The Monkey King dream
Wang Huaijian is prepared to pay almost any price to turn his favorite fictional character into a motion picture, even if it causes his family financial hardship.
The farmer from East China's Shandong province has made six films about the Monkey King, an iconic character from the classic Chinese novel Journey To The West, without the backing and support of investors to cover his filming expenses.
His wife has worked two part-time jobs to help make ends meet as Wang indulges his fantasy.
Wang's obsession began at the age of 16 when he met Zhang Jinlai, the actor who immortalized the role of the Monkey King in a TV series. The show, first aired in 1982, sparked a strong public following and has been replayed many times ever since.
| Left: Wang prays for a successful career every day in font of a Monkey King shrine; Above: Wang adjusts his Monkey King mask before staging a performance. Zhao Xiaobo, Bai Shaoguang, Zhang Wei / for China Daily |
| Wang lives in a rented apartment with his wife, who has two part-time jobs to support his dream. |
| Wang talks with his wife to buy a professional sound recorder for the latest movie he has been making. |
| Wang declines commercial performances to focus on his movie. Without a stable salary, he has to fashion his own masks. |
| Even as his wife sells clothes on the street, Wang talks about his big movie. |
(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/14/2014 page4)
