Journey to the West (1986 TV series)
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Theme music composer Xu Jingqing Final episode date 1999 | 8.8/10 IMDb First episode date 1 October 1986 Network China Central Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Directed by Yang JieXun HaoRen Fengpo Starring Liu Xiao Ling TongWang YueXu ShaohuaChi ChongruiMa DehuaYan HuailiCui JingfuLiu Dagang Awards Golden Eagle Award for Best Actor Cast Similar Wu Cheng'en and Jour, The Monkey King: Que, Monkey, Journey to the West II, The Monkey King | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Journey to the West ep. 01 The Monkey King is born 《西游记》第1集 猴王问世（主演：六小龄童、迟重瑞） | CCTV电视剧
Journey to the West is a Chinese television series adapted from the classic novel of the same title. The series was first broadcast on CCTV in China on 1 October 1986. The series became an instant classic in China and is still being praised as the best and most authentic interpretation of the novel. Unadapted portions of the original story were later covered in the second season, which was released in 1999.
Contents
- Journey to the West ep 01 The Monkey King is born 1 CCTV
- Season 1
- Season 2
- Cast
- Main cast
- Other cast
- Music
- Wu Chengen and Journey to the West
- References
Season 1
Season 1 has 25 episodes and covers 74 chapters of the novel. The first trial episode was aired on 1 October 1986, and filming lasted until 1987. It was aired as a whole series in 1988. With the limited but relatively new special effects, the series received a viewership rate of 89.4% in 1987. The series has been rebroadcast every year since then. As of 2012, the series has been repeated on Chinese local channels more than 2,000 times.
Season 2
Season 2 has 16 episodes (covers another 25 chapters of the novel). Filming began in 1998 and finished in 1999. It was broadcast on CCTV in 2000. The internal story of the second season has the four protagonists relating to Emperor Taizong of Tang via flashbacks of their travels and adventures, (namely those episodes not depicted in the first series) upon their return to China. Season 2 differs from the format of the first season, as most episodes end on a cliffhanger, with conflicts being resolved and new ones encountered in the middle of episodes in a more fluid timeline.
Cast
Some of the actors played multiple roles while certain roles were played by multiple actorsMain cast
Other cast
Listed in order of appearanceMain cast
Other cast
Listed in order of appearanceMusic
The music for the series was mainly composed by Xu Jingqing (许镜清).
Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West
The original lead actors of Journey to the West (1986) — Liu Xiao Ling Tong, Chi Chongrui and Ma Dehua — reprised their roles in Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West, a 2010 television series about Wu Cheng'en and his inspiration for writing the novel Journey to the West. Sha Wujing, however, was portrayed by Liu Dagang because Yan Huaili, who played the character in 1986, died in April 2009.