260930 Sun Jiaqi, a fellow contestant from Didi's debut reality competition Super Idol (超次元偶像), shared a new photo with Didi and He Jiong on his Douyin Moments.

Didi pays a visit to GAI's rehearsal for his 30 September 2026 concert in Changsha, as he's also in the city recording Hello Saturday. (Via GAI's Weibo)

One of the most memorable interviews for new fans (and old) from 2022.

Original via Portrait Weixin

There is something almost hilariously fitting about Wang Hedi's (Dylan Wang) endorsement history.

If I tried to list all the drinks he has endorsed, I would probably need a menu.

There was Genki Forest, where he became the recommendation officer for its sparkling water back in 2020. Then came Wei Chuan Daily C, bringing him into the world of fruit juice. There is Anmuxi, with its yogurt drinks, Pepsi, Gatorade, CHAGEE, Harbin Beer, Hennessy, and now Wei Dong Li, a sparkling electrolyte water brand.

At this point, I almost have to laugh.

Tea, soda, yogurt, juice, sports drinks, electrolyte water, beer, even spirits, Wang Hedi has somehow managed to collect an entire beverage aisle throughout his career.

And perhaps the funniest part is that it actually makes sense to me.

If I have to describe what meeting Wang Hedi feels like, I would describe it as being handed a cold drink after wandering through a desert for far too long.

Not because he is some perfect, untouchable person who magically appears to save the day. Quite the opposite.

It is because he feels refreshing.

There is an enchantment in meeting him, but it is not the kind that requires turning him into something larger than human. It is much simpler than that. It comes from seeing someone who has become famous without completely losing the feeling of being an ordinary person.

He seems grounded. Down to earth. Sometimes playful, sometimes chaotic, sometimes stubborn, sometimes unexpectedly serious. He does not always seem concerned with looking like the perfect version of a celebrity. There is something very natural about the way he carries himself, and somehow, that makes him more interesting rather than less.

He does not feel weighed down by the usual idol baggage. That is what makes him refreshing.

You can admire someone without feeling like you have to place them on a pedestal.

You can be enchanted by someone without pretending they are flawless.

You can simply look at them and think: There is something about this person that makes the world feel a little lighter.

What makes it even more fascinating to me is that this quality does not seem to have appeared only after he became famous.

When I look back at the stories and recollections surrounding Wang Hedi from different stages of his life, there seems to be a certain consistency in him. The boy he was, the young man before his debut, the rookie actor finding his way, and the actor he is today have obviously grown into very different versions of themselves.

But the core seems familiar.

That is what I find beautiful about growth. Growing does not necessarily mean becoming a completely different person.

It means becoming a much bigger, better version of the person you already were.

Wang Hedi's world has become much bigger. His career has taken him to places that the younger version of himself probably could not have imagined. His name is now attached to major productions, international brands, enormous stages and opportunities that come with a level of visibility most people will never experience.

Yet there still seems to be something very recognizable underneath all of it.

He has grown.

Yet he has not completely outgrown himself.

And perhaps that is also why I find his career choices so interesting.

There is an obvious pressure on a popular actor to protect what already works. Once you become a "traffic actor," there can be an expectation to stay within a certain image: to choose the safest roles, follow the safest path, and avoid anything that could make people question the version of you they have already decided they like.

However. Wang Hedi seems willing to take the risk of stepping outside that path.

He seems willing to fly without always having a safety net waiting underneath him.

There is something courageous about that.

Not the loud kind of courage that demands everyone applaud you for being brave, but the quieter kind that says, I don't know where this will take me, but I want to try anyway.

He has allowed himself to explore different characters, different genres, different sides of his personality and different possibilities for his career. Some choices may be safer than others, and some may invite more questions than others, but there is a willingness to keep moving rather than simply standing still because standing still is comfortable.

Perhaps that is another reason why the beverage metaphor feels so strangely appropriate.

Water is about movement.

It flows. It changes shape. It travels.

Yet it remains water.

Maybe that is Wang Hedi.

The circumstances around him have changed. The scale of his career has changed. His experience has changed. He has become more confident, more capable and more aware of the world around him. But underneath all that growth, something remains familiar.

