Fans throng to see Sun Wukong actor

Actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong shows a child how to pose like Sun Wukong at the book signing on Tuesday afternoon - Photo: Tuong Vi

Liu Xiao Ling Tong, a famous Chinese actor loved in Vietnam for his portrayal of Sun Wukong in the 1986 Chinese TV series, Xi You Ji  or “Journey to the West”, was swamped by fans at a book signing in HCMC’s District 1 on Tuesday.

His newly published autobiographical novel “Luc Tieu Linh Dong binh Tay Du” is the best-seller here after its huge success in China. In the book Tong writes about what it was like playing the role of Sun Wukong for 17 years.

This is the second time the actor has visited Vietnam since the first trip with his father in 1998. At the book signing at Fahasa Tan Dinh Bookstore, the actor said he was moved to see so many adoring fans. “Sun Wukong is the symbol for the relationship between Vietnamese and Chinese people,” Tong said to the crowd.

When asked about new movies based on the 1986 TV series, “Journey to the West”, the actor said, “I appreciate new scripts but definitely object to remakes that distort the spirit and meaning of the original literary work.”

“There are even scripts that tell of a love between Sun Wukong and female devils and I will never take part in those movies,” he added.

His latest series called “Wu Chengen and Xi You Ji” which has 50 episodes is currently screening in China. The film tells about the life of Wu Chengen, the author of Xi You Ji and how he created the story. Liu Xiao Ling Tong plays the main role of Wu Chengen.

Tong’s visit is part of cultural exchange events to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam. China Radio International and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism cooperate to bring Chinese actors and art groups to Vietnam. Journey to the West was screened in the U.S., Japan, Germany, France and ASEAN countries, including Vietnam.

The actor will have a talk with students from University of Social Sciences and Humanity in HCMC; a talk online with fans via a local newspaper and a visit to Galaxy Nguyen Du cinema to meet fans in District 1 on Thursday. He will return home on Thursday.

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Fans throng to see Sun Wukong actor

Actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong shows a child how to pose like Sun Wukong at the book signing on Tuesday afternoon - Photo: Tuong Vi

Liu Xiao Ling Tong, a famous Chinese actor loved in Vietnam for his portrayal of Sun Wukong in the 1986 Chinese TV series, Xi You Ji  or “Journey to the West”, was swamped by fans at a book signing in HCMC’s District 1 on Tuesday.

His newly published autobiographical novel “Luc Tieu Linh Dong binh Tay Du” is the best-seller here after its huge success in China. In the book Tong writes about what it was like playing the role of Sun Wukong for 17 years.

This is the second time the actor has visited Vietnam since the first trip with his father in 1998. At the book signing at Fahasa Tan Dinh Bookstore, the actor said he was moved to see so many adoring fans. “Sun Wukong is the symbol for the relationship between Vietnamese and Chinese people,” Tong said to the crowd.

When asked about new movies based on the 1986 TV series, “Journey to the West”, the actor said, “I appreciate new scripts but definitely object to remakes that distort the spirit and meaning of the original literary work.”

“There are even scripts that tell of a love between Sun Wukong and female devils and I will never take part in those movies,” he added.

His latest series called “Wu Chengen and Xi You Ji” which has 50 episodes is currently screening in China. The film tells about the life of Wu Chengen, the author of Xi You Ji and how he created the story. Liu Xiao Ling Tong plays the main role of Wu Chengen.

Tong’s visit is part of cultural exchange events to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam. China Radio International and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism cooperate to bring Chinese actors and art groups to Vietnam. Journey to the West was screened in the U.S., Japan, Germany, France and ASEAN countries, including Vietnam.

The actor will have a talk with students from University of Social Sciences and Humanity in HCMC; a talk online with fans via a local newspaper and a visit to Galaxy Nguyen Du cinema to meet fans in District 1 on Thursday. He will return home on Thursday.

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STF donates scholarships to flood-hit children

Poor students at La Chu Elementary School receive scholarships from Le Ngoc Hong Ha, managing director of STF on Monday - Photo: Kinh Luan

The Saigon Times Foundation (STF) under the Saigon Times Group has granted 208 scholarships worth VND500,000 each to students in four flood-hit communes of Ninh Phuoc District in Ninh Thuan Province.

