Guo Liang & His Wife Were So Broke When They Moved To Singapore, They Only Had $2 To Live On Before Payday & Had To Share A Packet Of Instant Noodles

There's no doubt that Guo Liang, 52, is one of Singapore's most famous and accomplished hosts but not many people know about his really rough start in showbiz.

The Shanghai Drama Institute graduate moved here from the Chinese city with his wife Jade Shen Jie in 1994 after he was offered a contract by the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).

According to Guo Liang, who was the guest in this week's episode of talk show Hear U Out, moving overseas to work was all the rage in China at that time.

He also felt that the option to work in a foreign land, along with the prestige of being signed to the national broadcaster, was just what he wanted.

It was only after he arrived in Singapore that he realised that his dream job wasn't as smooth-sailing as he thought it would be.

“When we first came to Singapore, everything was very unfamiliar to us and we weren’t earning very much, Guo Liang told host Quan Yifeng. We were at our poorest when we just got here. Things were so bad that I had to go through my clothes to see if I had any money a few days before payday. I only managed to find S$2 (…) so the both of us had to share a packet of instant noodles.”

Although he couldn't remember where all his money went to, he recalled spending it on necessities such as pots and pans.

Things started to pick up after his initial S$1,500-a-month salary was increased by the company, but his wife remained unconvinced that being in showbiz was a viable long-term occupation.

“There was a period of time when I wasn’t getting cast in any shows and my wife asked me to get a driving license, said Guo Liang. I didn’t take the test but I considered sitting for the test to become a property agent. I can’t remember when it was. That period didn’t last for long and it wasn’t because of any particular reason. It was just because there were fewer [variety shows] being produced.”

Jade’s misgivings about Guo Liang’s showbiz career persisted and eventually became a problem when she suffered from post-natal depression following the birth of their son Marcus in 1999.

“My wife kept vomiting throughout her pregnancy and suffered from post-natal depression for a few months after giving birth (…) She felt that my job wasn’t stable and that I could become jobless at any time, revealed Guo Liang. There was no way for me to argue with or assure her that I’d always be able to earn a living [as a host]. There was no way to prove it. Even if you were to open five shops right now, there’s a possibility of losing money the very next day.”

“That’s why it’s important for the loved ones of those with depression to be patient,” he continued. “Don’t rush into explaining things because some things just can’t be spelled out. I was young when this happened and it was pretty painful, and it’s a good thing that my parents were [in Singapore at that time]. They’ve been through it and stopped me from getting angry.”

Here's the video for Part 1 of Guo Liang's interview on Hear U Out: