PUBLISHED ONOctober 21, 2026 5:47 AMBYYeo Shu HuiVicki Zhao Wei has been living an enriching life and exploring the world during her time away from the spotlight the past five years.
The 50-year-old Chinese actress made a rare public appearance in Singapore yesterday (Oct 20) to attend Australia-born celebrity hairstylist Kim Robinson's fashion show The Golden Age at Ngee Ann City, where she told AsiaOne and local media she's "quite happy now".
"Having experienced the Covid-19 pandemic together, we have all learnt to slow down our pace of life. During this period of time, I can better accept anything that happens because that wasn't a very good time for everyone.
"I have also used this period to do a lot of things that I wasn't able to do previously, including trying to spend time alone, travelling and learning cooking at home.
"No matter what happens... life itself can be very enriching."
Vicki, who shot to fame after Chinese court drama My Fair Princess (1998 - 1999), was allegedly blacklisted by Chinese authorities for "having misdeeds" in 2021, according to a South China Morning Post report.
The dramas and films she took part in were reportedly taken off the internet, and she stepped away from the limelight.
At the event yesterday, Vicki also revealed she has been dabbling in artificial intelligence (AI) with the intention to produce content after noticing her mother, who is in her 70s, enjoying herself watching short-form AI fantasy shows on Chinese social media.
As to whether she would be releasing any AI content soon, she replied that everything is still on the drawing board and she would only announce them when there is more progression in her plans.
Aside from work, which includes going behind-the-scenes and scriptwriting, her main love these days is travelling.
She explained: "I have gone to numerous cities in my course of work previously, but I only knew my work location and the hotel I stayed in. In that case, I have never really travelled.
"So, this time around, I visited places that I was briefly at before to explore them thoroughly, such as Zhejiang's Lishui and places in Yunnan, Tibet, Xinjiang and Nepal."
Vicki, who also has one daughter, said she has worked behind the scenes since 2013 and prefers it to being in front of the cameras.
"It is very stressful to be an actor, where there is pressure physically and mentally on your performance," she explained
"Also, when working behind the scenes, I don't need to watch my weight."
As to whether she misses acting, she responded coyly: "I can just watch reruns."
During the interview, Vicki also talked about her long friendship with Kim spanning close to three decades, adding he is someone with very good taste and skills.
Kim also shared: "I have been friends with her for so many years. Friendship is really important, because no matter what we go through in life, ups and downs, friends always stick together and support each other. I had so many ups and downs in my career and Vicki always supported me... she's been a really good friend."
"Vicki is very down-to-earth, she's not a fussy girl, she's very simple. When she is an actress, of course playing different roles, she has a different image. But in her personal life, she likes very simple, natural [styles], she's not a fussy actress at all, and it's a pleasure to work with her," he added.
As the fashion show centres around the Golden Age, Vicki was asked what it means for her: "I think it's now, because the past no longer exists and the future hasn't happened yet, so we can only treasure the present."
Vicki and local veteran actor Li Nanxing also share a long friendship, and she remembers watching the Singapore dramas he had starred in that were shown in China, including Paint A Rainbow (1987) and The Great Conspiracy (1993).
She said: "I am very familiar with him, because he acted in all the Singapore dramas that were popular in China all those years ago... We also spoke about our filming experiences.
"For projects that I produce in China, if I find a role that suits him, I will also invite him to film in it. This has happened before in the past."
Nanxing, 61, had played the supporting character Zhang Jingzhong in Chinese drama Everyone Wants to Meet You (2020), which was produced by Vicki. He was also signed to Vicki's management agency in China in 2019.
When asked if she would consider working with him again in the future, she said: "If there is a suitable role, I would definitely work with him again and let Kim be our stylist."
Vicki was also asked about her visit to Singapore, a place she said she is not unfamiliar with as she lived here for a few years in the past and still visits frequently.
She was married to businessman Huang Youlong, a Singapore PR, and she announced in 2024 that they had divorced several years earlier. Their daughter was born here in 2010.
She explained: "I say this with all honesty — I really like Singapore because of the people. They are very polite and show it from their heart. Nanxing told me that Singaporeans are very accommodating because of the multicultural society."
She shared that she enjoys eating at Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh and Boon Tong Kee chicken rice.
"I really love those old stalls and shops that have been around for decades, their food are just really good... I visited the last time I was in Singapore and brought a few friends from China along. The dishes are still very delicious," she said.
[[nid:748353]]
No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
