The struggles and victories of Li Nanxing, and other facts you didn't know about him

Before Star Search and later talent-scouting competitions became a thing, one would likely have to complete acting school to get a shot at entering the industry. And that was how Li Nanxing got his foot through the door. He graduated from the 6th drama training course by the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (now Mediacorp) in 1985. Chen Liping was his batchmate and they acted in Good Morning Sir (1989) together.

But back in those days, Li Nanxing had to overcome the shortcomings of his language skills. With the help of classmate and fellow actor Richard Low, he learnt how to read properly before debuting in Crossroads in 1996.

Li Nanxing's big break would come in 1993 after he starred in The Unbeatable I as the 'King of Gamblers' Yan Fei opposite Zoe Tay. The drama, which became a hit and spawned sequels, also made waves for being the first drama produced in Singapore on gambling.

Li Nanxing went on to star in many iconic television shows, including Coup de Scorpion (1999), The Vagrant (2002), The Golden Path (2007), and The Journey: A Voyage (2013). He has done movies such as The Ultimate Winner (2011), Imperfect (2012) and The Fortune Handbook (2017) too.

Shortly after The Unbeatables I, Li Nanxing began picking up the Star Awards' Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes trophies since its inception in 1994. Together with Chew Chor Meng and Zoe Tay, the trio clinched the popularity prize for 10 consecutive years and then took home the All-Time Favourite Artiste Award in 2004. His acting was also commended with Best Actor wins for Wounded Tracks in 1995, The Vagrant in 2002 and The Undisclosed in 2006.

Li Nanxing's rise wasn't easy, though. He recounted that it was difficult to work with Hong Kong directors in the 1980s because they spoke Cantonese, a dialect that he didn't know. "They would read out the script in Cantonese and I could only try to guess what they wanted me to do. It was so tough!"

But as gravity states, what goes up must come back down. And down he went as Li Nanxing first racked up over $2 million in debt after a business venture went awry. Looking to reverse his fortunes, he donned his suit from The Unbeatables and went to a casino in Genting Highlands armed with $200,000 he had raised. It became another blow to Li Nanxing as he lost the money and had to quickly raise money to pay back his debt.

Li Nanxing turned to Hollywood to pick up calefare roles to earn money quickly. One of the extra roles he played was to open a door, ask "Who are you looking for?" and then get shot to death. "I even went for auditions. After I submitted my name, they were startled. They were like, 'Him? He's auditioning for this?" His dark days eventually came to pass as he settled his debt, broke free from gambling and drinking addictions and even managed to return to acting.

"It took me three years to clear my debts, which were over $2 million. I worked for 18 hours every day without fail. I took on all kinds of jobs and did everything, even calefare roles and props. I worked on big productions in Malaysia and ang moh projects in Hollywood, where I could be anyone and anything. [As an extra], you only need to say, “Hello, goodbye and thank you”. I’d work on sets for a few weeks, take my pay and go. Just like that."

Never one to rest on his laurels, Li Nanxing also dared to explore the possibilities of work behind the camera. His directorial debut was for the 2011 gambling-themed film The Ultimate Winner, which also starred names such as Constance Song and Rebecca Lim. A year later, he produced the action film Imperfect, co-starring Edwin Goh and Ian Fang.

In 2004, Li Nanxing challenged himself once again. He left the shelter of Mediacorp and set up his own management company, LNX Global, and movie company, Cornerstone Pictures. For over a decade, he was the sole artist of LNX Global, but the company has since added fresh blood, including Constance Song, Vivian Lai, Julie Tan, and Shane Pow.

In 2019, Li Nanxing made headlines when it was announced that he signed with Vicki Zhao's management agency. He was also cast in her romcom web series Everyone Wants To Meet You (2020). "Actually, a lot of the audience in China are familiar with Nanxing but they don't usually watch Singaporean dramas and films, so I thought this was a good opportunity to have him act in a China production instead."

The two have been friends for over a decade, with Vicki Zhao adding, "Honestly, we were really smitten by him (Nanxing). When we watched the shows he acted in during his 20s, we found him really handsome."

Li Nanxing has become one of the few celebs who have made a name in the local F&B scene. He learnt how to cook his favourite Peranakan food from his later mother and grandmother and also loves to prepare Teochew food (of which he is one). He also hosts dinner parties with his showbiz pals whenever he gets the inspiration to cook.

Li Nanxing's bestselling product, perhaps, is his Dried Scallop Hae Bee Hiam, made using his family's recipe. The sauce has then been added to ramen in a collab with Ippudo and stir-fried with crabs with TungLok Group, among a few other creations that had hit the market.

Li Nanxing also owns a fish farm and helps out at his brother's dessert shop occasionally.

Li Nanxing's love for food hasn't been kind to the number on the scale, especially when he and his brother were formulating dessert recipes. "Back then, we were still tweaking our recipes and I had to try desserts every day. It was so scary. I started working out and have since returned to my previous weight. I am trying to maintain my weight now but occasionally, I would treat myself."

Consequently, Li Nanxing has been hitting the gym more often. He shared in 2022 that he joined a fitness program and visits the gym four times a week. Besides that, he also avoids fried foods and opts for steamed versions instead. He has also managed to lose weight. Li Nanxing, however, has no plans to become as ripped as Edmund Chen and Zheng Geping.

Before the likes of Fann Wong and Christopher Lee or Joanne Peh and Qi Yuwu, there were Li Nanxing and Yang Libing. They met in 1986 during the National Day Parade celebration and worked together the same year in Sunshine After Rain. They tied the knot in 1994 and divorced a decade later in 2004.

According to reports, Li Nanxing's mother had revealed to the press that he spent a night at a bus stop after the couple had a fight. Yang Libing later shared that the divorce was due to personality differences.

Former actress Yang Libing worked on shows such as On The Fringe (1988) and Wok of Life (1999) and is currently a property agent.

In June 2023, Li Nanxing warned his Facebook followers of a sponsored advert that illegally used his image to sell health supplements. Other celebs who got embroiled in the scam were Constance Song, Vivian Lai, Shane Pow and Vincent Ng. "Please beware, our photos and faces were misused. Do not believe this user and the advertisement."

That wasn't his first brush with the scammers, though. In January 2022, his Instagram account, which also serves as a platform for his artiste management company, was hacked. His friend also told Li Nanxing that someone pretended to be him and asked for a loan of $40k. The hacker then emailed the actor for ransom in exchange for getting the account back. The compromised account was later reinstated.