Journey to the West Sequel
A sixteen-episode mythological series produced by CCTV in 2000, directed by Yang Jie to complete the unfinished chapters of the 1986 version with the return of Chi Zhongrui and Liu Xiaoling Tong.
Journey to the West: The Sequel is a 16-episode mythological series released in its entirety by China Central Television on January 28, 2000. Directed by Yang Jie, who also helmed the original Journey to the West (1986), and written by Dai Yinglu, filming began in 1998. The series aimed to complete several chapters that the 1986 original had been unable to film due to budget and technical constraints. The show adapts story arcs from the original novel, including "Praying for Rain in Fengxian Prefecture," "Saving the Infants in Biqiu Kingdom," "The Three Demons of Lion-Camel Ridge," and "The Shaving of Monks in the Dharma-Destruction Kingdom." All 16 episodes were broadcast as a single release rather than as weekly updates. Among the original cast, Liu Xiao Ling Tong returned as Sun Wukong and Chi Chongrui returned as Tang Sanzang; however, Cui Jingfu replaced Ma Dehua as Zhu Bajie, and Liu Dagang replaced Yan Huaili as Sha Wujing. The series retained Xu Jingqing's classic scores from the original, such as "Where is the Road?" and "Cloud Palace Sound." Nevertheless, its narrative and character reinterpretations sparked controversy when compared to the 1986 version, and its peak viewership reached approximately 30%, far lower than the original's peak of 89.4%. Even so, as the final concluding chapter to the "national version" of the 1986 series, The Sequel remains in the hearts of viewers as the definitive conclusion to the older generation of Journey to the West dramas.