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Ghost Prince
As long as the sea is bound to wash up on the sand,
And stars are above you,
We will meet again.
Li Yichen (Chinese: 李奕辰; born Li Ying 李婴, October 31, 2002) is a Chinese singer-songwriter, composer, producer, actor, and model, widely recognised as one of the most prominent non-debuted artists in the contemporary Asian music industry. Despite never officially debuting under a group or label, he gained popularity for his emotive vocals, genre-blending compositions, and recurring appearances on major survival shows.
Li rose to prominence through programmes such as Produce 101 Season 2 (2017), Produce X 101 (2019), I-LAND (2020), and Boys Planet (2023), where he frequently ranked first but withdrew before debut, often without explanation. This pattern, combined with his artistic impact, earned him the nickname “Ghost Prince”.
Over nearly a decade, Li has contributed to over 20 drama soundtracks in China and South Korea and has songwriting or production credits on more than 50 commercial releases. His independent singles, often released under aliases via SoundCloud, have gained critical and commercial attention despite minimal promotion.
In addition to music, Li began his career as an athlete and later represented China in archery, winning five Olympic gold medals across the 2018 Youth and 2020 Summer Games. He is also active in the fashion industry, modelling for Vogue China, Harper’s Bazaar, L’Officiel, and others, and serving as the face of campaigns for Gucci, Dior, and Ralph Lauren.
As of May 18, 2025, Li Yichen is a contestant on the CBC survival show STAR RAIL.
Early life
Li Yichen was born Li Ying on October 31, 2001, in Chongqing, China, to two traveling professors, who were known for helping local villagers and inventing a series of medical devices. Both had connections to the entertainment industry, as his mother was a famous actress in the early 1990s and his father had worked for Baozhang Entertainment as he was a friend to it's Chairman. Tragically, they both died in a car accident when Li was only five years old, as they were in Chongqing. First spending some time in an orphanage, he fled the establishment to live on the streets, which he later attributed to abuse. Around this time he also developed Cynophobia, a fear of dogs, because he was attacked constantly by them while scraping for food. After almost a year of having to survive alone, he was found by the Chairman of Baozhang Entertainment.
Placed under the guardianship of the Bao family, his adoption was portrayed as a philanthropic act, as the public was told he was a “gifted orphan” whom the family had “rescued” to give a second chance. However, Li would later describe this as being "rescued into a golden cage." He lived from then on in Beijing, alongside the family’s biological children, with whom he managed to develop a good relationship, although the atmosphere at home was strictly hierarchical. He was always positioned as an outsider—trained, polished, and praised only as long as he didn’t outshine his brother. Emotional expression outside of scheduled performances was discouraged, and any deviation from the program—especially his habit of improvising during rehearsals—was met with quiet but pointed discipline.
From the age of 10, Li was training to become an idol, where his immense talent quickly began to shine, demonstrating his impressive vocals, instrumental ability and self-composed pieces that would later be plagiarized for in-house acts. Despite continued promises, he was repeatedly denied opportunities in favor of other trainees or his brother getting them. At 14 he relocated to South Korea while preparing for the survival show Produce 101 Season 2, meant to bring more international attention to the agency. After not being able to debut with Wanna One due to rigging accusations from a prominent Politician, he stayed in Seoul to further promote his agency.
At 17, an original demo surfaced anonymously online. Its lyrics referenced captivity, legacy, and a door that would not open—metaphors Bunnies would later interpret as a direct indictment of his treatment by the company. Within weeks, he was officially dropped from Baozhang for “breach of contract.” No further statement was released and he left without fanfare, without footage, and without farewell.
Personal life
Personality
Li Yichen is known for his deeply expressive personality that has been often appreciated by his colleagues. By them he is recognised for his quiet focus and artistic discipline. In interviews he is soft-spoken and prefers to be still in rehearsals and creative spaces, nonetheless showing an unusually sharp emotional intelligence each time. By his fellow contestants, he was described as intuitive, poetic, and meticulous—an artist who feels deeply, writes with intention, and approaches every project with layered narrative purpose. Despite this, Yichen also displays a distinctly playful and chaotic side in casual settings. Among friends, he is warm, teasing, and often humorous. His actions could then be described as 'random', and he intentionally doesn't like to be taken seriously during such times.
On stage, however, Yichen is known for adopting distinct personas that reflect the theme of the performance. He moves between these personas fluidly, each being able to be described by a singular word. Because of this, he has gained a reputation for being a most versatile and concept-driven performer. While Yichen tends to avoid traditional celebrity spaces, he has maintained close ties to various individuals part of the industry.
Family
Li Yichen is legally the adopted son of the Bao family, owners of Baozhang Entertainment, a successful Chinese agency. They took him in as a child following the death of his biological parents. Later, Li would describe his upbringing as emotionally complex, alluding to feelings of “conditional belonging” and “being raised by expectation, not affection” in later interviews and lyrical works.
At 19 years old, he adopted a young boy named Li Minghao, whose background has been kept private to keep his anonymity. According to a brief statement on his Weibo, the adoption was "a natural decision made out of love and choosing to build a future." He has rarely spoken publicly about the boy but has mentioned him occasionally during livestreams, describing him as "curious, funny, and someone who asks more questions than the world gives answers.” Fans have noted that since the adoption, several of Yichen's visual works and song lyrics have taken on themes of protection, legacy, and gentler forms of love, speculated to be about his son.
Pets
He is known for being obsessed with rabbits, often featuring them in his visual works and social media posts. Li has kept rabbits since he was a trainee, referring to them as his "quietest friends." and claiming "they know all my works before anyone else does." Over time he has owned over twenty different rabbits, naming each one of them something "unexpected."
