No celebrity in China made bigger headlines in January than Li Yapeng. A former actor, businessman and ex-husband of Cantopop diva Faye Wong, Li became the country’s most-discussed celebrity after announcing that a charity hospital he founded was in serious debt.
On January 14, the 54-year-old posted a video titled “I have to face it at last,” in which he revealed that the Beijing Smile Angel Hospital he runs has to relocate or even shut down due to 26 million yuan (US$3.7m) in unpaid rent. The amount has yet to be settled.
According to its official website, the hospital opened in 2012 in Chaoyang District, Beijing. It is China’s first private, non-profit comprehensive children’s hospital, jointly founded by Li, Wong and six other co-founders. Li serves as the hospital’s legal representative. It operates on a non-profit basis and dedicates all assets to public welfare.
In 2011, Li stepped away from acting and entered into a string of failed business ventures. His marriage to Wong ended in 2013 and his second marriage to actress Haiha Jinxi ended in 2025. For years, Li was publicly regarded as a “loser” in business and marriage.
Li’s recent video has dramatically reshaped his public image. “Donate to Li Yapeng” quickly became a trending topic on Chinese social media. In just five days, more than 300,000 internet users donated around 20 million yuan (US$2.9m) to the hospital, Xinmin Newsweek reported. According to huanqiu. com, Li’s livestream sales session on January 30 generated more than 160 million yuan (US$23m) in six hours. Li announced suspension of livestream selling on February 9.
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