According to Sohu, from 2013 to 2023, Chinese diva Faye Wong anonymously donated a total of 32.68 million yuan (approximately 4.7 million USD) to the Smile Angel Foundation (Yanran Angel Foundation), which she and Li Yapeng established for their daughter, Li Yan. The funds were used exclusively for operational and administrative expenses of the Yanran Children’s Hospital and were unrelated to any business activities.
The donations covered essential operational costs, including annual office rent of 850,000 yuan, salaries and social insurance for 12 staff members totaling 2.16 million yuan, audit fees of 280,000 yuan, and subsidies amounting to 478,000 yuan for medical volunteers working in remote areas. Audit reports confirmed that all donated funds were “used strictly for their intended purposes.” In addition to this amount, Sinchew reported that Faye Wong also donated more than 19.8 million yuan to community-related causes over the years.
Once the information became public, netizens flooded social media with praise for the singer’s quiet generosity. Many noted that her actions were “perfectly in line with her personality,” highlighting her long-standing preference for action over publicity.
One highly upvoted comment on Weibo read: “I used to think she was cold and aloof, never responding to criticism. But seeing that she donated over 30 million yuan to the foundation over 10 years, I realized that it wasn’t coldness it was decisiveness and silence. This is what a true role model looks like: no noise, no showmanship, just a decade of quiet charity.”
Some netizens also expressed appreciation for the contrasting roles played by Li Yapeng and Faye Wong Li’s public fundraising efforts paired with Faye’s behind-the-scenes financial support describing them as “light and shadow” working together to keep the foundation alive.
Faye Wong and Li Yapeng founded the Smile Angel Foundation in 2006 after their daughter was born with a cleft lip. During their marriage, they leveraged their celebrity influence to host charity galas, including a notable 2012 event that raised 54 million yuan. Several celebrities later revealed they donated out of respect for Faye Wong.
After their divorce in 2013, Faye Wong withdrew from public fundraising events but continued providing steady financial support, adhering to her philosophy of “doing more and saying less.” She has previously stated that she dislikes performative charity, once saying, “Just saying ‘thank you’ three times is enough. Forcing conversation feels fake.”
In recent years, the Yanran Children’s Hospital faced a severe financial crisis, including unpaid rent totaling 26 million yuan (3.7 million USD), putting it at risk of closure. In response, Li Yapeng began livestream fundraising efforts, which received positive public response. The situation has since sparked a wave of public compassion, with more than 300,000 people donating over 18 million yuan. Some families shared that even their children donated New Year’s gift money, while several companies offered free venues to support the hospital.
Despite their divorce and very different public paths, the decade-long quiet cooperation between Faye Wong and Li Yapeng has left a lasting impression one that many now see as a rare and powerful example of long-term commitment to public welfare.
Sources: Ngoisao