Ian was born in Shanghai, China and moved to Singapore in 2002. He studied in Stamford Primary School, Bendemeer Secondary School and graduated from Republic Polytechnic. He made his acting debut in police drama C.L.I.F. in 2011, playing a rich kid who lands himself in trouble after single-handedly masterminding a series of bombings.
Fang is a Singapore Permanent Resident since 2015 and was raised by his mother Fang Pei Pei (divorced since 1993) and maternal grandmother after arriving to study in Singapore in 2002.