Interview with Tong Xiangling (Chinese Peking Opera Performing Artist)

Synopsis: With his proud character and mastery of both civil and martial arts, Tong Xiangling portrayed the nationwide hero 'Yang Zirong' on stage, becoming an irreplaceable collective memory for generations. Having endured the turbulent criticism and systemic hardships of his era, he was able to calmly take off his stage costume to run a noodle shop and return to family life, living out a legendary life of resilience and integrity.

Interview by: Fa Ning

July 18, 2026

Tong Xiangling:

Namo Amituofo. I would like to report to all the people of China and my beloved family members that I have truly arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, a Buddha-land that everyone surely yearns for in their hearts.

You may not know this place, but anyone who has seen it once would certainly yearn for it, because it is truly magnificent. Although it is not yet the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I am now on my own lotus seat and can say that I am very content. Watching everything that happens in the human world, I also know that my life has been without regrets; being able to encounter the Buddha is the greatest blessing of my life.

My name is Tong Xiangling, and I was a Peking Opera actor. Actually, being an actor was not my initial dream as a child, but as I grew up, I watched my siblings all embark on the path of performance. Because everyone in our family not only had talent in this area but also possessed dignified faces and excellent voices, it was natural for us to step into this field, and it was also natural that I formed an unbreakable bond with Peking Opera and drama throughout my life.

People often say, 'Life is like a play, and a play is like life.' Coming to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I have discovered that this is truly the case. Whether they were actors or worked in other professions, everyone who arrives at the Western Land of Dharma Nature cannot help but sigh that the life they lived did not seem real; it was just like a dream. After following the script in the dream, life came to an end. Everyone thinks this way, whether they were high-ranking officials or scholars in the past.

Everyone now knows that there is spiritual growth in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and this is what is real. Why was people's previous life not real? I have now learned the relationship between the body and the spirit. It turns out that we were all living our lives based on this body, not knowing that this body was originally temporary and illusory, and instead, we clung tightly to all the sensations of the body. Only after death, when the physical shell was lost and the spirit grew, did I discover that it is the spirit that is unborn and undying.

This really has nothing to do with the 'Tong Xiangling' of that time. Regardless of what my name was or where I came from, all of this was just a change within Causal Conditions. I became a Peking Opera actor because of the causes I had planted in the past, which led me to form this connection and continue in the Peking Opera profession.

The most important role I was known for by the public was the nationwide hero 'Yang Zirong.' I was able to portray this character with such mastery that it moved everyone, partly because my own personality had similarities to Yang Zirong. I am a straightforward person with integrity, so I have always believed that a man should stand tall and be responsible for his actions, which is quite similar to the heroes in the dramas of that time. But all of this was just the result of the education I received and the Causal Conditions.

Now, looking back at Yang Zirong or Tong Xiangling, it does not matter who it was, because a name is just a label—a label I once had in the human world. After everything has passed, it truly leaves no trace. My family members who are still in the world have also spent their lives fighting for their own interests and hobbies, and everyone must experience birth, aging, sickness, and death. At the time, we did not think too much about it, believing that birth, aging, sickness, and death were just the natural order of things.

But now that I have truly arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature and have obtained such a magnificent and wonderful opportunity to elevate my spirit, I realise that everyone is rotating endlessly in the long river of spiritual life throughout their many lives, and they are actually suffering endlessly without even knowing it.

Perhaps because they have suffered for so long, after drinking Meng Po’s soup each time, people forget everything from the past and repeat the same mistakes, overwhelmed by all the pollution and desires of the world, returning to a life of various personalities, habits, and desires, spinning endlessly.

When I had a human body, I did not know about Buddhist education, so I did not understand these principles. If I had known earlier, I do not think I would have become a Peking Opera actor. To satisfy everyone's desire to enjoy Peking Opera performances, we had to pay a great price, spending a lifetime on and off stage just to make a person who had nothing to do with us appear real, famous, and deeply touching. The acting profession is just like this; it is lived to satisfy the perceptions of others, allowing everyone to obtain visual, auditory, and various sensory enjoyments.

If you ask me whether everything I did in the past conformed to the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way mentioned in the Buddha’s teachings, I think perhaps not. Because in the process of being an actor, I could not decide whether what I was presenting was Good or evil, positive or negative.

Presenting the Good side, making people feel Dharma joy and wanting to emulate being a kind person, might have been of some help to society. If I played a villain, although the outcome in the play was not good, it could help people understand the principles of the laws of karma and cause and effect; however, the message people received was often not that. People always learned negative spirits, words, actions, or thoughts and mindsets from the villainous characters, which is something that causes pollution to people's character. Naturally, this causes people's spirits to degenerate. Indulging the desires of the body is inherently something that causes the spirit to degenerate, and doing such things requires receiving retribution; this is not something I am happy to see now.

In this life, everything I experienced can be said to have had its ups and downs.

The ups were when people appreciated my work and gave me applause, which gave me sensory satisfaction and motivated me to create again. My performances were always vivid and could deeply touch people's hearts. Because I am a lively person, I could interpret characters in dramas in different ways, making people feel refreshed, which was very different from the way people presented them in the past. This was a talent I was born with, and I could achieve it easily without much effort.

But I also experienced failure and pain. Especially during the Cultural Revolution, because my sister was also involved, she was criticised by people. To support her, I offended officials, which led to me losing my job and being sentenced to perform basic manual labour.

At that time, many people, whether they were actors like me or intellectuals and scientists from all walks of life, had to experience the same pain and humiliation. In particular, many scientists who had contributed their whole lives to the country were subjected to severe criticism, forcing them to live a life worse than death, and some even chose to end their own lives. This was something that pained me deeply at the time, but I could not do anything to make amends. It was only after the Cultural Revolution ended that I had the opportunity to return to the stage.

This life can be considered satisfying, with the company of family and success in my career. At the end of my life, I chose to resign from my job. Because some things in the system deviated from my original intention, I chose to resign and return to living like an ordinary person, living a simple life. Even in my later years, I opened a noodle shop in Shanghai, which I ran with my wife, living a modest life.

But my love for acting and drama did not stop. Whether I was appreciating others' work or participating in performances myself, it always made me feel very satisfied.

Now, looking back at all this from the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I know that this was only a temporary satisfaction of the body and not the satisfaction that truly made me feel lasting and at peace. But from the perspective of the mind that was addicted to it at the time, I could not see the truth of all these things.

All the likes and attachments to drama performance caused me to enter the life space of the drama immediately after I left the human world due to illness. I was lying on the hospital bed in a daze, and suddenly I arrived in a performance space. I thought I had been revived, and I was full of energy, as if I had no constraints of this body, and the whole person became relaxed, continuing to rehearse and practise in the space, performing everything in front of the audience.

All of this was a space I imagined, not a real scene. But as I was trapped in that space, I could not know this, so I kept repeating the same actions, always performing the same characters, saying the same lines, without stopping. Because this was a dream, it seemed very real, and it also seemed very confusing. Let this be considered the days I wasted.

Actually, in terms of spiritual life, I spent more than two years in that space, which is not very long. Because I saw the situation of people on Earth trapped in space, which was much more serious than mine at the time.

Do you know that since the formation of the Earth, the Buddha has never resided on Earth? Today, it is because Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su are on Earth, especially after Practitioner Su attained Buddhahood and awakened being in the human world, that it is possible to use the skills of attaining Buddhahood to Chao Du all sentient beings with karmic affinity on Earth. This is something that has never happened before.

This is why, when I look at the spiritual situation of the Earth from the perspective of the spiritual realms, I find that no matter how hard Practitioner Su tries to Chao Du immeasurable and boundless beings into the Western Land of Dharma Nature, there are still many beings in deep spaces who have not truly emerged. The time they spend inside is longer than we ordinary people can imagine. These spaces are densely packed; in every substance, under every great mountain, and in the depths of every ocean, there are actually full of spiritual beings.

Speaking of this, I look back at my situation in the space at that time, which was just a short dream. After waking up from the dream, I arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This is truly a great blessing! I never knew I had such Buddhist affinity to be able to come to the Buddha's Pure Land and get the opportunity to practise.

These changes make me feel very satisfied. Because only by truly following the Buddha did I know all the truths, the Truth, and the Right Way in the universe. The future path of life, even if it continues in a spiritual way, will not go astray. Because I have truly met the Buddha, I will hold tightly to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su and will not be biased.

There are many, many people who came to the Western Land of Dharma Nature with me, and many come from our China region. Everyone comes from different industries, and naturally, they bring different habits and experiences to this place.

Under the purification of Buddha-light, everyone's heart has become increasingly calm, and their appearance has become increasingly dignified and beautiful. Everyone's appearance is actually about the same, without much difference; this is the Buddha-land created by the equal heart of Buddha or Bodhisattva.

