Chi Zhongrui or Chi Chongrui (; born 23 December 1952) is a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

actor famous for his role as

Tang Sanzang Tang Sanzang () is a central character in the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' by Wu Cheng'en. Tang Sanzang is based on the historical Buddhist monk Xuanzang. He is also widely known by his courtesy name, Tang Seng, () or Sanzang (). ...

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 greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popul ...

''.

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 music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

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 People's Republic of China between mid 1950s and 1978. As a result of what he perceived to ...

, 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 ...

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 (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, two years later, he was accepted to

Shanghai Theater Academy Shanghai Theatre Academy () is a public university in Shanghai, People's Republic of China dedicated to dramatic art education. Its predecessor was Shanghai Municipal Experimental Theatre School cofounded by the famous educator Gu Yuxiu ( 顾� ...

. 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 () is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that revolves around the deities, immortals, and monsters of Chinese mythology. The term ''shenmo xiaoshuo'', coined in the early 20th century by the writer and literary historian Lu ...

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), or Ganjin in Japanese, was a 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. Ganjin finally came to Japan in the year 753 and ...

in the historical television series ''Journey to the West''. *In 2010, he starred opposite

Liu Xiao Ling Tong Zhang Jinlai (; born 12 April 1959), better known by his stage name Liu Xiao Ling Tong (), is a Chinese actor, best known for his role as the Monkey King (Sun Wukong) in the 1986 television series '' Journey to the West'' () adapted from the cl ...

, Ma Dehua,

Liu Dagang Liu Dagang (born May 18, 1947) is a Chinese actor best known for his role as Sha Wujing in the 1986 television series ''Journey to the West''. He is a . Biography Liu was born on May 18, 1947, in Beijing, China. He is a former actor at China ...

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 ...

''. *In 2015, he was cast in the lead role of Tang Sanzang in the Paramount Pictures's production ''Journey to the West 3D'', a 3D Chinese-American

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

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

Personal life

In 1990 Chi married

Chen Lihua Chen Lihua (; born 1941), rendered Chan Laiwa in Cantonese, is the founder and chairman of Fuwah International Group, one of Beijing's largest commercial property developers. In 2014, Forbes ranked her as the 10th richest mainland Chinese, the r ...

, one of China's richest women.

Works

Television

Film

Chi Zhongrui at chinesemov.com
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References

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