By Dai Kai | Singapore Junior Reporter
华文版请点击这里阅读: https://sjr.sg/2026/01/06/16710/
Li Yeming(1970-2026) was a well-known Singapore-based Chinese-language writer, social commentator, and cultural scholar. He graduated from Shanghai University and later remained there as a lecturer before moving to Singapore in 1996. He held a master’s degree from Curtin University of Techology.
Li served as a council member of the Singapore Writers Association and was a guest contributor to Lianhe Zaobao. In 2005, he published his debut essay collectuion, Essays from Nanyang, and later co-founded the Essays from Nanyang website, establishing a platform that actively contributed to Singapore’s Chinese-language literary and cultural scene. He was widely regarded as one of the important voices in the local literary community.
Tragically, on 3 January, Li suffered a sudden heart attack while returning from a hiking outing he had organised with friends at MacRitchie Reservoir. Despite being rushed to hospital, he did not survive.
Following his passing, many friends, academics, and cultural figures expressed their shock and sorrow through social media platforms such as Facebook and Wechat. All the vigil hall, wreaths jointly presented by Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Sim Ann and her mother, Chu Liangliang, were displayed. While both local residents and immigrants attended to pay their respects, the most notable presence was Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat, who was personally visited the vigil hall to ofer his condolences.
Minister Chee also left a handwritten message acknowledging Li’s contributions, writing: “Rest in peace. Thank you for your contributions to Singapore and to the Chinese communtity.”
Although Lianhe Zaobao, a leading Chinese-laguage daily, ran the headline ” New Immigrant Writer Li Yeming dies Suddenly of a Heart Attack”, the feaming reflects a broader media convention rather than a denial of his citizenship. In Singapore, especially since the 1990s, the term ” new immigrant” has commonly been used as a cultural and temporal classification rather than a legal one. Even as a Singapore citizen who had lived in the country for nearly 30 years, Li was still viewed through this lens because he arrived asn an adult and had completed his cultural formation elsewhere. Such labeling carries a sense of historical context and social discourse, and also offers greater narrative visibility-hence the media’s choice of words.
Less known to the public was that Li’s personal life was far from smooth. After leaving his stable position in the telecommunications sector, he want through a divorce from his first wrife, whom he had brought from Shanghai to Singapore, and continued to support her and their daughter. His second marriage also ended in divorce more than a year ago, after six or seven years together. His passing may have been linked, to some extent, to long-term lifestyle issues and poor nutrition. In a country as hygienic and well-resourced as Singapore, such an early death is particularly sobering.
Li Yeming’s untimely passing leaves behind reflections at multiple levels. At the national and societal level, it is a reminder that if a communtity expects its people to comtribute and perform, it must also ensure their well-being and support. At the personal level, it is a quiet but powerful reminder of the importance of proper rest, regular meals, not staying up late, and honest communication in sustaining a healthy life. (Written By Dai Kai)
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