Xiang Yun, 63, plays mum of Li Nanxing, 60, in new Mediacorp series starring Zoe Tay, 57
Lim Ruey Yan
The Straits Times
Oct 1, 2025
Home-grown actor Li Nanxing is just three years younger than veteran actress Xiang Yun, but he will be playing her son in the upcoming drama The Leftovers.
The Mediacorp blockbuster will span three seasons, with Li, 60, playing a pivotal role throughout. The first season is set to premiere on Channel 8 and mewatch in October 2026.
"Once I agreed to take on the role, I committed myself fully," he told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao on the set of the dystopian crime drama in Sentosa on Sept 26. "I had little time for anything else."
Filming has been under way for over three months, and Li has another 1½ months to go.
Xiang Yun, 63, will be making a guest appearance in the show, playing Li's mother and a doctor whose licence was revoked. Despite the small age gap, she does not feel any awkwardness.
"I've played the mother of many people, even Wang Yuqing," she told Zaobao, referring to the actor, who is one month older than her.
For Li, who plays her son for the first time, it was awkward for him to call her "mum".
Xiang Yun co-starred with Li in TV series Airforce (1988), but they did not share any scenes in the military-themed drama.
The actress recalled that the 1990s was the golden age of local TV dramas with Li the industry's leading actor of that era. She did not have the chance to work with him then as her own career had slowed down due to motherhood.
Xiang Yun has two children - actor Chen Xi, 34, and actress Chen Yixin, 25 - with her husband, former actor Edmund Chen, 64.
Li will also reunite with veteran actress Zoe Tay in The Leftovers, with the 57-year-old playing his boss.
Li and Tay are best known for starring in the popular gambling-themed TV series The Unbeatables (1993 to 2002). They played the iconic king and queen of gamblers, Yan Fei and Luo Qifang.
The two last acted together in The Dream Makers II (2015 to 2016), a drama about the entertainment industry. They played rivals Lin Tao and Zhou Weiyun, with Zhou also being Lin's love interest.
