Yan Huaili (; 24 July 1936 – 12 April 2009) was a Chinese actor best known for his role as

Sha Wujing Sha Wujing () is one of the three disciples of the Buddhist pilgrim Tang Sanzang in the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' written by Wu Cheng'en in the Ming dynasty, although versions of his character predate the Ming novel. In the sour ...

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 popu ...

''. Yan was a member of the

Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang The Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK), also commonly known, especially when referenced historically, as the Left Kuomintang or Left Guomindang, is one of the eight legally recognised minor political parties in the Peo ...

Early life

Yan was born in

Fengnan District Fengnan District () is a district of Tangshan, Hebei, China on the coast of the Bo Sea and bordering Tianjin to the west. Administrative divisions Subdistricts: * Xugezhuang Subdistrict () Towns: * Fengnan Town (), Daodi (), Qianying (), Ta ...

Tangshan Tangshan () is a coastal, industrial prefecture-level city in the northeast of Hebei province. It is located in the eastern part of Hebei Province and the northeastern part of the North China Plain. It is located in the central area of the Boha ...

city,

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...

province, on July 24, 1936, during the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

. After the founding of the

Communist State A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comint ...

, Yan worked as an accountant in

China Construction Bank China Construction Bank Corporation (CCB) is one of the " big four" banks in China. In 2015, CCB was the 2nd largest bank in the world by market capitalization and 6th largest company in the world. The bank has approximately 13,629 domestic bra ...

Qinhuangdao Qinhuangdao (; ) is a port city on the coast of China in northern Hebei. It is administratively a prefecture-level city, about east of Beijing, on the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea. Its population during the 2020 national ...

Career

In 1958, Yan entered in the

Beijing People's Art Theatre Beijing People's Art Theatre (北京人民艺术剧院/北京人民藝術劇院) is a theatre company that was founded in June 1952 by drama master Cao Yu. Since its founding, the company has produced nearly 300 dramas of different styles, from ...

, majoring in acting. In the 1960s, Yan acted in ''

Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy ''Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy'' (Chinese: 智取威虎山; pinyin: zhì qǔ wēi hǔ shān) is a Peking opera play and one of the eight model plays allowed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The plot is based on parts of the popular no ...

'', ''

Red Crag ''Red Crag'' or ''Red Rock'' () was a 1961 novel based partly on fact by Chinese authors Luo Guangbin and Yang Yiyan, who were former inmates in a Kuomintang prison in Sichuan. It was set in Chongqing during the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and fe ...

'' and ''The Big Fisherman''. During the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, Yan acted in ''Cai Wenji'', ''Wang Zhaojun'' and ''Aesop''. Yan rose to fame after portraying

in ''

'', a historical television series starring Xu Shaohua,

Chi Zhongrui Chi Zhongrui or Chi Chongrui (; born 23 December 1952) is a Chinese actor famous for his role as Tang Sanzang in the 1986 television series ''Journey to the West''. Biography Early life Chi was born in a family of Peking opera actors, on Decembe ...

, Zhang Jinlai,

Ma Dehua Ma Dehua (; born 11 August 1945) is a Chinese actor best known for his role as Zhu Bajie in the 1986 television series ''Journey to the West''. Life Ma was born in a family of merchants in Beijing on August 11, 1945, with his ancestral home in ...

, Wang Yue, Cui Jingfu and

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 P ...

. The series was one of the most watched ones in mainland China in that year. In 1991, Yan played the character

Cheng Pu Cheng Pu () (died after 210), courtesy name Demou, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He previously served under Sun Quan's predecessors: Sun Jian (Sun Q ...

in ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'', adapted from

Luo Guanzhong Luo Ben (c. 1330–1400, or c.1280–1360), better known by his courtesy name Guanzhong (Mandarin pronunciation: ), was a Chinese writer who lived during the Ming dynasty. He was also known by his pseudonym Huhai Sanren (). Luo was attri ...

's classical novel of the same title. In 1993, Yan made his film debut in

Wong Jing Wong Jing ( born 3 May 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, actor, presenter, and screenwriter. A prolific filmmaker with strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, Wong Jing played a prominent role in Hong Kong cinema duri ...

's ''

Kung Fu Cult Master ''Kung Fu Cult Master'' (Chinese: 倚天屠龍記之魔教教主) is a 1993 Hong Kong wuxia film adapted from Louis Cha's novel ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber''. Directed by Wong Jing, it featured fight choreography by Sammo Hung, and starr ...

'', playing a monk in

Shaolin Temple Shaolin Monastery (少林寺 ''Shàolínsì''), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak of the So ...

, a film starring

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial arts, martial artist, and retired wushu (sport), Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singapo ...

Sharla Cheung Sharla Cheung Man (born 7 February 1968) is a Hong Kong actress and film producer. Career Cheung's acting career began in 1986 in The Magic Crystal. Cheung was discovered by Wong Jing, with whom she worked on many of his productions in the early ...

Chingmy Yau Chingmy Yau Suk-zing (born 16 May 1968) is a retired Hong Kong actress. Background She entered the Hong Kong film industry after competing secondary school in the 1987 Miss Hong Kong Beauty Pageant. She was one of the leading actresses in the ...

and

Gigi Lai Gigi Lai (born 1 October 1971) is a Hong Kong actress and singer. Entering the entertainment industry in 1985, Lai was under a contract with the television station TVB from 1991 until she retired in 2008. Nicknamed by the Hong Kong media as the " ...

. In 2000, Yan appeared as

Pei Yan Pei Yan (裴炎) (died November 30, 684), courtesy name Zilong (子隆), was a Chinese politician during the Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong That dominated by Empress Wu, as well Later alone regency by his ...

, an official of the Chinese dynasty

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, in '' Palace of Desire''. In 2002, Yan participated in ''The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan'' as Chen Huizu, an ancient costume comedy television series starring

Zhang Guoli Zhang Guoli (born 17 January 1955) is a Chinese actor and film director who was a ''xiangsheng'' actor before he started working on films and television series. He is mostly known for his roles playing the Emperor in various dramas involving Qin ...

Zhang Tielin Zhang Tielin (born 15 June 1957) is a British actor and film director. He is best known for portraying the Qianlong Emperor in the first two seasons of the Chinese television series ''My Fair Princess''. Early life and education Zhang was born ...

, Wang Gang and

Yuan Li Yuan Li (; born 12 July 1973), sometimes called "China's Audrey Hepburn" or "China's Mother Teresa", is a Chinese actress. She has won the China Golden Eagle Award for Best Supporting Actress and Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress ...

. On April 12, 2009, Yan died of

interstitial lung disease Interstitial lung disease (ILD), or diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD), is a group of respiratory diseases affecting the interstitium (the tissue and space around the alveoli (air sacs)) of the lungs. It concerns alveolar epithelium, pulmo ...

at Beijing Shijitan Hospital.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Yan Huaili
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Huaili 1936 births 2009 deaths People from Tangshan Male actors from Hebei Chinese male film actors Chinese male television actors 20th-century Chinese male actors 21st-century Chinese male actors