PUBLISHED ONJuly 23, 2025 10:15 AMBYYeo Shu HuiIn an ideal world, Xiang Yun wishes to live with her children and grandchildren in her twilight years, but she also knows not to force it.
Speaking to AsiaOne on Monday (July 21) while promoting her new drama Where the Heart Belongs, the 64-year-old local veteran actress said: "I told myself that when I am older, I want to be an independent senior and not trouble my children. So, I don't mind living alone."
Xiang Yun, who has been married to former actor Edmund Chen since 1989, shares two children, Chen Xi, 34, and 25-year-old Chen Yixin, with him.
Chen Xi, who graduated with a master's degree in arts and cultural management from King's College London this January, recently tied the knot with his non-celebrity Japanese girlfriend, nicknamed Mimi.
She added she understands that while "kinship brings warmth", everyone is ultimately alone in the end.
For Xiang Yun, she believes in planning ahead and ageing positively.
She revealed she had written her will in her 50s when she followed her mother — who died in 2023 — to do so.
"Especially after my parents died, I feel that life in your senior years is not just about living one day at a time till the final day. There is a need to plan ahead, so that we can age healthily and happily. There is a need to get everything ready," she said.
She also told us that while she has not put afterlife planning into action, she had briefly spoken to her family about her wishes.
Xiang Yun shared: "I told them that I don't prefer prayers after my death. They can just scatter my ashes at sea and probably find a song to remember me by. That's my wish. When they hear this song in the future and think about me, they could tell someone that this song is a memory of me. That's already fulfilling enough.
"I feel that everyone is busy with their own life, so a ritual to remember ancestors doesn't need to be elaborate. As long as there is remembrance, I think that's enough. So, I told them not to make it complicated, I just want to keep it simple."
In Where the Heart Belongs, Xiang Yun plays Liu Zhen Wanyu, a senior citizen who lives in the fictional I'Deal City where an ageing population and declining marriage and birth rates resulted in the government implementing policies where the younger population could adopt senior citizens as parents.
Wanyu, who is a hot-tempered and strong masseur, and Zhong Yilian (Kym Ng) are both adopted by Situ Ziyang (Romeo Tan), a consultant in the Housing and Senior Affairs Board. Both urge Ziyang to adopt another senior, so that they can complete their mahjong team, which leads him to adopting Li Xunkai (Yao Wenlong) eventually.
Despite having no blood relations, they discover a sense of harmony in their found family. However, Xunkai later reports Ziyang for adopting seniors for insurance payouts, prompting a police investigation to uncover whether Ziyang's actions are acts of compassion or a calculated facade.
Xiang Yun also told us that remaining active is part of her plans to age healthily.
She shared: "I feel that it's not healthy to live a lifestyle where you stop doing everything, especially in senior years. For me, I would plan my time to work, for leisure, hobbies and exercising. I also wish to fulfil my goals of doing social work in the future. I am constantly on the lookout for suitable things for me to do next."
She had faced a few minor health scares in the past few years, including osteoporosis where she broke her teeth and sprained her back frequently as well as issues with her lymph nodes. These made her more conscious about her health, including watching her diet, exercising for bone health and studying about nutrition. She added that filming this drama has also led her to start going to the gym to work out.
She has also slowed down her pace of life, finding opportunities to relax and spend time with family.
She told us: "Over the years, I was constantly busy and anxious about work from the beginning till end of the year. But for the past two years, I have been slowing down and going on trips with Edmund to spend time with our son more frequently.
"In recent years, I have spent more time on longer trips and taken the time to experience it fully. Unlike in the past where I would frequently feel anxious about going on overseas trips and returning to work quickly, which tired me out."
Xiang Yun also believes in having a positive mindset and letting go of presumptions about being a senior.
"I told myself that I wouldn't want to give others too much trouble in the future. Because seniors now are different from the past. We are exposed to different things, so I feel that we should be more cheerful and happier.
"Times are different now... The younger generation view things differently and we may even have to learn from them sometimes. We should let go of beliefs about seniority, so that it's easier to get along with the younger generation."
She also believed that it is important for senior citizens not to wallow in self-pity, but to remain positive and find friends to spend time with: "Everyone must face life and death, but we have a choice to decide on how we want to live."
Where the Heart Belongs will be available on demand for free on Mewatch from July 28 and premieres on Channel 8 on July 31, airing on weekdays at 9pm.
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