PUBLISHED ONJanuary 26, 2025 4:30 AMByYeo Shu HuiWhile actors Qi Yuwu and Joanne Peh may be one of the most admired local showbiz couples today, there was a time where the former would never have imagined he would be living this life.
"I never thought about getting married and thought I would remain single… even if I got married, I never thought about having children," the 48-year-old shared with actor-host Allan Wu in the latter's YouTube talk show, Call Us Daddy, released on Jan 24.
He added that he's not a person who "particularly likes children" and is "not very good at playing or getting along with them".
But now, as a father of two — a daughter, nine and eight-year-old son — Yuwu is focused on instilling good values in them, while giving them space to explore and learn.
When asked what he thinks of himself as a parent, he said: "I think there are instances where I am more strict, but not completely serious. In fact, because I am more traditional, I think there should be rules at home.
"They should also be polite, such as greeting others when meeting someone outside. But in other aspects, I'll give them plenty of space to let them explore on their own."
Yuwu was also asked if he would use corporal punishment on his children, which he shared that he and Joanne have never done so far. However, they have discussed that there are exceptions to the rule.
"I hope not to hit [them], but I told Joanne there are three situations I would hit them. The first is lying, the second is stealing and the third one is inappropriate touching," he said.
He also shared his and Joanne's decision to keep their children's identities private.
"We [have to reveal our faces] because of our work, we have no choice, I am an actor, I have to be exposed to the public, but this is not the case for my children. Why do they have to be like us just because they are our children?" Yuwu said.
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Besides giving their children the choice to maintain their privacy, he added that it is also about nurturing their values.
He said: "As a celebrity, to be honest, they do bring us some convenience sometimes, including fame and things like this. But if children are exposed to this and take it wrongly, I think this will affect their values. They may think that things can be easily obtained.
He continued: "But it is actually not that easy, we also spent a lot of time and effort over the years to attain fame, to get people to know, respect and appreciate us. This appreciation is based on our hard work… Because people like our performance and that's why they would come over and interact and take a photo with us."
Yuwu also wants his children to be themselves and not have to live up to people's expectations just because their parents are public figures.
"I think this is wrong, why do they have to make people like them? They should just be themselves. It's not a must for people to be liked by others," he said.
As for whether he would object to his children entering showbiz in the future, Yuwu would support their decision if that's their interest.
"They can do whatever they like, even if there's no result. I think in life, not everything has to have a result. Sometimes, you can live frivolously and not be realistic — that's still a good experience.
"Not everything we do in life must be rational and help in our progression, I don't think it has to be this way… Inner peace and fulfilment is more important," he added.
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