Chinese netizens were outraged after finding out that one of China's most beloved performers of the Monkey King, 57-year-old actor Liuxiao Lingtong, wouldn't be making an appearance at the Spring Festival Gala on CCTV 1, an event which will kick off the Year of the Monkey.

The actor played the Monkey King in the TV series Journey to The West in 1982, one of the earliest TV adaptations of the classic book and what many consider a classic in its own right. The series has been rebroadcast repeatedly over the decades since making the actor the definitive Monkey King in the eyes of many generations of Chinese. 

The outrage began at the beginning of the week when a rumor began circulating on the Internet that the actor's appearance at the gala had been canceled by CCTV.

Liuxiao Lingtong later told the Global Times that the rumor couldn't be true, since he hadn't been invited to attend.

"But if I'm needed, I will perform," he said.

Although the cancelation was proved a rumor, outrage continued after fans discovered that the actor hadn't even been invited. Thousands of netizens have been posting on the gala's official social media account calling for CCTV to bring Liuxiao Lingtong to the stage.

"Liuxiao Lingtong may be old, but we'll be happy if he just stands on the stage. He doesn't even need to speak or move. We grew up with him and it's the Year of the Monkey. We just want to see our childhood hero again," Sina Weibo user Jinmuyan posted.

Global Times