My Perfect Weekend with actor Zong Zijie
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Actor Zong Zijie enjoys exploring new cafes on weekends.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ZONG ZIJIE
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Who: Singapore-based Chinese actor Zong Zijie. In the local horror-comedy movie The Chosen One, now showing in cinemas, he plays a psychic fraudster who uses his supernatural ability to see ghosts and exorcise them to con others.
The 28-year-old NoonTalk Media artiste has been acting since 2009, appearing in Mediacorp dramas such as C.L.I.F. 4 (2016) and While We Are Young (2017). He is now filming a new Channel 8 series, If Tomorrow Comes.
Zong, who is single and an only child, lives with his parents in the eastern part of Singapore.
“On Saturdays, I visit Bedok 85 Market with my mum to get groceries. Since I am not home most of the time, that is one way I take care of my family. The uncle selling pork by the side of the market always gives me extra, so we frequent his stall.
My family does not usually dine out, so we prepare lunch at home. My favourite dish to make with my mum is a Chinese noodle dish with long beans, eggs, clams and pork. The recipe was passed down from my grandmother.
In the afternoon, I like to explore new cafes and grab my black coffee of the day. I like my coffee bitter, with no milk or sugar.
If I have some shopping to do, I go to Suntec City because it is huge and I enjoy the drive there. It just feels therapeutic on the East Coast Parkway (ECP). No matter where I go, I take the ECP even if it takes longer. It is wider, the view is better and you can see the Singapore Flyer.
Zong Zijie plays a psychic fraudster in the local horror-comedy movie The Chosen One.
PHOTO: SHAW ORGANISATION
For dinner, I meet my friends from secondary school. We always switch it up, though one of our go-to places is Obba BBQ & Jjajang in Tanjong Pagar. The queue there can be quite painfully long, though.
Sundays are when I feel the most lazy, but even then, I wake up by 9am. I do not sleep in much.
If I had all the time in the world, I would do a movie marathon. I would love to order junk food and sit in front of the television all day.
In the afternoon, Zong Zijie likes to explore new cafes and grab his black coffee of the day.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ZONG ZIJIE
I would start with some comedy – I like really raunchy ones, like 21 Jump Street (2012). I am also into artistic films. There are a lot of them that I do not understand, but I try to watch and learn. I would also watch some Oscar-winning films. Most recently, I watched Oppenheimer (2023).
Afterwards, I will grab a drink with my friends. The last place we went to was MO Bar at Mandarin Oriental. Usually I go for a whiskey sour without sugar. It is a bit harsh on the wallet, but it is worth it once in a while.”
