"Now That [The Kids] Are All Grown Up, Edmund & I Will Be Lonely": Xiang Yun On Why She Thinks It's "Not A Good Idea" For Her To Retire Soon

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At this point we think Xiang Yun, 61, has run out of space at home for her acting trophies because guess who was named Best Supporting Actress at the Content Asia Awards in Bangkok last week?

Xiang Yun won the award for her role as a woman suffering from dementia and schizophrenia in Mediacorp drama Your World In Mine.

She was also named Best Supporting Actress for the same role at this year's Star Awards. She currently holds the record for number of wins — five! — for the category.  Xiang Yun is also the recordholder for most Evergreen Artiste wins with four.

Catch Xiang Yun in Your World In Mine on meWATCH below: 

However, despite her winning streak, Xiang Yun remains humble when 8days.sg reached out to her about her victory.

"I'm very happy to have nabbed this award. I've acted for a few decades so it's really meaningful to be able to receive recognition overseas. Words can't describe how happy and thankful I am," she gushed.

Does she find it a pity that she's never won a Best Actress award?

"I'm already very contented to win Best Supporting Actress. Having a lead role is very tough, they have a lot of scenes which require great stamina. Looking at how I am now, I can't do my best under those circumstances, so I totally never thought about fighting for Best Actress". 

Xiang Yun went on to share that she only spent 30 hours in Bangkok, which was "not enough".

"After the awards show, Jeffrey Xu [who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Strike Gold] thoughtfully prepared a bottle of alcohol to celebrate for me."

She continued: "The next day we woke up really early for breakfast and quickly went to a nearby mall to shop. We initially wanted to go for a massage and try the food there, but we didn't have time to do it in the end."

Speaking of being overseas, Xiang Yun's son Chen Xi, 32, is about to head over to the UK to study arts management at King’s College London. 

"Now that [his departure] is getting nearer, I really can't bear to see [him go abroad]," Xiang Yun lamented.

"I want to send him off, but I'm worried that the production team will suddenly have work for me on that day. I hope everything goes smoothly and I can go to the airport with him," she shared. Xiang Yun is currently filming Mediacorp long-form drama My One And Only.

"I'm a naggy mum, so I might become even more naggy when the day comes," she quipped.

On top of that, she and her husband Edmund Chen, 62, as well as their daughter Chen Yixin, 23, are already thinking of visiting Chen Xi in December. 

Now that her kids are all grown up and have their own careers — Yixin recently bought her first car with her own savings — does Xiang Yun think it's time for her to retire and enjoy life?

Well, no. 

"The kids grew up so fast and I'm getting old. Now that they're all grown up, Edmund and I will be lonely, so retiring is not a good idea. As long as we find a balance between rest and work, it's most important to live fulfillingly," she mused. 

Photos: Xiang Yun/Instagram, Chen Xi/Instagram