Cecilia Boey (Song Yanfei) recently opened up about her experiences in the Chinese entertainment industry, particularly when participating in variety shows. She candidly admitted, “I feel like I’m a magnet for controversy—every time I go on a variety show, something always seems to stir up discussion.” She shared that she frequently checks online comments and reactions, and sometimes, the criticism hits hard.
Who’s Cecilia Boey aka Song Yanfei?
Aside from acting in dramas, the 29-year-old star can often be seen in different variety shows with her most recent one being Ride the Wind 2025. The Chinese Australian singer-dancer and actress had trained to be a K-pop idol under JYP Entertainment. It fell through due to a knee injury and she eventually started out in Chinese showbiz. During her early years, Cecilia Boey joined the Hunan TV reality show Grade One, which gave her a bad rep.
Reflecting on her earlier years, she revealed, “Back then, I was in such a bad place mentally.” After filming ended, our group got split up and everything felt chaotic. I was in an irrational state, constantly crying, barely leaving the house.” She recalled a specific moment when a co-star joked that everything she did was wrong, and she unconsciously snapped back. Watching the footage afterward, she was shocked to see herself in such a defensive, unhappy state. “I never expected I’d be like that on the show.”
Many of the Cast Have Become Popular Stars
Grade One was a Chinese reality show series that chronicled the lives of young “students” in different settings. Though participants then which included Tong Mengshi, Yuan Yuxuan, Xing Fei, Zhang Yuxi were virtually unknown at the time, several have since become very well-known such as Cheng Yi, Esther Yu and Meng Ziyi.
For Song Yanfei, the show was both an opportunity and an emotional cost. Even in recent years, she would often talk about how she’s afraid to talk due to the negative things people could say though her friend Meng Ziyi who was once also subjected to online hate encouraged her to not be afraid.
