Li Yapeng in a video posted on Douyin on January 20, 2026 Photo: Screenshot from Douyin

A staff member of the health commission of the Beijing's Chaoyang District told media on Wednesday that the commission has stepped in to coordinate the handling of a rent dispute involving Beijing SmileAngel Children's Hospital, which set up by a celebrity couple for providing free treatments to Chinese children suffering from cleft lip and palate. In recent days, reports that the hospital was unable to pay overdue rent have sparked concerns over a possible shutdown and prompted a surge of online donations.

The hospital was reportedly facing possible closure due to rent arrears previously. Chinese actor-turned-businessman Li Yapeng and his ex-wife, pop diva Faye Wong set up the hospital and the Beijing Smile Angel Children Charity Foundation because of their daughter, Li Yan, who was born with a cleft lip. 

After Li posted a video addressing the possible relocation or closure of the hospital over rent arrears, drawing widespread online attention, "Donate to Li Yapeng" then became a trending topic on Chinese social media platforms. Many netizens flocked to Li's post on his Douyin account, asking for where they could donate. 

According to Chinese media outlet Benliu News, a staff member of the health commission in Chaoyang district of Beijing told reporters on Wednesday that the commission has stepped in to coordinate and handle the matter, and the hospital's diagnosis and treatment order remains stable. If there are other commercial disputes, the health commission will make every effort to coordinate, per the report.

On the evening of Tuesday, Li posted a video on social media with the caption: "Thank you again for the public attention. We still have a long way to go, and we hope everyone will treat this matter with a calm attitude."

In the video, Li stated that during a livestream a couple of days earlier he had promised to cash out all the gifts given in the live broadcast room and donate them to the hospital on behalf of everyone. He added that he had never received so many gifts before and expressed his gratitude to the audience, the paper.cn reported.

Global Times