2016年CRI CCTV Urged to Involve Monkey Star as Festival Nears

 

Ask most people in China, and they'll say there's nobody better than Liu Xiao Ling Tong when it comes to playing the fictional¹ superhero - the Monkey King or Sun Wokong.

"He is a senior actor. In my heart, the Monkey King played by him is irreplaceable."

"He is skilled and experienced when it comes to the performance. I really hope he can appear again."

Liu Xiao Ling Tong is the stage name of Zhang Jinlai.

He rose to fame after starring as Sun Wukong in the 1986 television adaptation of the classic Chinese tale "Journey to the West."

The 25-episode fantasy series, complete with somewhat crude special effects of the day, continues to be repeated on Chinese television every summer.

As such, most fully² expected Zhang would be involved in the forthcoming Spring Festival gala, as this coming lunar year is the Year of the Monkey.

However, many have been taken aback by word he has been invited to the "opera show," a companion event to the Spring Festival gala which has a much lower viewership.

This has led to speculation³ he will not be part of the Gala, which has spawned⁴ an avalanche⁵ of criticism against the decision-makers at CCTV.

Many are suggesting they will boycott⁶ the show if Zhang fails to appear.

More than a million people have called for Zhang's appearance on the Gala's official Weibo account.

The program's director has been forced to shut down comments on his Weibo page after receiving more than 2 million similar requests.

So far, CCTV has yet to respond to the situation.

However, the actor himself has responded.

A humble⁷ Zhang Jinlai says the annual Spring Festival Gala is more than just one man.

"I've noticed that discussions over this have heated up on the internet. But from my perspective, there is nothing to regret, no matter whether I will perform in the show. The most important thing is whether the audience will be entertained. It's really an honor for me and my family to get praise for the monkey king roles we have played."

Zhang Jinlai does say he will be ready to perform on the Gala if asked.

But if he doesn't, he says his work as an actor will not be affected⁸.

"I always think I'm one of the luckiest actors in China since the TV series Journey to the West is popular with such a large group of audiences. The Monkey King is persevering⁹, positive and optimistic, and represents the spirit of our nation. I have many plans for this year and will have many new roles to play."

Numerous actors have played the famed Monkey King, including Donnie Yen¹⁰ who starred in the 2014 film "The Monkey," as well as Aaron Kwok in the upcoming film "The Monkey King 2," as well as Huang Bo in "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons¹¹."

However, Liu Xiao Ling Tong is still the best known, having made his stage debut¹² 51-years ago.

He has previously¹³ participated in the annual CCTV gala three times, including the previous edition to bring in the Year of Monkey in 2004.

For CRI, this is Min Rui.

1 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

4 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

5 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

6 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

7 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 persevering   

a.坚忍不拔的

参考例句：

• They will only triumph by persevering in their struggle against natural calamities. 他们只有坚持与自然灾害搏斗，才能取得胜利。
• Success belongs to the persevering. 胜利属于不屈不挠的人。

10 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

11 demons   

n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

13 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。