Zhang Jinlai, the most acclaimed actor of "Monkey King" in China, posted a photo of himself rehearsing for CCTV's opera show on Jan. 26, 2016. (Web photo)
Millions of Chinese are expressing outrage over the fact that beloved "Monkey King" actor Zhang Jinlai has been left out of the national TV gala celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year.
Many have threatened to boycott the most-watched variety show in China, which usually airs on the Lunar New Year's eve. This year it is scheduled for Feb. 7.
With 2016 marking the Year of the Monkey according to the Chinese zodiac, many assumed the character would greet the audience during the show. But media reports said Zhang had not even been invited to the show, sparking an overwhelming outcry on Chinese social media in the past week.
State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) was under attack by Internet users soon after Zhang posted a photo of himself rehearsing as the Monkey King for CCTV's opera show, instead of the gala show, on his Weibo account.
The photo gained more than a million likes within three days, while the Weibo account for the CCTV gala show was flooded with millions of comments and retweets demanding the Monkey King. Many were offensive, sarcastic or rude.
"The show belongs to the Chinese people, and the people want him in the show! Our Monkey King is already 56. If he misses this show, we will have to wait 12 years for another Year of the Monkey," one of the most popular comments read.
The monkey is the 9th of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the lunar calendar.
Early on Friday, CCTV turned off the comment function, deleting the previous posts and triggering another round of online protests through retweets, which cannot be turned off at CCTV's wish.
CCTV has not responded to Xinhua's interview requests by phone or via social media platforms. It has yet to address the issue on its Weibo account.
CCTV's gala show has been a staple of Lunar New Year celebrations since the 1980s. In recent years, however, younger generations have found alternatives as the show is criticized for not capturing the interest of ordinary people.
But it still manages to attract hundreds of millions of viewers every year, making the advertising opportunity before and during the show very attractive to large brands despite hefty prices.
