Ayden Sng 'never imagined' he'd be filming a Chinese fantasy drama in China after growing up watching shows of the genre
The local actor is working with Chinese producer and screenwriter Yu Zheng, who produced Story of Yanxi Palace.
It’s a dream come true for local actor Ayden Sng as he’s embarking on a second project in China.
In an Instagram post published on 10 April, the 30-year-old announced that he was starting on a xianxia (Chinese fantasy) drama series. The show also stars Chinese actors Bai Lu and Joseph Zeng.
Sng wrote, “Grew up watching shows of this genre but never imagined myself to actually be part of one.”
The post was also accompanied by a photo of the homegrown actor with Chinese producer and screenwriter Yu Zheng, the creator of the hit 2018 Chinese series Story of Yanxi Palace.
On 1 April, the actor also shared his thoughts on wrapping up his debut production in China.
He wrote, in an Instagram post, “The past two months happened in a kind of a blur - acting in my first period drama, starting out by myself in a new market - there were lots of firsts experienced and also many things to learn and to get familiarised with.
“There was also a lot of shuttling back and forth between China and home for work (huge thanks to my brand partners for this). The reality is - this has been hard. But like I always believe in, it is through the most onerous challenges that there is the most growth.”
How Ayden Sng was selected for the Chinese market
In September 2023, Mediacorp's artiste management arm The Celebrity Agency announced a partnership with China's Huanyu Entertainment that would create more global opportunities for their respective talents.
Sng, along with Chantalle Ng and Hong Ling, were the three local artistes selected by Huanyu.
Speaking to 8days a month after the announcement, Sng said that the selection process was done by the China side who looked through the artistes’ portfolios and “selected those who would be a better fit for their company as well as the China market”.
Aside from his Pan-Asian look, which he felt might have differentiated him from his peers, Sng reckoned that his passion for Chinese culture might have also been attractive to those making the selection.
He said, “I'm somebody who's extremely passionate and involved in Chinese culture. I play the erhu and I love everything traditional. Maybe these things, if they were in the profile, would be traits that the Chinese representative found attractive? It's great that I like Chinese culture and I hope this means something to them.”
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