There was Cheng Yu-tung GBM back in 2016, aged 91. Stanley Ho GBM GLM GBS GML OBE in 2020, at the age of 98. Lui Che Woo, GBM, GBS, MBE, JP in 2024, aged 95. And now Lee Shau-kee GBM , aged 97.
Unlike Bill Gates or Jack Ma, who made their fortunes through innovation, Hong Kong’s tycoons got mega-rich through good old honest rent-seeking: exploiting government-rigged markets in textiles, casinos or – most infamously – real estate, then buying up cash-cow monopolies in utilities, transport and distribution. Their role in provoking the popular discontent that came to a head in 2014-19 was immeasurable. ‘Fourth Uncle’ Lee’s Henderson Land focussed on the grottier end of nasty little overpriced apartments and owned the city’s town gas company.
His finest/tackiest moment was perhaps grandly handing cash bonuses to all his employees to celebrate the birth of his unmarried son Peter’s three male babies, courtesy of a surrogate mother. The Standard adds that he was especially fond of the mother of his other son’s children…
Former actress Cathy Chui Chi-kei, married to Martin, was dubbed the “hundred billion daughter-in-law”.
In their 19 years of marriage, Chui gave birth to four children in eight years. Lee sent her gifts that totaled over a billion dollars.
The gifts included a mansion, a HK$50 million education fund, land worth HK$1.82 billion and a HK$110 million yacht.
Li Ka-shing GBM KBE JP, aged 96 years 8 months, is too busy trying to sell off his ports right now.
From Weatherzone – how the recent cold weather in Hong Kong will lead to ‘monsoonal’ rain in Indonesia and even Australia…
This surge of cold air originated from deep over the Tibetan plateau, where very cold and dry air during the boreal winter descends into a dominant high pressure system. These cold and dry winds expand east and south into Japan and China, becoming the northeast monsoon as they travel into the South China Sea, picking up moisture over the increasingly warm oceans.
So (if I understand this correctly) it’s the opposite to what happens during our summer, when the air picks up moisture in the Western Pacific and South China Sea before dumping it here. Except right now, Oz somehow gets dragged into it. Something called the Madden-Julian Oscillation.
Old scrooge Lee Shau-kee also has a son named Matthew with one of his wives/ squeeze. How come they never talk about him?