Li Yipeng, son of ex-PM Lee Hsien Loong, talks about albinism, hopes for S'pore & being seen as more than just his family name

Li Yipeng, 43, son of former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, sat down with The Purple Parade for a wide-ranging interview on his life, his past, and his hopes for Singapore.

The Purple Parade is a movement in Singapore celebrating the abilities of persons with special needs, as well as to promote inclusivity and awareness.

The initiative is driven by the Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC).

Li Yipeng working at Pathlight School

In the interview, Li talks about what he is doing now.

He is currently working as an education support officer at Pathlight School, a special school for autism. His work involves curating educational content for the students there, and a large part of it focuses on e-learning content for their in-house platform.

The need for support for those on the autism spectrum, as well as students in general, is something deeply ingrained in Li.

He shared how during his time in Zhonghua Secondary School, the principal, Chua Yen Ching, would leave students handwritten notes of encouragement.

"When my classmates and I went through a rough patch, I remember that Mrs Chua left us a handwritten note saying we were a “very caring class of students”.

This note revived our spirits and helped us realise that our value as human beings mattered more than just academics."

Albinism and Autism

Li was born with albinism, which gives him very light hair and skin.

This also means his eyes are more sensitive to glares. This, along with nystagmus, a visual condition with involuntary, rhythmic eye movements, and astigmatism, means he has to hold books close and avoid small print or bright lights.

He is also on the autism spectrum, which he explains is why he sometimes require extra time to adjust to new environments or routines.

He also notes that this allows him to notice details and patterns others might miss.

"These differences are part of me, but they don’t define what I can do or the life I choose to lead."

He recalls how students in special education back when he was schooling were not as well-understood as they are today. This is why he's grateful for those like Chua who encouraged him during his school years.

"For people on the autism spectrum, it’s important that the adults in our lives make the effort to encourage us to explore our strengths.

Kindness and compassion can go a long way too.

And I’m very grateful for these people in my life who have given me the opportunities to grow and thrive."

Who he is

The article started with this quote:

“I want people to see me for what I am. Not my name or my looks."

He expounds later on his hope to be seen more as an individual than just his family name as well.

"When I interact with people, I would like them to see more to me than my family name or background. I would request that people see me for what I am as an individual.

At the same time, I really don’t want people to be intimidated by the aura of my family name. I hope to assure people I meet that I’m just like everyone else."

Li shared a lot about what drives him and his favourite pieces of media as well.

Describing himself as a very inquiring person, he says it is important to him that people get to know "what I am first, rather than form assumptions based on my name or my physical appearance."

Touching on some of his interests, Li gave a rundown of his favourite classical works.

"Some of my favourite classical works are the Beethoven symphonies, Handel’s Messiah, the Rimsky-Korsakov suite Sheherazade and Dvořák’s New World Symphony."

As well as his favourite musicals, which he thinks go hand in hand with operas.

"Some of my favourite musicals are The Sound of Music, Cats, Oliver!, The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables"

And while he's not into "modern and trendy pop music", it is through these stage musicals that he is exposed to other genres and styles.

Hope for the future

He also talked about the refreshed social compact being shaped by the 4G leaders, while acknowledging the steps previous generation of leaders, including his father Lee Hsien Loong, took towards promoting "kindness, compassion and inclusion".

He says he is hopeful for the future of Singapore and hopes that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and his fellow leaders, continue on this path.

Li ended off the interview by reflecting on Singapore through the years. He acknowledged the many people that that had taken the time to care and nurture him because he was special to them.

"I’ve had many people in my life who took the time to care and nurture me because I was special to them. And I hope the Singaporeans of today and tomorrow can do that and go a little further as we build a kinder nation for the future."

You can read the full interview here.

Top image from Purple Parade.