Martial Arts Star Donates His Whole $714 Million Fortune To Charity

From humble beginnings to vast wealth, Chow Yun Fat has proved he isn’t affected by fame and fortune. The Martial Arts star was born in Lamma Island, Hong Kong, to a mother who was a cleaning lady & vegetable farmer and to a father who worked on a Shell Oil Company tanker. 

Chow grew up in a farming community, in a house with no electricity, and would wake at dawn every morning to help his mom sell herbal jelly & Hakka tea pudding. 

In the afternoons, Chow will be seen working in the fields. At age ten, his family moved to Kowloon, and at 17, he eventually left school to help support the family by doing odd jobs, including postman camera salesman, taxi driver, and bellboy. His life changed after college just when he responded to a newspaper advertisement. 

Chow’s actor-trainee application was accepted by a local television station, which signed him on a three-year contract, and of course, he made his acting debut. 

He became a heartthrob, and his face appeared in soap operas exported internationally. Despite attaining wealth, Chow reportedly leads a very simple lifestyle, spending just $800 HKD, a little over $100 a month on himself. And interestingly, the 63-Year-Old Chinese actor has said he plans on donating his entire $714M fortune to charity.

“The money’s not mine. I’m only keeping it safe for the time being,” Chow, known as Sao Feng in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, said of his reasons for giving his fortune. 

He added: “My dream is to be a happy and normal person. The hardest thing in life is not about how much money you earn, but how to keep a peaceful mindset and live the rest of your life in a simple and carefree manner.” Chow can often be seen shopping at discount shops. He expressed he doesn’t wear clothes for people but wears what he think is comfortable and good for him. 

Accordingly, he spends his free time on healthy pursuits, including hiking and jogging. When recognized, he happily stops and poses for the cameras. 

Chow’s wife, Jasmine Tan, supports his decision to give his money to different causes. And however, Chow is best known in Asia for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in bloodshed-genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled. In the West, he’s known for his roles as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.