Showing once again why he’s the most down to earth movie star around, Hong Kong film legend Chow Yun-fat reportedly lives on just HK$800 ($102) a month, saving up his money so that one day he can leave it all to charity.
Chow’s wife, Jasmine Tan, says that her husband manages to live so frugally in one of the world’s most expensive cities by frequenting street food stalls and rarely buying new things, according to an Oriental Daily report from last week. For example, for 17 years, Chow stuck with his trusty Nokia flip phone, only recently purchasing a new smartphone when his old device finally stopped working.
The 63-year-old Chow is often seen riding public transportation where he rocks a simple wardrobe — a shirt costing him 98 yuan ($14) and sandals costing another 15 yuan ($2). When asked why he likes to shop at discount shops despite his tremendous net worth, Chow replies, “I don’t wear clothes for other people. I just wear whatever I find comfortable.”
Last week, while in Taiwan promoting his latest film, Project Gutenberg, Chow was spotted riding the Taipei MRT, taking a jog at Da’an Forest Park, and running on the city’s Yangmingshan.
When he’s not exercising, cleaning up the streets of Hong Kong after a typhoon, or lining up for tickets to see his own movie, Chow spends his free time doing charity work. Chow and his wife have no children. He has said that when he dies he will donate his entire fortune to charity.
“I feel that the money does not really belong to me. I am just in charge of keeping it temporarily!” Chow remarked back in 2014. His wealth is currently estimated at a whopping HK$5.6 billion ($714 million).
[Images via Oriental Daily / Taiwan News]
