Years ago, mainland Chinese actor Li Yapeng, who transitioned from the entertainment industry to the business sector, has been repeatedly rumored to be in a debt crisis. As the legal person of the “Beijing Smile Angel Children’s Hospital,” he was sued for long-term rent arrears and has now gone through the second trial with the judgment officially entering the enforcement stage.
Li Yapeng’s “Smile Angel Children’s Hospital” has been in arrears with rent since 2022. Despite the second trial ruling on the related case and the court initiating the enforcement process in November last year, the hospital has failed to pay rent, return the property, complete the actual relocation, leading to a deadlock in the enforcement.
The hospital’s statement highlighted that there are still multiple cleft lip and palate surgery cases ongoing within the hospital. Medical services have not been interrupted. The relocation involves a significant amount of medical equipment transfer, patient care continuity, healthcare personnel scheduling, and other complex procedures. It cannot be completed in a short period. Reckless relocation might affect the treatment rights of existing patients.
The statement also emphasizes that the hospital respects the court’s judgment and is not refusing to comply. However, they hope to secure a reasonable transition period while ensuring uninterrupted medical services and minimal impact on patients, allowing a smooth continuation of subsequent healthcare services. The hospital did not provide a specific timeline for the completion of the relocation.
Li Yapeng, 53 years old this year, married singer Faye Wong in 2005, and they welcomed their daughter, Li Yan, the following year. In the past, Li Yapeng revealed online that his daughter Li Yan was born with a cleft lip and palate, commonly known as a cleft palate. To treat this condition, the couple spent a lot to take Li Yan to the United States for medical treatment and set up the Smile Angel Foundation to help children with similar cleft lip and palate issues.
In June 2012, Li Yapeng and Faye Wong, along with 8 other founders, jointly established the “Smile Angel Children’s Hospital” in Chaoyang District, Beijing. The hospital’s legal representative is Li Yapeng, with a registered capital of about 10 million yuan, offering services in pediatrics, pediatric digestive specialties, pediatric respiratory specialties, among others.
According to the hospital’s official website, it opened its doors on July 1, 2012, in Wangjing Dongyuan, Chaoyang District, Beijing, becoming China’s first privately-run non-profit comprehensive children’s hospital.
After his divorce from Faye Wong, Li Yapeng withdrew from the entertainment industry and turned to business ventures. From the “Cultural Institute” to the “Snow Mountain Art Town,” from vast tea plantations to hot pot restaurants and Baijiu businesses, Li Yapeng stated that his investments failed because “sentiment outweighed ability.” Tianyancha APP data shows Li Yapeng’s real estate investment company “Lijiang Snow Mountain” had multiple new entries of execution information last year, amounting to a total of 460 million yuan.
An added execution information dated August 19, last year, concerning the “Smile Angel Children’s Hospital” displays an amount of 13.81 million yuan as the subject of enforcement and the Beijing Chaoyang District Court as the enforcing authority. Earlier, on April 17, the hospital was executed for about 347,000 yuan. At that time, Li Yapeng posted a video on social media recording his daughter Li Yan participating in activities of the Smile Angel Foundation during the holidays. In the photo, with waist-length hair, Li Yan wore a blue t-shirt, delicate makeup, and her cleft lip was barely visible.
Li Yapeng remarried in 2022, with his 19 years younger wife, Hai Hajin, but the couple announced their divorce in October 2025. Facing towering debts, Li Yapeng is rumored to have a total debt of 2.86 billion yuan. To repay this debt, he resorted to live-streaming sales of tea leaves, but the effort to clear such enormous debt seems futile.
On January 13, Li Yapeng reposted the response of the “Smile Angel Children’s Hospital” regarding the rental debt and added a text saying, “The Smile Angel Children’s Hospital may become history, but we will stand our ground until the end.”