Multiracial Children Steal Show in “Dad, Where Are We Going?”
Above: Liu Ye’s son and daughter star in “Dad, Where Are We Going?”
The popular reality show, Dad, Where Are We Going? <爸爸去哪兒>, which challenges celebrity fathers to look after their children by themselves, is now a month into its third season. Like before, the show has increased the fame of many of its young participants; this time around, the limelight is shining on the son and daughter of mainland Chinese actor Liu Ye (劉燁), as well as the daughter of Taiwanese artiste Phoebe Huang (黃嘉千), all of whom are of mixed descent.
Liu Nuoyi and Liu Nina: Chinese and French
Married to French-Jewish photographer Anais Martane since 2009, Liu Ye is no stranger to reality shows, but this one appears to be more of a challenge than most. The actor readily admitted that his wife often bears the responsibility for looking after their two children, four-year-old Liu Nuoyi (劉諾一) and three-year-old Liu Nina (劉霓娜).
Fortunately, Nuoyi has proven himself to be a mature and thoughtful young boy, as well as a caring older brother to his sister Nina. When the other children bother Nina, Nuoyi will hold onto her and tell her that he is there to protect her. Moreover, he always speaks politely to his peers instead of pushing them away like many boys would. Even when he is so tired that he cannot keep his eyes open, he will allow Nina to rest her head on his shoulder.
Nuoyi’s maturity can be attributed to Anais’s parenting style, since she wanted him to be independent from a young age. She also often takes him to participate in volunteer work and pay visits to acquaintances, thus showing him that he is more fortunate than many others. As a result, Nuoyi is accustomed to facing subpar circumstances, which has assisted him greatly on Dad, Where Are We Going?
Anais also believes that children should make reading a habit, which is why Nuoyi and Nina have been surrounded by extracurricular reading materials since they were very young. Notably, Nuoyi finished reading Journey to the West <西遊記> when he was just two years old.
Kyana Poppy Downs: Taiwanese and Canadian
Although she has mostly played supporting roles in her career, Phoebe Huang has seen renewed popularity after her husband, Canadian TV actor/host Christopher Downs (夏克立), and her daughter, Kyana Poppy Downs (夏天), appeared on Dad, Where Are We Going?
Poppy, as she is known, may look just like a princess, but she does not suffer from “princess syndrome” at all. Unlike other girls her age, who only know how to throw tantrums and bat their eyelashes, Poppy jumps at the opportunity to help her peers, even actively serving food to the other children on the show. The one time she cried was when she was about to be separated from her father.
To the delight of many viewers, Poppy has gotten along very well with Nuoyi, and the two of them act like old friends on the show. However, earlier this year, Liu Ye and actor Daniel Wu (吳彥祖) joked that they wanted Nuoyi to marry Daniel’s daughter, Raven Wu (吳斐然), since Daniel’s wife is also of French-Jewish descent.
When asked which child she would prefer to have as a daughter-in-law, Nuoyi’s mother Anais laughed and said that each one had her own strengths. “I won’t pick,” she said. “Nuoyi will have his own opinion in the future.”
This article is written by Joanna for JayneStars.com.
I see where Nuoyi gets his mature thoughts from…’like mother, like son’
not into those programmes…