Zhang Jinlai, the actor who played the infamous "Monkey King" in China's first TV adaptation of the classic tale Journey to the West is now determined to get the show, and himself, into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Zhang believes that the show, which has been re-aired on Chinese television some 3,000 times since its first broadcast, should be a candidate for "Most Broadcast TV Show." Fair enough. He also believes it is the "Highest Rated TV Show" ever, and that one might be a bit trickier to prove.
Zhang hasn't expanded on his methodology for why the show is the "Highest Rated" but it certainly has the potential to be. A staggering proportion of China's population have seen the series, and it is widely seen as a classic. That is a lot of reviews, if they could be collected.
Now seems like a good time to say that Zhang holds a Guinness Book record himself for - we kid you not - the world's "Largest Journey to the West Memorabilia Collection." In other words, he's a bit of a fan.
While we certainly applaud Zhang's commitment to what he loves, we question his understanding of what, exactly the Guinness Book is. He is also applying for "Being The Only Person to Have Played Both the Author of Journey to The West and The Protagonist in The TV Drama," and we're pretty sure that's not a category.
Zhang is also getting ready to release a 3D TV drama based on Journey to the West, written and starring himself. We wonder how many potential records lay in that one.
0 User Comments