In the Year of the Monkey, Sun Wukong came to Vietnam again.

Liu Xiao Ling Tong, who plays the character of Sun Wukong, revealed this to a reporter from VTV during a meeting with him in China.

Year… “Six Little Ling Tong”

As promised, Liu Xiao Ling Tong arrived and asked the cafe owner to make us each a cup of hot coffee and asked the waiter to pay for it himself, then he immediately got to work with us - a very professional manner. He said that if 2016 was the year of the Fire Monkey, then 2015 was the year of Liu Xiao Ling Tong.

That is because, in February 2015, he was honored to be the first mainland Chinese actor to give a speech bringing Chinese culture to Western Europe. In June 2015, he was invited to speak at the University of Paris. His role as Sun Wukong was also honored to have a wax statue erected at Madame Tussaud's Museum in England.

For the first time, a mythical character has been recreated here. In addition, many provinces and cities in China have opened memorial houses, libraries, post offices, and schools named after Liu Xiao Ling Tong. All of these events show the special affection that the audience has for the character Sun Wukong, played by Liu Xiao Ling Tong.

Actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong

Ready to be an ambassador for Vietnam

In 2016, he will visit Vietnam again. He is impressed by the warm affection of Vietnamese audiences for him. Liu Xiao Ling Tong said that he still remembers that after the movie "Journey to the West" was released in 1988, he received many letters from audiences at home and abroad. There was a letter that impressed and touched him very much from a Vietnamese audience named Thao.

At that time, he was about 15 or 16 years old and was deaf. Thao wrote: “After watching the movie Journey to the West, I really liked the character Sun Wukong and his virtues. I heard that Uncle Liu Xiao Ling Tong, who plays Sun Wukong, is nearsighted. If myopia affects his acting, I can donate my eyes to him.” He confided: “I often tell this story to Chinese audiences. I call this the spirit of Sun Wukong - knowing how to sacrifice for others. It has surpassed the feelings of ordinary people.”

In the 1960s, Liu Xiao Ling Tong's father staged many plays about Sun Wukong in the style of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province and went to Vietnam to perform for President Ho Chi Minh. In 1998, he and his father were invited to perform in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sun Wukong

In the play “The Monkey King and His Son”, the father played Sun Wukong in the style of Shaoxing drama, and Liu Xiao Ling Tong played Sun Wukong in the style of Journey to the West, and was warmly welcomed by the Vietnamese audience. “I still remember that at that time, every night there was a large audience waiting outside the yard for us to finish the performance and then take us back to the hotel by motorbike, the people in front walked while waving their “ruyi” sticks with sparkling lights to signal everyone to make way.

When I go out, I see many children wearing Sun Wukong masks and holding sticks, which shows that Vietnamese audiences love Journey to the West as well as the character Sun Wukong. I also collect many photos, stamps, or books about President Ho Chi Minh. I plan to donate them to the Ho Chi Minh Museum in the future so that the young generations of the two countries can remember the close relationship between President Ho Chi Minh and Chairman Mao Zedong, thereby contributing to strengthening the solidarity and friendship between the two countries" - Liu Xiao Ling Tong shared.

Liu Xiao Ling Tong said he was very impressed with the times he met leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State such as General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Truong Tan Sang. He clearly remembers the first words President Truong Tan Sang wrote when signing his autobiography, which were "Dear Comrade Sun Wukong!"

He could not have imagined that the State leaders would ask him such intimate questions as if they were friends who had not seen each other for a long time. He considered his autobiography, signed by the leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State, as a treasure passed down from generation to generation. He was personally willing to be an ambassador to promote Vietnam, unconditionally.

Want to teach acting experience to Vietnamese students

Currently, Liu Xiao Ling Tong is setting out a number of plans for himself, the first of which is to use 17 years of only playing the role of Sun Wukong (recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for the actor who played Sun Wukong the longest), through the works of Wu Cheng'en, and through consulting ancient books about Journey to the West to rewrite the most complete and comprehensive book about this work.

Liu Xiao Ling Tong also shared that he is collaborating with Paramount Pictures of the US to produce the 3D version of “Journey to the West” and will most likely start filming this year. The film, with familiar faces and skillful monkey acting, combined with modern cinematography, is expected to bring surprises to the audience. He also hopes to find a student in Vietnam to be able to teach him his acting experience in the role of Sun Wukong./.

According to VOV.VN