Scenic spot in N. China's Hebei Province recruits people to play Monkey King. Photo: Hongxing News

Recently, news about scenic spot recruiting a few actors to play the role of Sun Wukong, known as the Monkey King, has attracted attention. According to an online message, the scenic spot is recruiting several actors to play the role of the Monkey King, and the job description is to eat food and make shifts every hour with a monthly salary of 6,000 yuan ($836).

The scenic spot in the Taihang Wuzhi Mountain Scenic Area in Handan, North China's Hebei Province attempted to hire actors playing the role of the Monkey King trapped under Wuzhi Mountain in 2023. The person in charge of the scenic spot surnamed Jiang said that they have certain requirements for the actors, which are not as straightforward as netizens think.

Jiang said that there are three main requirements. First, the actor should be interested in this character, and should be able to imitate some of his actions and sounds. In addition, the actor should have a cheerful personality, and can interact with tourists friendly. It would be better if the actor can shoot short videos and do live broadcasts. In terms of salary, Jiang said that 6,000 yuan per month is the basic salary, and actors who perform well will receive bonus incentives.

According to Jiang, the scenic spot launched a series of activities related to the ancient novel of Journey to the West during holidays and summer vacations every year. Jiang said that the actor who plays the Monkey King in the Wukong Valley Kuchan Cave can enjoy the beautiful scenery and a natural oxygen bar. "We have further improved the working place for actors based on the natural cave, which is warm in winter and cool in summer, and there are electric heaters in the cave now," he said.

The scenic spot has been promoting the culture related to one of the Chinese classic novels Journey to the West in recent years, with the character of the Monkey King being the core, so it is currently recruiting actors to play the role. "During festivals, we will have live performances, with more performers including his master and the two other disciples as well as fairies," Jiang said.

Global Times