The boy who never grows up? TFBOYS star Wang Yuan on how he relates to Peter Pan

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‍"All children, except one, grow up."

- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.

Wang Yuan seems just like any other 16-year-old boy, as a twinkle comes to his eye when he talks about playing video games in his free time. But Wang is no ordinary teenager – as part of the hugely famous TFBoys pop group, Wang is already a veteran teen celebrity, who has been immersed in the bustling grown-up world of showbiz for almost four years.

“I also want to play and hang out with my classmates, watching movies or going to video game centers. This kind of behavior shows I’m still just a kid,” says Wang, who despite his whirlwind rise to fame remains a mischievous boy at heart, much like Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up, from the novel by Scottish author J.M. Barrie.

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And Wang’s boyish nature is not the sole common ground that he shares with Peter Pan.

Just like Pan, the daredevil who survives multiple breathtaking adventures and overcomes overwhelming odds to defeat foes such as Captain Hook, Wang also spoke of how, despite his age, he has also not held back from braving challenges in the real world, both physical and mental.

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Before sitting down with CGTN for an interview to read an excerpt from Peter Pan, his choice for World Book Day, the 16-year-old star was busy preparing for his upcoming performance in a hit variety show, in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province.

Instead of simply performing as member of TFBoys, Wang has for the first time taken on a role leading other celebrity guests, and assumed the challenge of presenting talents other than singing and dancing, such as presenting, doing impressions and performing comedy sketches.

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In 2016, the teenager made it to the big screen in L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties, a computer animated action film directed by Guo Jingming. During this year’s Spring Festival, the boy singer also made his debut on the international stage by speaking at a UN youth forum, demonstrating his desire for there to be more attention on the need for equal access to quality education around the world.

Life in the spotlight is not always easy, with the workload of showbiz often exhausting, and his fame making Wang the target of insults and criticism. These aspects, no matter how ugly, must all be endured as part of the celebrity lifestyle, according to Wang.

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Like Peter Pan, whose eternal youth has made him the envy of millions of adults across the world ever since the character was first created a century ago, Wang Yuan is also a figure who enjoys ever-growing stardom under the national spotlight.

The number of followers on his Weibo account has now exceeded 21 million, and a pinned post about his first single was reposted by a record high of almost 100 million netizens, showing his massive popularity.

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From a typical 13-year-old school boy who simply enjoyed singing to one of the country’s most renowned teen icons, who has already performed for two consecutive years on the country’s televised Spring Festival Gala, Wang conceded that he has “grown up under the gaze of the entire country.”

While Wang shares some characteristics with Peter Pan, that is not the only reason why he chose the story. In fact, some aspects of Wang’s life bear no resemblance to the boy who never grows up, with showbiz forcing the child star to grow up all too quickly.

Wang, unlike Peter Pan, has been able to come to terms with and even embrace the bittersweet process of growing up and entering the adult world, despite some regrets along the way.

“I’ve started to hand out lucky money. Giving lucky money to my younger brother means I’ve already said goodbye to childhood ahead of others,” Wang Yuan joked, adding “my parents, my uncles and aunts all tell me you’re a man who can make money and support a family, I’m very happy about that.”

He further noted that though he is sometimes frustrated about being more mature than most teenagers of his age, he will continue to follow his current path and proceed with his career, even if it means he has to grow up quickly.

When asked whether he himself is jealous of Peter Pan as an incarnation of carefree boyhood, he suggested that as delightful as childhood is, “we all eventually have to grow up.”

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“So I think, I’d prefer to just keep childhood as a good memory.”

All children, except one, grow up. The child, unlike others, bears no fear of growing up.

Ahead of World Book Day, a time to relate to literature and explore the joy of reading, listen to Wang Yuan, a teenage star whose path to adulthood has constantly been in the public spotlight, share the story of one who enjoys an eternal childhood.

Peter Pan, also known as Peter and Wendy, is one of the most famous works by Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie. It tells the adventures of a mischievous young boy on Neverland, an island inhabited by mermaids, fairies and pirates. Besides Peter Pan, who can fly and never grows up, other characters in the story include Wendy Darling, a motherly girl who cares for her two younger brothers, fairy Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys and infamous villain, the pirate Captain Hook. The story debuted in 1904 as a play, and was then developed into a novel in 1911.

Produced by: Cao Xiating, Cai Mengxiao, Yang Di, Li Tianfu

Video and visual effect by: Zhang Wanbao, Qi Jianqiang, Li Hua and Zhang Tao

Story written by: Cai Mengxiao

Story edited by: Nick Moore