Zuo Dabin

Zuo Dabin (; born 22 October 1943), also known by her art name Honghui , is a Chinese actress and educator best known for her role as Guanyin in Journey to the West.

She was a member of the 7th and 8th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. She is vice president of Hunan Federation of literary and Art Circles and Hunan Drama Association.

Early life and education Zuo was born on October 22, 1943, in Xingyang, Henan, to Zuo Zonglian , a major general under the leadership of Cheng Qian in the KMT troops and magistrate of Ru County (1940–1943) and Xingyang County (1943–1945), and Zheng Fuqiu , a Xiang opera performer. She has an elder sister.

She joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1984.

Since 2003, she taught at Hunan Vocational College of Art and Hunan Opera Theatre.

Cultural impact

Zuo Dapan's portrayal of Guanyin in the 1986 television series Journey to the West is widely considered the definitive onscreen representation of the Bodhisattva. Her performance profoundly impacted modern Chinese folk religion, to the extent that her likeness permanently altered how the deity is visually depicted in modern China.

When director Yang Jie first cast her in the role, she faced pushback from crew members who felt the 39-year-old Zuo was too old and not conventionally beautiful enough for a television deity. Yang famously defended the casting by stating, "I want a Buddha statue, not a pretty face." To prepare for the role, Zuo traveled to temples across China, studying the postures, hand gestures, and expressions of over 10,000 different Guanyin statues.

During the multi-year production of the series, the cast and crew repeatedly reported inexplicable meteorological coincidences associated with Zuo. According to production lore, when the crew was shooting on Mount Emei and Mount Qingcheng, they were repeatedly delayed by days of heavy rain and overcast skies; however, the moment Zuo stepped onto the set in her Guanyin costume, the rain would abruptly stop and the sun would break through the clouds. Zuo, who was not religious prior to the show, was so deeply affected by these recurring coincidences that she subsequently became a devout Buddhist.

Because the show was filmed in remote areas of rural China, locals who saw Zuo in full makeup frequently believed she was a living manifestation of the Bodhisattva. Villagers would drop to their knees in the mud to burn incense before her, and parents brought their sick children to the set, begging the "living Bodhisattva" to touch their heads for healing. Following the series' broadcast, this reverence intensified. During a visit to Kaifu Temple in Changsha, she was surrounded by hundreds of worshippers who knelt and chanted "The Bodhisattva has descended."

Awards

Year Award Category Result Notes 1989 6th Plum Blossom Prize Traditional Opera Award