The area including Phuoc Huu, Phuoc Thuan, Phuoc Dan and Phuoc Hai communes was the first to be visited by the program called “Donating scholarships to flood-hit children to go to school”, to prevent poor children from dropping out of school.

Thanks to kind-hearted businesses and donors, STF raised VND284 million in one month. After visiting the worst hit areas, STF provided the  money for scholarships to students in Ninh Thuan, Quang Nam and Binh Dinh provinces. A team from STF will visit Binh Dinh on Dec. 31 and Quang Nam on January 10 to hand out 180 scholarships in each locality.

STF was established in 2002 by the Saigon Times Group and business people to support education and training, and contribute to human resource development to aid national development.

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German opera questions nature of innocence

An opera written by a German and Austrian trio will be performed by Vietnamese artists at the Hanoi Opera House on January 14 as part of German Year in Vietnam 2010.

The opera, titled “Man goes through the valley”, has music written by German composer Pierre Oser, with lyrics by Tankred Dorst and his wife Ursula Ehler. Oser will instruct the Vietnamese artists who were handpicked from Vietnam Opera Ballet Theater and Vietnam National Music Institute.

Tankred Dorst is one of the most famous modern writers in Germany.

The opera is based on a European legend about a man named Parzival, who left his home valley to discover the world. Parzival is a wild, warlike but very innocent boy, who grew up with his single mom. His mother, Herzeloid, who is broken-hearted because of his father’s death in battle, wants Parzival to keep away from all disasters, war and death, so she does not allow him to communicate with human society.

However, the deprived isolation thrust onto Parzival robs him of the ability to love and he does not know right from wrong.

The opera asks whether the boy learn how to love when he meets the community.

The dialogue is in Vietnamese and the songs in German. All singers, musicians, actors and dancers are Vietnamese.

Free tickets are available from the second week of January at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi.

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City fans line up for Monkey King’s signatures

Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong is talking with his fan while signing autographs in Fahasa Bookstore in Ho Chi Minh City on December 28, 2010

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Hundreds of fans queued up Tuesday to meet Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong, known for his portrayal of Sun Wukong or the Monkey King in a popular 1980s Chinese TV series “Journey to the West”.

The fans waited in long queue at the Tan Dinh Fahasa bookstore on District 1’s Hai Ba Trung Street, where the 52-year-old actor autographed his books “Liu Xiao Ling Tong – Journey to the West”, which was recently published in Vietnamese by Chibooks publishing house.

Among them is Nguyen Van The, an 82-year-old man, who crossed hundreds of kilometers to the bookstore to see the Monkey King in the flesh.

“I have to get his signature so that my neighbors and relatives believe that I have gone to HCMC and met Sun Wukong. Otherwise they just think that I come here to buy books,” he said.

He added that he liked the scene in which Sun Wu Kong disturbed the heaven.

Kieu Tat Thang, 49, had come to the bookstore early to see Liu Xiao Ling Ton: “I have read many Chinese books prior to 1975 and “Journey to the West” is my favorite. I appreciate its humane element.”

At a corner, two high school students Kim Vy and Nhat Anh were happy to obtain his signature. “We are very fascinated with the ‘Journey to the West’ film. We have seen it many times.”

According to schedule, the actor will visit the Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School and have Q&A session at some news agencies on December 29 before returning to China one day later.

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San Diu folk songs fade with time

Few people of San Diu group now can sing Soong Co folk songs. Local authorities has begun a project to preserve the art together with other cultural values of local ethnic groups. - VNS File Photo

TUYEN QUANG – The folk singing of the San Diu ethnic group in the northern province of Tuyen Quang is fading with time, worry local elders.

The folk lyric singing, known as Soong Co, is rarely heard now, even in Ninh Lai Commune, Son Duong District, where the form was believed to have originated. Over 70 per cent of the population of Ninh Lai Commune are of the San Diu group but few young people can now sing the songs.

"I even don't know how to speak the San Diu language, let alone sing the traditional songs," say some teenagers in the area.

Do Van Huong, 66, is one of the rare remaining locals who still can, and he recalls the memories of his youth and falling in love with his wife, Hoang Thi Suu, during nights of singing Soong Co.

"Back then, men who couldn't sing Soong Co wouldn't have been able to find a wife," said Huong. "In springs, when farmers weren't so busy in the fields working, young people always joined singing festivals."

