The 77-year-old puppet master Li T'ien-lu's voice, expression, and gestures take on a special animation when he talks about Sun Wu-k'ung, the Monkey King. When he was young, on festive occasions, Li would put on the entire story of Monkey's adventures over two consecutive nights; a total of five different puppets were required for the Great Sage to show him in the various stages of the story.
"It's only on the Sage's birthday that the show shouldn't be put on," Li says. But he adds that few people pay attention to such strictures nowadays, and, "anyway, everybody likes to see it!"
A while back, a French puppeteer who studied under Li took his "Monkey" show on a tour of Europe and the Chinese mainland. Li says that many foreigners are familiar with the Monkey story, and that its action scenes, colorful costumes, and fantastic backgrounds make it an excellent show for beginning puppeteers and foreign audiences alike.
The Frenchman had come all the way to Taiwan to study under Li and even kept a monkey to observe and imitate. "Now he's even better than his teacher," Li says proudly.
Sun Wu-k'ung is a prized role in Peking opera, as well as in puppet theater.
"Monkey" operas, combining singing, acting, and kungfu, are favorites with the audience, but not every actor can play in them.
"The role is very special," Sun Yuan pin, a veteran Peking opera actor, explains. To play Monkey well, an actor must master a wide range of movements and weapons as well as being able to sing, dance, and perform acrobatic maneuvers simultaneously. "The toughest part is facial expressions," Sun reveals.
"When I played my first Monkey role at age 15, I followed my teacher's instructions to the letter," Sun says, "but it didn't mean anything to me." It was only after he had seen Yeh Sheng-chang perform the role when he was older that he realized there was more to the part than simply "looking like a monkey."
What is required?
"A deeper understanding," Sun replies. Monkey goes through many changes in the course of his story in Journey to the West, ranging through the three levels of monkey, man, and Buddha, "all of which must be expressed through subtle movements and expressions."
The secret to performing a good Monkey, Sun concludes, comes down simply to this: "Remember that you're onstage to act, not to show off."
[Picture Caption]
(l.) Li T'ien-lu
(r.) Sun Yuan-pin
The Chinese opera episode "The Theft of the Peaches and Elixir." （courtesy of Sun Yuan-pin）
"Sorry, McDonald's!" A Chinese-style hamburger chain uses Monkey as its logo.
Monkey appears all over Japan in this liquor advertisement. （courtesy of Ts'ai Chih-chung）
Monkey stealing the peaches of immortality from a shadow puppet play.
Sun Wu-k'ung as drawn by a popular contemporary cartoonist.
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