Actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Liu Xiao Ling Tong

Actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong, best known for his portrayal of the Monkey King in the first television adaptation of the classic tale Journey to the West in 1986, has been pronounced "dead" several times.

In June of 2014, he made a statement on Weibo.

"Ever since May of 2013, every few months I have Internet users tell me that I have been reported 'dead'. These rumors spread from Weibo to WeChat, and they all seem to happen in that hospital that doesn't exist in Shaoxing (of Zhejiang province)," the actor wrote according to a report from Nanning Evening News.

The rumors have severely affected his life and work, Liu added.