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Full Article and Interview from ELLEMEN #HouMinghao October 2026 - Hou Minghao’s Guide to Wandering the Galaxy At the end of December 2017, Hou Minghao posted the following on Weibo: “I still hope to become a true actor. So, please give me a little more time. I will show you an actor who does not forget his original aspirations and continues to grow—Hou Minghao.” Nine years have passed and Hou Minghao has fulfilled that promise. He has acted in dramas, appeared on variety shows, prepared for concerts, and experimented with creating music. His schedule has been filled with all kinds of different projects. Yet now, he seems less eager to confine himself to any one particular identity, and no longer insists that everything must unfold exactly as he once envisioned. This October, he released the studio version of Galaxy Far Far Away. The song speaks of a distant galaxy, as well as the subtle distances between people. For Hou Minghao, it also seems to offer a way of understanding where he is in life right now: between different identities as an actor, a music creator, and more, there are still so many things he wants to explore. Next year, he also plans to release an album, continuing to explore electronic music, love songs, and music videos. Nine years ago, he asked his audience to give him some time. Nine years later, he is still searching for new possibilities. When it comes to work, destiny, and self-expression, he does not seem to have a definitive set of answers just yet. But perhaps the meaning of wandering does not lie in reaching a particular destination as quickly as possible. Rather, it lies in continually discovering along the way just how many other places one can still go. Finding the Reason to Keep Moving Forward There was a small detail on the day of the shoot. Because of the rain, the set needed to be adjusted, which would take quite a bit of time. Throughout the process, however, Hou Minghao patiently remained to the side, quietly getting himself into the right emotional state for the scene. After filming wrapped, he spoke about that moment, saying that he could feel how genuinely the entire team wanted to come together and create something good. That atmosphere naturally rubbed off on him as well, making him willing to put in the effort alongside them. Hou Minghao said that his trust in the people he works with depends, to a large degree, on their level of professionalism. But beyond professionalism, sincerity is equally capable of moving him. Rather than working in a collaboration marked by rigid workplace formalities, where everyone mechanically goes through the motions, he would much rather work alongside a group of people who genuinely take what they do seriously and are committed to making something good together. But he also understands that work cannot always go exactly the way he wants. When something is not what he most wants to do, he tries to find a reason to keep going. “If I were to focus solely on my own immediate, one-sided thoughts, I think it would be very easy to get obsessed over an unsolvable line of thought.” There is rarely just one side to anything. If you focus only on how you feel in the moment, it is easy to see things in an increasingly negative light. Eventually, all that remains is mechanically going through the motions of work, even losing the enjoyment that comes with it. But adjusting one’s mindset does not mean having to accept everything. “The best approach is still to do the things you enjoy as much as possible.” If something genuinely fails to interest him, Hou Minghao will first consider turning it down. He does not want to spend an extended period of time doing things that go against his own wishes simply for the sake of completing an assignment. Rather than completing something without putting his soul into it, he would rather reconsider whether he should accept it. It’s just that reality does not always allow people to do as they please. It is very difficult for someone, throughout the course of their career, to spend every single day doing only the things that interest them most. When the demands of reality conflict with one’s original intentions, Hou Minghao feels that it is also important to try to adjust one’s mindset and not allow oneself to become trapped in negative emotions. For Hou Minghao, this year has been a particularly special one. Music has been a dream of his since childhood, and now, he finally has the opportunity to turn that dream into an ongoing career. Preparing for concerts and releasing new songs have kept him busy, but they have also brought him a sense of accomplishment. The same goes for his concerts. For some fans, making the trip to attend a performance may be a way to recharge their batteries amid the demands of everyday life and work. For Hou Minghao, meeting them is also a way of replenishing his own energy. He sees their relationship as a two-way effort, with both sides making their way toward each other. Learning to Accept the Limits of Fate In Hou Minghao’s view, #YangWujian, his character in #Immortalis, has one distinct quality that sets him apart from some of the characters he has played before—he has a strong sense of the warmth of everyday life. Immortalis tells the story of an ordinary person who finds himself carrying the weight of an extraordinary destiny. Yang Wujian is not someone who knows from the very beginning what mission he is destined to fulfill. The Longevity Palace is where he grew up and