Chi Chongrui (; born 23 December 1952) is a Chinese actor famous for his role as

Tang Sanzang Tang Sanzang is a Buddhist monk and pilgrim who is a central character in the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' by Wu Cheng'en. His birth surname name was Chen (), but having been found in a river as a baby--he was abandoned after bir ...

in the 1986 television series ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the Classic Chinese Novels, great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the ...

''.

Biography

Early life

Chi was born in a family of

Peking opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, martial arts, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became ...

actors, on December 23, 1952. During the

Down to the Countryside Movement The Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement, often known simply as the Down to the Countryside Movement, was a policy instituted in the China, People's Republic of China between the mid-1950s and 1978. As a result of what he p ...

, he became a

sent-down youth The sent-down, rusticated, or educated youth (), also known as the ''zhiqing'', were the young people who—beginning in the 1950s until the end of the Cultural Revolution, willingly or under coercion—left the urban districts of the People' ...

and worked in Heilongjiang Production and Construction Corps, then he became a soldier and serving in Yunan. He entered China Broadcasting Art Troupe while he leaving the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, two years later, he was accepted to Shanghai Theater Academy. After graduation, he was assigned to China Television Production Center (CTPC) as an actor.

Acting career

*In 1981, he had his first experience in front of the camera, and he was chosen to act as a support actor in ''Doulao Kouhua Kai''. *In 1982, he made his film debut in ''Bizhongqing'', playing Huanshu. *In 1983, he appeared in ''Golden Late Autumn'' and ''This Is Not A Mistake''. *In 1984, he rose to fame after portraying

in the

shenmo Gods and demons fiction or Shenmo fiction () is a subgenre of Chinese fantasy fiction that revolves around the deities, immortals, demons and monsters of Chinese mythology. The term ''shenmo xiaoshuo'', coined in the early 20th century by the w ...

television series ''

'', adapted from

Wu Cheng'en Wu Cheng'en (, c. 1500–1582Shi Changyu (1999). "Introduction." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, ''Journey to the West'', volume 1. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 1–22. or 1505–1580), courtesy name Ruzhong (), was a Chines ...

's classical novel of the same title. That same year, he also participated in the spy thriller television series ''Harbin Enveloped in Darkness''. *In 2005, he starred as

Jianzhen Jianzhen (688–763), also known by his Japanese name Ganjin (,), was a Tang Chinese monk who helped to propagate Buddhism in Japan. In the eleven years from 743 to 754, Jianzhen attempted to visit Japan some six times, arriving in the year ...

in the historical television series ''Journey to the West''. *In 2010, he starred opposite Liu Xiao Ling Tong, Ma Dehua, Liu Dagang in ''

Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West ''Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West'' is a Chinese television series about the life of Wu Cheng'en and his inspiration for writing the 16th-century novel ''Journey to the West''. The series was directed by Kan Weiping and consists of a total of 4 ...

''. *In 2015, he was cast in the lead role of Tang Sanzang in the

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

's production ''Journey to the West 3D'', a 3D Chinese-American

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually Magic (paranormal), magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The Film genre, genre is considered a form of speculative fic ...

adaptation based on the novel of the same name by Wu Cheng'en.

Personal life

In 1990 Chi married Chen Lihua, one of China's richest women.

Works

Television

Film

Chi Zhongrui at chinesemov.com
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chi, Zhongrui 1952 births Male actors from Beijing Living people Shanghai Theatre Academy alumni Chinese male television actors