When you think of local celebrity families, chances are, you’d think of Xiang Yun and Edmund Chen’s fam.

And while Edmund left showbiz in 2007, this year marks Xiang Yun's 40th year as an actress, having first signed her full-time contract with Mediacorp in 1981.

But, like many other celeb parents out there, Xiang Yun, 59, and Edmund, 60, never wanted their kids to follow in their footsteps.

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao in recently, Xiang Yun shared: “I deliberately did not give them the chance to develop themselves further in showbiz. I didn’t wish for them to enter [this industry]. It’s a very tough job, [and I’ve] had to endure loads of suffering in order to make it to today. Their dad also understands, and isn’t active in the industry any more, [choosing] to do his own stuff instead. In order to walk on this path, you need to have a very strong heart, and loads of enthusiasm. I didn’t know if they’d be able to do so, therefore, I did not encourage them.”

But of course, it appears that the protests of Xiang Yun and Edmund didn’t exactly pan out. Today, their son, Yixi, 30, is a Mediacorp artiste, while their daughter, Yixin, 21, has been making waves for her involvement in a number of projects, including Mediacorp teen drama Teenage Textbook — The Series and the recently-released movie, Precious Is The Night, which also stars Xiang Yun.

Xiang Yun then went on to reveal that she’s more relaxed about her kids’ career choice now, while Edmund is still a little more worried.

“I told Edmund, ‘We’ve already imparted our values and morals to them, and I’m also a living example of what [this career entails], how much the kids take in is dependent on themselves,” she said.

The veteran actress also shared some advice for the newer generation of actors.

“When it comes to acting, we must do our homework well. We have to constantly strive to improve and elevate [our craft]. This is what [veteran director Li ] Mingfen jie told me. An actor has to be humble and enduring, regardless of glory or obscurity. [Regardless of] whether they’d win an award today or not, they still have to be a good person, when the next day comes. The biggest obstacle is enthusiasm. If they’re only in it for the money, they can’t last long ‘cos after all the benefits wear off, they won’t continue any longer. When you work in the performing arts sector, you have to persevere, it might give you a lot of earnings at times, and nothing at all sometimes. But at your darkest hour, yet another village might bloom [in front of you],” she said.

“When newcomers join the industry, and they realise that they’re being praised, it’s easy to get lost in the façade. After receiving the care and concern of everyone, they might get complacent. I, too, feel complacent sometimes, when everyone treats me very well. But newcomers might not necessarily have gone through any hardships yet, so they might not know that when they suffer a setback, it will hurt terribly.” she later added

Wise words worth remembering, from someone who’s quite literally, been there, and done that.

Photos: Xiang Yun/Instagram