I have not been to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, so I do not know what it looks like. But I have heard everyone say that it is the ultimate destination of the spirit, which is far more magnificent than the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Of course, I will continue to purify and practise here, hoping that I can be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss one day soon.

After Practitioner Su helped me escape the days I wasted in the performance space, I suddenly woke up, and the Being bathed in Buddha light accelerated my purification speed.

When I truly saw through the illusion of life and all of this, I also wanted to appeal to all my family members who are still in the world. Many of them are advanced in age, yet they still cling to their bodies, thinking that they can hold on to all these changes, but in fact, it is not so. All of this is proceeding according to karmic conditions and the causes and effects, not something anyone can decide.

Regarding the beings in space mentioned earlier, as I see it now, in this world, the beings trapped in space are truly very numerous. In every object, every grain of sand, every leaf, and every cloud, there are immeasurable and boundless spirit realm beings existing within them.

Perhaps many beings from other places sensed that the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia has the Buddha abiding, so they came to seek refuge and Chao Du. We are very satisfied to see all this, because there has never been such an opportunity for me to understand where people go after their lives end. We used to cling to all this bitterly, but now we have obtained the real answer.

In the vast China region, because our country has a long history and rich land, there have been many figures who have existed and had lives here. Whether it is human life or the lives of various animals and plants, there is spirit existing within them.

And Practitioner Su, at this time, is conducting extensive Chao Du for the China region, awakening many historical figures trapped in space one by one, allowing them to enter the Buddha-light and obtain deliverance. It can be said that the vast majority of people have obtained spiritual elevation because of this Chao Du opportunity.

Historical figures from China's five-thousand-year history were all prominent individuals who once held different identities and roles, and had diverse experiences. Although their statuses differed—ranging from the wealthy and noble to the poor and humble—many who have come here were emperors, generals, or great scholars. Yet, after death, they were still unable to escape the fate of cycling through the six realms of existence. Many who had descended into the hells have since returned to the space of the Earth, continuing to exist in various corners of the Chinese land in other forms.

This is why Practitioner Su is so actively performing Chao Du for these immeasurable and boundless beings and demon crowds. Because Practitioner Su truly knows that the arrival of Namo Amituofo in this world is no easy matter, he seizes every minute and every second to perform Chao Du for everyone, hoping to use his own strength to help more people leave suffering and gain happiness.

I have cast aside everything from the past, and everything I experienced in the human world—including the Beijing Opera space to which I was most attached and which I loved the most. My current spiritual state is very clear, and I am very certain about my future direction: that is to truly learn the skills of the Buddha's path to help all beings with whom I have karmic affinity.

If I can help all the beings in the Chinese region with whom I have had good or bad karmic conditions throughout my many lives, that would be something I am deeply grateful for. Because Practitioner Su now has such profound Dharma affinity, he can flow naturally with the Dharma throughout the vast Chinese region. With his skills of countless manifestations, he can, at great speed, guide immeasurable and boundless beings, one by one, into the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

The skills for saving beings that I have seen Practitioner Su perform in the Western Land of Dharma Nature are truly varied and magnificent; he can perform immeasurable and boundless types of Chao Du, following the karmic conditions of the beings.

Some of these are very special, especially the Namo Amituofo billboards that Practitioner Su has repeatedly emphasised recently. Although this may seem like an ordinary billboard, because the Buddha-power and Buddha-vow exist within it, this billboard can emit immeasurable and boundless Buddha-light. Guided by this light, many spirit realm beings, upon seeing this billboard, can come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to seek refuge. Such a wonderful thing is truly unique.

Such Namo Amituofo billboards are currently being implemented in nine countries around the world. In China, due to certain religious regulations, we are unable to post large billboards at will. However, many fellow practitioners, out of a compassionate heart to save beings, are still willing to post these larger billboards in their own homes or in the homes of those with karmic affinity, and have also posted many smaller Namo Amituofo billboards everywhere. These can equally save immeasurable and boundless beings and guide them to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to seek refuge.

I hope this very great and important undertaking can continue. One day, when every province and every county in China has Namo Amituofo billboards, we will be able to save even more beings who have been hidden in the deepest spaces for thousands and ten thousands of years in history.

Today, my heart is full of gratitude. I have no other distracting thoughts; I am single-mindedly hoping to let the Buddha's teachings remain in the world, to let Namo Amituofo come to the forefront, and to let the whole world know.

Everything above is what I wish to express in this interview.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo

Tong Xiangling