Teams of singers travelled around, stopping at every village and recruiting more members at each stop, he said.

"The lyrics are simple spoken language, yet they contain melodies inside," said Le Thi Long, 61, from Ninh Lai Commune. "People loved to sing Soong Co since, through the songs, they could speak out their feelings and hopes."

While young people sang the songs to find lovers, old people used them to teach the youth about the merits of the ancestors and good behaviour, Long said.

According to Nguyen Viet Thanh, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, teens from local ethnic groups no longer wear traditional clothes, speak ethnic languages, or have even grown up in homes of traditional design.

The customs of other ethnic groups in the province were also fading, Thanh said, including the Long Tong (Field Work) Festival of the Tay ethnic group, the Cap Sac (coming of age) ceremony and Tet Nhay (New Year's Dance) of the Dao group, the Nhay Lua (Fire Dance) of the Pa Then group, and the Sinh Ca songs of the Cao Lan group.

The province has begun a project to preserve these cultural values, with a budget of up to VND3.8 billion (US$1.9 million). The project includes research on the cultural values of seven ethnic groups in 45 villages in the districts of Na Hang, Son Duong, Chiem Hoa, Yen Son and Ham Yen.

From that research, the most endangered heritage would be prioritised for preservation efforts, with some local festivals to be reconstituted in conjunction with economic and tourism development efforts. – VNS

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‘Monkey King' star wows crowds

Man of the moment: Internationally acclaimed actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong signs autographs for fans during his visit to HCM City yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photos Van Dat Monkey shines: Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong has won audiences' hearts around the world since the 1980s in his role as Sun Wu Kong in Xi You Ji (Journey to the West).

HCM CITY — Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong, who has been winning audiences' hearts around the world since the 1980s in his role of Sun Wu Kong in the Chinese legendary film series Xi You Ji (Journey to the West), arrived in HCM City yesterday, after a meeting with fans in Ha Noi.

His stellar performance of the Monkey King has won the hearts of generations of Asian audiences, and led to his sterling reputation around the world.

Children, teenagers and adults, whose childhood is linked to the film, came to listen to their idol and see whether his kung fu skills are as excellent as those used in the film.

The actor was besieged by autograph hounds and fans wanting to take photographs.

Thousands of people crowded HCM City's downtown to see their idol yesterday while the internationally acclaimed movie star held an autograph session for his Vietnamese-language book.

The actor said he was happy to see the love of his fans during his visit, which is his second, to HCM City.

"The friendship of the two countries remains stable. I bowed my head three times in front of President Ho Chi Minh when visiting his mausoleum. During the 1950s, my father performed in the role of Sun Wu Kong for your President," the actor said.

"The Chinese and Vietnamese people love the character of Sun Wu Kong in the film very much. I believe that the icon is a friendship symbol of the two countries."

The actor said his family was thankful to the author of the novel Wu Cheng En. "My family would not have the fame if the novel had not been written."

Four generations of his family have played the role of Sun Wu Kong, who is also known as Qi Tian Da Sheng (Great Sage Equal to Heaven).

Along with the news about the movie, the actor said he would release a 3D movie Wu Cheng En and Xi You Ji in Viet Nam.

Liu Xiao Ling Tong's birth name is Zhang Jin Lai. He was born in Shanghai on April 12, 1959.

He performs as an actor for CCTV and the China Television Production Centre.

At the beginning of 1982, Liu began acting as the Monkey King in the film Journey to the West, which was directed by Yangjie, and produced by CCTV and China Television Production Center.

After being aired in1988, the television serial was warmly welcomed both home and abroad.

It was awarded the special prize of Flying Sky Prize and the first prize of Golden Eagle Prize.

Liu was also awarded the best male actor and the top star of Ten Stars of Film and Television of that year.

His five-day visit to Viet Nam is co-organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and China Radio International, as part of a series of cultural events to celebrate 60 years of Viet Nam -China diplomatic relations.

The 51-year-old will also chair an exchange with students at the HCM City University of Social Science and Humanities today, telling them about his role in the movie, which brought his family worldwide fame.

During his visit in Ha Noi, the actor visited Ha Long Bay, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the Temple of Literature.

The actor who learned kung fu, monkey gestures and Chinese opera skills with his father at the age of six has performed in the past in South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau and other locations.

He will return to China tomorrow. — VNS

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