Symphony piece, 'The Legend of Monkey King,' set to be staged in Beijing

A doll of the mischievous Monkey King is displayed at an art craft-themed fair in 2022 in Beijing. /CGTN

"The Legend of Monkey King," a new symphony piece by internationally-renowned composer and vocalist Liu Sola, is due to be unveiled to audience members in October during the Beijing Music Festival.

A screenshot from an online video shows the symphony "The Legend of Monkey King" being performed against the backdrop of a screening of the classic Chinese animation "Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven." /CGTN

As a self-admitted fan of the 1961 cartoon movie "Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven," Liu Sola believes that the Monkey King needs to be portrayed through the distinctive rhythms of Chinese music, so she spent around eight months working on the composition.

Last year, the symphony, in which Liu used the vibrant rhythms of drums to portray the playful and mischievous nature of the Monkey King, premiered at the Shanghai Symphony Hall.