Recently, social media went viral with images of former Taiwanese singer and actor Lai Guanlin appearing on CCTV news as a Taiwanese cultural official attending a summit in Beijing.
No longer carrying the sleek style of a Kpop idol, Lai Guanlin now has short hair, a fuller figure and looks serious in a gray suit.
Having just announced his retirement at the age of 23, Lai Guanlin's appearance in politics surprised the audience.
Many people even compare Lai Guanlin's life to a movie. From an idol singer, he turned to acting, directing and is now a civil servant.
Lai Guan Lin was born in 2001. He first became known to the public when he participated in the famous idol selection program Produce 101 of Mnet Korea.
After finishing Produce 101, Lai Guanlin officially debuted in the project boy group Wanna One in 2017, at the age of 16.
He quickly became a famous member of Wanna One and has a large fan base, thanks to his handsome appearance, cute personality, as well as the group's resounding overall success.
In July 2019, Lai Kuanlin filed a lawsuit against his management company Cube Entertainment, claiming that the company secretly transferred his contract in the Chinese market to a third party, Tajoy Entertainment, for an amount worth dozens of times more, without his and his family's knowledge. In addition, Cube also showed signs of forging the signatures and seals of Lai Kuanlin and the male idol's parents.
After Wanna One disbanded, he returned to China to work.
In his home country, Lai Guanlin is still sought after. In October 2019, he debuted as an actor through the movie “Innocent First Love”, starring alongside Zhao Jinmai. Following that were the movies “Don’t Disturb Me Studying” (with Li Landi), “The Appearance of Love” (with Angelababy)...
Lai Guanlin's acting career is not too prominent, but it still helps him maintain his reputation, collaborating with many brands and labels. He also participates in many entertainment television programs.
In 2021, at the age of 20, Lai Guanlin turned to directing. His two short films "The War Between Winter and Spring" and "Rain in Beijing" were both nominated, won awards, and were shortlisted for many domestic and international film festivals.
Notably, the young director's debut film "The War in Winter and Spring" won 5 categories at the 2021 Rome Independent Film Awards (Italy), including Best Director.
In June 2024, Lai Guanlin suddenly announced his retirement, completely switching to behind-the-scenes work.
Lai Guanlin shared in an interview that he had an unhappy childhood because his parents divorced when he was only 7 years old. The broken family forced Lai Guanlin to grow up early.
He confessed that he decided to become an idol and join the entertainment industry just to earn money and help his mother reduce the financial burden. But then, Lai Guan Lin realized that he worked like a machine and “never found himself in singing, dancing or acting”.
Only when he was exposed to cinema and became a director, did Lai Guan Lin become himself.
Currently, at the age of 23, Lai Guanlin's life has gone through many ups and downs as well as many achievements. Many people express their admiration for Lai Guanlin, comparing him to the male lead of typical romantic novels and movies.
