When you’re a public figure who has been through several high-profile divorces and breakups, it seems like you can’t avoid the inevitable questions about your love life. On the latest episode of meWATCH talk show Hear U Out, veteran actor Wang Yuqing knew what was in store for him as he wagged his finger at host Quan Yi Fong, joking: “You’re looking for trouble, aren’t you? You’ve got a bone to pick.”
The 61-year-old was married thrice: to actress Chen Bifeng from 1987 to 1990, actress Tracer Wong from 1991 to 1993, and to non-celebrity Liang Liling from 2001 to 2011. With Liling, he shares two sons and a stepson, actor Xavier Ong.
Though Yi Fong, 48, called it an “impressive record”, Yuqing pointed to Western celebrities like Nicolas Cage, who has been married five times.
Yet, he conceded: “That kind of track record isn’t something everyone wants, I don’t want it either — it’s nothing to be proud of. I’m at this stage now because I had no choice.”
Yuqing recalled a time where one of his divorces made the news.
He was shooting a drama with actress Xiang Yun at the time, and she pointed it out to him while he was flipping to the middle section of the newspaper, where the entertainment news usually is.
He said: “I didn’t get to the entertainment section that day, I was on the front page!”
At the time, he had no choice but to tell reporters that “things were fine” since the news was out. He has no idea how it leaked to the press.
Being married to actresses twice, Yuqing couldn’t avoid being judged, even in showbiz circles.
Not revealing which former partner he was talking about, Yuqing said that one of his ex-wife’s artiste friends “looked at him differently” after the divorce.
“She probably wanted to protect her friend,” Yi Fong suggested, which Yuqing agreed to.
He dealt with the backlash through motivational classes too.
He said: “I told myself to take the whole thing as a hill in front of me, and I couldn’t cross it by trying to climb it like a mountain, but I could take a detour around it.”
Despite his shortcomings, Yuqing still believes he is a good lover. His relationships lasted at least eight years, he said, and he has never cheated.
“Are you weary of love?” Yi Fong asked.
Responding that he may “take some flak” for his response, Yuqing revealed he is not.
“Otherwise, some people may develop depression from just one failed relationship,” he concluded.
Fourth time lucky?
Yuqing wondered if his past breakups were because he couldn’t spend enough time with his wives.
“I was busy with my showbiz career and then my insurance business,” he said. “In the end, I realised that companionship was also important to them. I decided to spend more time with the next [partner].”
He added: “But if you spend too much time with them, they’ll feel as if you’re monitoring them like a cop. People often say that you must have a balanced life, but what is a balanced life?”
It seems like Yuqing has more of a grasp on balance with his current partner, Norah Zhang. He revealed that they had initially met two decades ago while shooting a commercial, but he was attached back then. They’ve been dating for five years now.
“She doesn’t need me to spend too much time with her,” he said. “During working hours, we each see to our own jobs, and when we get home each night, we sit on the balcony to talk.”
While his girlfriend may not need him during work hours, Yuqing said that, at home: “My time is hers, and her time is mine too.”
But will he get married for a fourth time?
Yuqing revealed: “We did plan to marry, but we’ve both been very busy with our jobs. We’re planning for it, I’m not afraid of [marriage].”
Though it may seem excessive, Yuqing said that he wanted to get married because he felt a “responsibility” to the people he was with.
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
