Tai Gong Gao" and "Peach Garden Land", and also the "Jiao Da" in "A Dream of Red Mansions", died of illness in 2014.

Wang Ren, the actor of "Sai Tai Sui", is the former deputy director of the Kongzheng Repertory Theater. He is also a special actor who plays Chairman Mao.

Qian Yongkang, the actor of "The Giant Spirit God", once played the role of "Black Tyrant" in "The Warriors" starring Li Ding, Xu Fan, and Chen Xiaoyi.

Huang Zongluo, who plays the role of "Tongtai Prefecture Governor", is also the "murderous doctor" Ping Yi Zhi in "The Swordsman".

Nigmutu, who plays the role of "King of Yuhua Prefecture" and "Monk of Zhenhai Temple", once played Xu Huang in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

Huang Fei, who plays the role of "The White Bone Demon Turns into an Old Man", was an outstanding underground worker when he was young. He once participated in Chen Kaige's famous work "Farewell My Concubine".

Liu Dan, the actor of "Dragon Girl", became famous for his role as "Fragrant Concubine" in the sequel of "Huanzhugege". He died in a serious car accident in 2000 at the age of 25.

Ma Zengshou, the actor of "Shui De Xingjun", passed away at home in 2017 at the age of 77.