Yan Huaili

Biography

Yan Huaili was a renowned Chinese actor born on July 24, 1936 in Fengrun, Hebei Province. He was a member of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang. He became widely known for his portrayal of the Sha Wujing (Sandy) character in the 1986 television series Journey to the West. He began his acting career in 1978 with a role in the drama Cai Wenji. In 1993, while filming in Zhuozhou during summer, he accidentally inhaled large amounts of dichlorvos pesticide used by the crew to repel mosquitoes; because he had no sense of smell, he did not detect the poison, which severely damaged his health. In 2004, he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. He delivered memorable performances in many productions including Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Palace of Daming, and The Spring and Autumn Period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Yan Huaili passed away on April 12, 2009 in Beijing due to a lung infection, at the age of 73.