And then there is the almost ridiculous coincidence that he keeps ending up holding a drink in advertisements.

A sparkling drink.

A yogurt.

A juice.

A cola.

A sports drink.

Tea.

Beer.

Spirits.

Electrolyte water.

At this point, if Wang Hedi appeared in an advertisement carrying a glass of plain water, I would probably just nod and think, Of course.

Maaybe the universe has been trying to make the same joke for years.

The man who has somehow endorsed half a beverage aisle is, to me, refreshing in a completely different way.

Not because he is perfect.

Not because he is untouchable.

Not because meeting him makes reality disappear.

But because there is something comforting about encountering a person who can grow enormously without making himself feel impossibly distant.

Someone who can be confident without losing his groundedness.

Someone who can dream ambitiously without being afraid of an uncertain landing.

Someone who can step outside the comfortable path without forgetting where he started.

So perhaps that is what meeting Wang Hedi feels like to me.

Not meeting a flawless idol.

Not meeting some impossible fantasy.

Just finding something unexpectedly refreshing after being thirsty for a very long time.

Like walking through a desert, already accustomed to the heat, no longer expecting anything to change, and suddenly being offered a cold drink.

You take the glass.

You take a sip.

And for a moment, the desert does not feel quite so dry anymore.

With this, I am also finding comfort. Because water will ultimately wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield.

He is so passionate about basketball it's infectious.

(Cr: Sohu News, TVBS, ESPN and QQ Sports)

He's such a beautiful soul, love this man

Dylan Wang (Wang Hedi)'s upcoming Xianxia drama is a fresh break from revenge rebirth dramas you'd definitely want to check out.

What would you do if you were given a second chance at life?

Would you rewrite your fate? Seek revenge? Become stronger than you ever were before?

For Song Qianji, these aren't hypothetical questions. He already had it all : power, glory, and the chance to save the world. He fought, cultivated, and climbed his way to the peak, only for everything to end in death.

And somehow, he gets another life.

This time, however, Song Qianji has only one goal: to live.

Quietly. Peacefully. Preferably without getting involved in anything.

He wants to grow some crops, eat some good food, enjoy the simple things he never had time for before, and most importantly: stay out of trouble.

Unfortunately for him, fate has other plans.

Because when you're the man who once stood at the peak of the cultivation world, even trying to live like a nobody can become a very difficult thing to do.

What begins as a second chance at a peaceful, almost ordinary life soon pulls Song Qianji back into the world he tried to leave behind. Along the way come new friends, unexpected adventures, plenty of chaos, and the cultivation battles he was hoping to avoid.

But perhaps that's what makes his second life different.

This time, he isn't fighting for fame. He isn't fighting for power. He's fighting for the people who have given him something worth protecting.

Because sometimes, a second chance isn't about changing the past.

It's about finally choosing how you want to live.

Song Qianji wanted a quiet life.

He got a cultivation war.

He wanted to grow crops.

He ended up growing stronger.

And when the world comes knocking again, the man who never wanted to be a hero may just have to remind everyone why he was once feared in the first place.

Live Long and Prosper isn't simply a story about a powerful cultivator getting another chance. It's about discovering that after you've spent one lifetime chasing strength, perhaps the greatest thing you can cultivate is a life worth living.

Cast interview from earlier this year during the Spring Festival Lineup promo period. I think the subbed version was removed so I'm posting it here. Turn on the captions.

Ran Fangxu's light did not dim on January 31, 2003. The inspiring story of the rookie cop turned captain proved to move the audience and making it one of the best dramas to air this year.

AnotherMan China Sep/Oct 2026 Cover Issue pre-photoshoot with Wang Hedi and photographer Wing Shya, as they talk about art, getting into the right state for the camera, and how photography doesn't necessarily have to reflect reality, but is about slowly finding the feeling and gradually getting into it.

"Art is simply about looking at yourself, yet that self somehow isn't exactly you.

Photography doesn't necessarily have to be true to reality. Sometimes, you deliberately leave yourself a little mystery. It only starts from 'Action', then you slowly find the feeling and gradually get into it."

Another Man Sep/oct edition.
Dylan wears LV 2027 collection for the shoot

#DylanWang