Donnie Yen, Xia Zitong (Photo : Reuters)
Chinese actor Zhang Jinlai is leading a campaign to earn the first television adaptation of the late 16th-century Chinese novel "Journey to the West" a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records, the Global Times reported.
Recently, Zhang announced his bids for "highest rated TV show" and "most broadcast TV show." The 55-year-old actor played the role of the Monkey King in the series, in which he claimed has been broadcast more than 3,000 times on Chinese television in its entirety.
Shortly after his announcement of the Guinness bid, Zhang was praised by netizens in China and even dubbed him as the best Monkey King on Chinese television.
Also known as Sun Wukong, the Monkey King is the main character in "Journey to the West" who was accompanied by the monk Xuanzang on his quest to obtain sacred Buddhist sutras.
The series featuring Zhang as the Monkey King first aired in 1982 and its last installment aired in 1999. Filmed and remade over 17 years, the series aired with 41 episodes.
Currently, the series hold two China-based Shanghai Great World Guinness Records for the longest production time for a single TV series in China and the largest "Journey to the West" art collection.
In his family, Zhang is the fourth generation to play the role of the Monkey King, following the footsteps of his great-grandfather Zhang Tingchun, grandfather Zhang Yisheng and his father Zhang Zongyi.
With this legacy, the youngest Zhang is also planning to apply for a record as "most members of one family to play a single dramatic role."
Other actors who have played the Monkey King are Liu Shang-Chien, Stephen Chow, Russell Wong, Wu Yue, Bo Huang, and most recently Donnie Yen in "The Monkey King," which was released earlier this year.
In 2013, Hong Kong actor-director Chow released his "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons," which earned $196 million, according to Variety.
