Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat vows to donate his entire fortune

Chow Yun-fat, the Hong Kong star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has vowed to donate his entire fortune – reportedly $715m – to charity after he dies.

The 63-year-old multimillionaire – known to western audiences for films such as the Oscar-winning Pirates of the Caribbean and gangster classic A Better Tomorrow –  joined Forbes’ list of highest paid actors in the world for the first time in 2015.

“This money isn’t something you possess forever. When you’re gone one day, you have to leave it to others to use it,” he told South Korea’s Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation in an interview aired last week.

“You can’t bring the money in your bank account with you after you die,” he said, adding his wife “strongly supports” his decision.

Wealth gap

Hong Kong’s wealth gap was at its widest last year for nearly half a century, fuelling discontent as the former British colony marked two decades under Chinese rule.

Sky-high prices and the cost of living outstrip many ordinary residents’ salaries, with apartments becoming increasingly cramped and generations of families forced to share.

Meanwhile, the city’s mega-rich continue their display of extreme wealth and pursuit of status symbols.

Chow, affectionately nicknamed “Brother Fat” in Hong Kong, has won praise for taking an opposite tack.

Local media give wildly varied estimates of his wealth, but say he is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Chow has said he has no idea how much he is worth.

Chow says his wife agrees with his decision to donate his fortune [File: Vincent Yu/AP]

His wife Jasmine Tan has previously described how her husband often eats at street stalls and only gave up his beloved Nokia flip-phone when it died after years of use.

In his interview with MBC, Chow, a native of Lamma Island which was once a traditional fishing village, also discussed the joys of a simple meal – a favourite is savoury Chinese turnips accompanied by rice.

“I am happy if there’s food to eat, because we were quite poor then. I’ll be very happy eating sweet potatoes and vegetables, and even happier if I have chicken and meat during the new year,” he said.

Dozens of billionaire business figures have signed up to “The Giving Pledge” started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to encourage the world’s wealthiest to donate their fortunes.

But Hollywood and Asian acting stars are noticeably absent from the list.