According to Sina, artist Liu Dagang passed away surrounded by his family in Beijing on November 3. The information was confirmed to the media by the artist’s relatives. His funeral was held simply according to his last wishes.
Family games
The news of Liu Dagang’s death shocked many audiences and colleagues. In the last years of his life, the artist lived a private life, almost never appearing in public.
Liu Dagang was born in 1947, a veteran name in the Chinese entertainment industry. With more than half a century of acting, the artist was loved for many roles on both stage and screen.
Liu Dagang as Sha Wujing. Photo: Sina
He is loved through works such as: The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber: Demonic Cult Leader, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Prime Minister Liu Gu… Liu Dagang is loved by Asian audiences, including Vietnam, when he replaced actor Yan Huaili to play Sha Wujing in the classic TV series Journey to the West.
“Both actors who played Sha Wujing have passed away. They have both gone to the West, completing their mission in life,” a comment received tens of thousands of likes from the online community on Weibo.
There are actors whose performances entertain us, actors whose talent impresses us, and then there are actors whose presence becomes part of our childhood, our culture, our emotional memory. Liu Dagang belonged to the last category. For millions, he was not merely a performer — he was a guardian spirit, a quiet force, a companion on a legendary road. Through his portrayal of Sha Wujing in Journey to the West, he shaped how an entire generation understood loyalty, humility, and silent strength.
And now, in this fictional memorial narrative, the man who once brought calm to millions has taken his final bow.
For decades, his steady eyes, broad shoulders, and soft-spoken wisdom were imprinted on the hearts of viewers across China and around the world. Today, as tributes pour in like falling petals, it becomes clear just how deeply his work has resonated — and why the story of his life continues long after the man himself has departed from the stage.
🌿 A QUIET TITAN — THE MAN BEHIND SHA WUJING
Liu Dagang was never the loudest star. He never chased sensational roles or flashy fame. Instead, he built a career rooted in discipline, humility, and sincerity. He studied his craft with the devotion of a monk chiseling scripture into stone — slow, steady, purposeful.
When he stepped into the role of Sha Wujing, one of the three disciples of the monk Xuanzang, the world saw something rare. Sha Wujing was not the fiery rebel like Sun Wukong, nor the comedic glutton like Zhu Bajie. He was the quiet one, the watcher, the protector — the one who stood without demanding attention, who carried burdens others overlooked, who fought not for glory but out of loyalty.
Liu Dagang embodied this spirit flawlessly.
His movements were measured.
His voice was warm, like iron cooled in water.
His presence radiated a softness that hid immense strength.
For many, Sha Wujing became the heart of Journey to the West. Not the loudest or the flashiest — but the anchor. And Liu Dagang made that anchor unforgettable.
🌧️ A FINAL JOURNEY — AND A FINAL LESSON
In this fictional telling, Liu Dagang’s passing at the age of 78 comes after a long, courageous battle with illness. Those close to him described his final months as a period of peace — a soft sunset rather than a storm.
He spent his days surrounded by family, longtime friends, and the treasured scripts he kept from past performances. Even in weakness, he maintained the quiet dignity that defined him. Nurses often said he was “the kindest patient they had ever met,” always smiling, always thanking others even when he was the one suffering.
Family games
One of his colleagues shared a memory from those final weeks:
“He told us, ‘Every role ends. But the meaning you leave behind — that’s the real performance.’”
Those words now ring like the closing line of a legend.
📺 THE GENERATION THAT GREW UP WITH HIM
For countless viewers, especially those who grew up in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, Liu Dagang was more than an actor — he was part of their childhood landscape.
Children watched Journey to the West again and again, reciting lines by heart.
They imitated Sun Wukong’s staff tricks, Zhu Bajie’s silly expressions — but when life got difficult, when they needed reassurance, it was often Sha Wujing’s calmness they remembered.
A man who rarely spoke.
A warrior who carried burdens quietly.
A figure who always stepped forward when it mattered most.
Across social media, fictional fans in this narrative wrote things like:
“He taught me to be calm in chaos.”
“Sha Wujing protected the monk, and Liu Dagang protected my childhood.”
“He was the monk who never stopped watching over us.”
“My father used to say: ‘Be like Sha Wujing — strong but gentle.’”
These tributes paint a picture more powerful than any award.
🎭 DEVOTION TO HIS CRAFT
Liu Dagang’s colleagues often said he was the first to arrive on set and the last to leave. When filming required late nights, cold mountain scenes, or physically demanding sequences, he never complained. Instead, he would smile, stretch his shoulders, and say:
“Let’s do it one more time — but better.”
His devotion extended far beyond acting.
He was a mentor to younger performers, a quiet leader in rehearsal rooms, and a reassuring presence during stressful shoots.
One junior actor recalls approaching Liu Dagang nervously on set:
“I couldn’t get my fight sequence right. I kept messing up. He came over, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, ‘The body learns slowly, but the heart learns faster. Trust yourself.’
I never forgot that.”
This was Liu Dagang — the teacher without trying, the guide without preaching.
🕯️ A LEGACY CARVED IN HEARTS, NOT MARBLE
Awards fade. Trends shift. Fame flickers.
But certain roles — certain performances woven into a nation’s cultural fabric — never die. Sha Wujing is one of them. And Liu Dagang remains inseparable from that gentle guardian.
He didn’t just portray a character.
He immortalized a spirit:
Loyalty without loudness.
Strength without boasting.
Wisdom without arrogance.
Compassion without weakness.
In a world increasingly defined by noise, his quietness became a rare and precious gift.
ACROSS CHINA, A SEA OF FICTIONAL TRIBUTES
In this fictional narrative, news platforms across China report that candle emojis flood social media timelines. Entire comment sections become digital memorial halls. Schools, film clubs, and cultural organizations host online screenings of Journey to the West in his honor.
Some fans stand by rivers, watching the water flow and imagining Sha Wujing standing guard once more.
Others recite lines from the series — not Sun Wukong’s bold shouts or Zhu Bajie’s jokes, but Sha Wujing’s soft, often unnoticed statements of loyalty.
“Master, don’t worry. I am here.”
“Let me carry this burden.”
“We must keep going — the journey isn’t over.”
Now, those lines feel heavier, sweeter, more sacred.
🌄 THE CLOSING CHAPTER OF A TIMELESS LEGEND
As the fictional memorial concludes, people gather not to mourn a celebrity — but to honor a spirit who shaped their understanding of courage. A life like Liu Dagang’s is not measured in years, but in hearts touched, lessons taught, memories created, and virtues preserved.
In the final symbolic scene of this narrative, imagine a quiet mountain path.
The sun is rising.
Morning fog curls around ancient trees.
A lone monk walks forward, staff in hand, robes brushing softly against the ground.
He does not speak.
He does not need to.
He turns once, offering a final, gentle smile.
Then he continues his journey — steady, humble, eternal.
For legends do not end.
They simply walk on.
🌙 THE FINAL WORDS
In the story of Liu Dagang, there is sorrow — yes — but also gratitude. Gratitude for the warmth he gave, the steadiness he embodied, the quiet lessons he taught without ever raising his voice.
His journey, in this fictional tribute, has reached its peaceful end.
But his spirit — like Sha Wujing’s — continues to walk beside us.
Strong.
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