No matter where local actor Tay Ping Hui expands his career to, he will always remember his roots.

"I went overseas to develop my career, but there's one thing I'm certain of — I'm 100 per cent and completely Singaporean. I love my country. I care deeply about how I represent Singapore," the 54-year-old said in the latest episode of travel variety show Camping Around The World.

In the episode, Ping Hui and his long-time assistant Tina Chua travel to Bhutan, where they hike and camp at Bumdra, try archery, hang prayer flags and enjoy the beautiful scenery at Tiger's Nest Monastery.

Ping Hui left Mediacorp in 2018 after 19 years and signed with China-based entertainment company, Perfect World Pictures, which later became known as GHY Culture & Media.

On expanding his career overseas, he said in the episode: "When I made the decision not to renew my contract back then, I was, of course, conflicted over it. But my life and my career had reached a point where I wanted to explore different filming experiences."

During this period, Ping Hui acted in Chinese dramas including Handsome Siblings (2020), Heroes (2020), Brave Heart 2 (2021) and Sisterhood (2023).

Tina followed him overseas and they met with many challenges along the way.

She told Ping Hui tearily: "When you were down, there were times when I didn't know how to approach you."

She added in the same episode that he is someone who would bottle up his emotions, so she would stay by his side and check on him occasionally.

Ping Hui also acknowledged that having worked together for more than a decade, he knows Tina truly cares about him and they treat each other like family.

He told her: "You've indirectly become a part of my family. If I knew someone was bullying you, I would make sure they regret it. I won't hold back because I feel that protecting you has become one of my responsibilities."

Ping Hui is now a freelancer after leaving GHY Culture & Media last year.

He shared: "I'm at the stage where I can take on the things I want to do, rather than the things I have to do. If I don't want to do something, I won't. If I want to do it, then I'll take it on. This freedom feels truly incredible.

"It's no longer about making money. I want to keep pushing myself and challenging myself. I also want to travel to different places and broaden my horizons."

Having ventured to showbiz overseas, Ping Hui also reflected: "When you're playing in the big leagues, you'll realise that being the top star in Singapore doesn't mean much. You're still just a small part of it all."

He added that no matter which country he filmed in, he would always come back to Singapore after work.

"Because that's where my family is. This is my country."

Camping Around The World is available on demand for free on Mewatch and airs every Monday at 8pm on Channel 8. Ping Hui and Tina's episode airs tonight (Feb 24).

yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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