In 2026, celebrated Shaoju opera artist Xiaoqilingtong passed away. As a dedicated inheritor of the Zhang-style monkey opera rooted in Shaoxing, he spent his whole life polishing local stage performances and passing down the art.
On September 13, 2026, news of the passing of renowned Shaoxing Opera actor Xiao Qilingtong spread. Upon first hearing the news, many people’s initial reaction was one of confusion: as another heir to the Zhang family’s monkey-play tradition—and aside from the widely recognized Liu Xiaolingtong—most people were unfamiliar with this elderly man’s identity and background.
The Zhang Family Monkey Play originated in Shaoxing and is a core component of Shaoxing Opera.Xiao Qilingtong, whose real name is Zhang Zongyi, is a cousin of Liu Xiaolingtong. From a young age, he studied the art under his father, Zhang Tingchun, in local Shaoxing opera troupes. He began performing monkey plays on stage in his teens and, because his singing style and stage mannerisms closely resembled his father’s, adopted the stage name Xiao Qilingtong.While Liu Xiao Ling Tong became known to audiences nationwide for his role as the Monkey King in the TV series *Journey to the West*, Xiao Qi Ling Tong never left the local stages of Shaoxing, spending his entire life rooted in the local theaters and among the theater enthusiasts there.
He deliberately chose a relatively low-key path in the world of regional opera; he never capitalized on his brother’s fame to perform elsewhere, nor did he ever accept nationwide commercial promotion. For decades, he performed only in theaters large and small within Shaoxing itself,Every detail—from the stage movements and postures to the monkey play’s distinctive ear-tugging and tiptoeing steps—was honed through years of repeated performances.When taking on apprentices to pass down his art, he imparted the unique movements and spirit of Shaoxing Opera’s monkey role without reservation, personally demonstrating every key point. The performance notes he left behind are filled with insights on adjustments made during each performance—all representing a solid accumulation of practical experience.After the old man passed away, there was no large-scale public memorial; all that remained were stacks of performance notes densely filled with his handwriting, as well as the vivid and lively image of the Monkey King on stage, preserved in the memories of local veteran audience members.
It wasn’t until the old man passed away that many people realized that, beyond the film and television portrayals of the Zhang Family Monkey Play familiar to audiences across the country, there was also this veteran performer who had remained at its place of origin and devoted his entire life to perfecting the Shaoju Monkey Play—and that Shaoju, this local opera genre, holds many artistic treasures that have yet to be widely recognized.
Currently, many regional opera genres are facing the dilemma of shrinking audiences and an aging fan base; the passing of every veteran performer represents a significant loss in the lineage of these art forms.Many theatergoers have noted that seeing a live Shaoju monkey play in a theater even once allows one to truly appreciate the unique charm of this traditional art form. These treasures of traditional opera, which have been refined over hundreds of years, also require more concrete and effective ways to be seen by the public and preserved for future generations.
