Actor Zhang Yaodong starts TikTok account, says he is grateful for support for his Tampines zi char stall

CNA

20 hours ago

After Zhang Yaodong was recently seen serving customers at his seafood zi char (cooked dishes) stall in a Tampines Industrial Park coffee shop, the 47-year-old has received a wave of online support for his latest venture.
In response, the former Mediacorp actor, who is nominated in the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes category at this year's Star Awards, started a TikTok account and posted his first video on Wednesday (Jun 11) filmed at his stall, where he thanked fans and those around him for their encouragement.
In the video, he introduced his stall and acknowledged that several customers had taken pictures of him manning it.
'I'm very thankful for everyone on social media who has been supporting me,' he said. 'I also want to take this opportunity to thank the friends around me who have been encouraging me, and, after seeing last week's reports, want to visit my stall to show their support.'
Zhang explained that he does not want to do too much advertising or publicity for his stall as he still wanted to further improve the standard of the food.
He also expressed gratitude to his long-time friend Catherine Chew, who had encouraged him to start a TikTok account much earlier.
He admitted he was not very active on social media and was initially hesitant to the idea. But her consistent encouragement to let others see 'another side of him' through TikTok eventually moved him.
She had also been introducing other bosses to him to collaborate through the platform.
Zhang wrote in his caption: 'A new beginning. Thank you for being part of it. That day at the stall was a wake-up call. Your kindness gave me strength to reflect and figure out my next steps.
'The road ahead is mine to walk, and it's a path I've chosen for myself. I'll be sharing this journey with you."