the place most familiar to him. To him, it is first and foremost a home, a place where there are people he wants to protect, and an everyday life he cannot bear to lose. This makes the choices Yang Wujian faces when confronted with destiny quite different from those found in many traditional heroic tales. Due to various objective reasons, his life may come to an end in his forties. Death is no longer some distant possibility that he can afford to set aside for the time being, but something that's already become part of how he plans his life—it's become a boundary he cannot avoid confronting. What lies before him is not simply the question of how to face his own fate, but also how to protect the people he cares about with the limited time he has. What Hou Minghao finds most moving about Yang Wujian is not his fierce resistance against fate, but rather his attitude when facing it. He is not a defiant rebel in the mold of Nezha, nor does he regard breaking free from fate as his sole objective. For Yang Wujian, since there are aspects of life that cannot be changed, then choosing to protect his family and make the most of the limited time he has to live well is also a choice. “Even if it is brief, it should still be beautiful.” With this one sentence, Hou Minghao sums up Yang Wujian’s state of mind. Hou Minghao said that he has portrayed quite a few characters with tragic fates, but in real life, it would be difficult for him to truly encounter the kinds of circumstances Yang Wujian has experienced. Perhaps what this character has left him with is not a lesson in how to solve any particular problem, but rather a new perspective that even when a person cannot change everything, they can still choose how to spend the time they have. This has some similarities to Hou Minghao’s own approach to work. He does not advocate resigning oneself to fate. When it comes to things he truly likes, he is still willing to fight for them. It's just that he has also gradually come to understand that making an effort does not imply one must struggle against every outcome that does not go one's way. For Yang Wujian, protecting his family and making his limited life as beautiful as possible is the choice he can make. For Hou Minghao, how to navigate the trade-offs that come with work remains a question he must continue to answer. Searching for Answers in a Distant Galaxy If Yang Wujian led Hou Minghao to reflect on how a person faces their own fate, then Galaxy Far Far Away has prompted him to rethink the distances between people. In his imagination, the relationship between himself and his fans is much like a distant galaxy. Some travel from overseas, while others cross great distances, all just for the chance to see him. The distance is real, yet whenever they finally meet, Hou Minghao thinks being able to come together is, in itself, a lucky thing. Before a concert or fan meeting, Hou Minghao would listen to music alone at home and imagine the scene of everyone gathering together. Those moments that have yet to happen, carry a romantic hue. When they finally meet in person, everything becomes tangible. Hou Minghao also experiences what you might call "withdrawal symptoms." For example, after a meeting with his fans comes to an end, everything that had just felt so real suddenly seems to retreat into the distance. Those moments they experienced together go back to become things he can only touch through his memories. And so, the distant galaxy is distance, and is memory. It may seem impossibly far away, yet in certain moments, it can bring people closer together. For example, at Hou Minghao's concerts, he hopes to create an immersive atmosphere that allows the audience to remember a particular moment, a certain dance move, or an image that truly resonates deep within them. Back in the recording studio, he aims to gradually draw listeners into his own musical world through the textures of electronic music and the layering of sound. “At the same time, it tells everyone that they are a part of my musical world, too.” Hou Minghao says he is in no rush to explain every emotion, nor does he intend to prescribe a single interpretation for his listeners. To him, music can take many different forms of expression, and listeners are free to bring their own experiences and feelings into it. This year, he has approached music as a new trial. The electronic music, love songs, and music videos he used to like have all become directions he wants to explore. Next, he also hopes to incorporate more of his personal aesthetic and artistic expression into the album. Nine years ago, Hou Minghao asked the audience to give him some time, so they could see an actor who continues to make progress. Nine years later, he is still moving forward. Only now, he is exploring more than just how to become a better actor. He is also exploring how to turn his own feelings into music, giving those emotions that are difficult to put into words a form that others can hear. The galaxy in Galaxy Far Far Away is distant and abstract, yet people can hear their own distinct stories within the same song. For Hou Minghao, perhaps music is much the same. It does not need to provide a definitive answer, nor does it need to explain every emotion. It simply needs to leave a little room for feelings that have yet to find their way into words. As for where his next destination will be, he is still exploring. The galaxy is far away, there is no need to complete the journey all at once. (Link: mp.weixin.qq.com/s/uAWGi8DqX…)