Nearly 40 years after "Journey to the West" aired, Ma Dehua is still remembered by many generations of audiences for his image of Zhu Bajie.
The actor, born in 1945, studied martial arts before pursuing Peking Opera. The predestined relationship with "Journey to the West" helped his career take a different direction and made Ma Dehua a famous face throughout China.
The success of the film later was great, but the filming conditions and income of the cast at that time were quite limited.
According to CCTV, actors with a lot of screen time such as Ma Dehua and Luc Tieu Linh Dong are only paid more than 80 CNY per episode.
This cat-xe is much lower than the value and influence that the film created in the decades that followed.
Ma Dehua himself once admitted that the salary when filming "Journey to the West" was not high. At one point, colleagues said that he spent many years with the film crew but did not earn much money.
Journey to the West" 1986 was made in deprived conditions, lasting for many years. However, the success of the work changed the lives of the actors. For Ma Dehua, Zhu Bajie became the most important role in his career.
Life at age 81
After "Journey to the West", Ma Dehua did not leave showbiz. He continued to act in movies, stage performances and participate in many art activities.
However, the shadow of Zhu Bajie is too big. Ma Dehua once shared that after the movie, audiences and even professionals still often defaulted to him with this character.
In recent years, when he got older, the actor significantly reduced his work and spent more time with his family and personal hobbies.
Chinese media once recorded an ordinary day of Ma Dehua starting with taking care of flowers and grass in his private villa. After that, he spends time writing calligraphy, painting or walking.
Images shared by Ma Dehua before also show that his living space is quite spacious, with a yard for planting trees. His villa has 3 floors, estimated to be of high value.
It is known that the family of "Zhu Bajie" Ma Dehua owns a large fortune, even his son is a businessman with assets of hundreds of millions of CNY.
In his 80s, Ma Dehua still maintains interest in technology and social networks. He once learned how to use short video platforms from young family members.
The actor also published his autobiography "Ngo Nang", recounting his artistic journey and the stories behind his most famous role.
At the beginning of 2026, when "Journey to the West" continues to be mentioned on the occasion of its 40th anniversary of broadcasting, Chinese media once again quoted Ma Dehua's sharing about the makeup and construction process of Zhu Bajie.
