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'Crouching Tiger' Actor Plans To Give Away His Entire $714 Million Fortune to Charity

By Kayla Kunkel October 16, 2018 at 7:17pm

Chow Yun-fat, the Hong Kong actor most famously known in America for “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,” showed just how humble he is in a recent interview after sharing that he plans on giving away his entire net worth to charity.

The 63-year-old has been acting for over four decades, starring in movies such as “The Killer,” “A Better Tomorrow” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”

Some would assume that as someone with as much success as he has had, he must live a lavish lifestyle. But on the contrary, Chow lives his life rather frugally.

In fact Chow told Jayne Stars, a Hong Kong film website, that he only spends HKD $800 (USD $102) each month.

Not only does he regularly take public transit to commute around the city he is in, he also chooses to spend his time either doing charity work or fostering a healthy lifestyle by going hiking or jogging rather than frivolously spending money on other activities.

#ChowYunfat spotted on #Taipei MRT #ProjectGutenberg https://t.co/mBtC1wUbNK pic.twitter.com/ivUvTqLo7j

— Taiwan News (@TaiwanNews886) October 8, 2018

Chow’s wife, Jasmine Tan, told Oriental Daily that her husband regularly visit street food stalls and rarely buys new things.

For example he used the same Nokia flip phone for 17 years — you know, the indestructible beasts we all used in the early 2000’s. He only considered getting a new phone when his trusty Nokia finally stopped working.

He is also never seen wearing extravagant clothing; he normally sports plain shirts with sandals. He has even been seen shopping at discount stores.

“I don’t wear clothes for other people. As long as I think it’s comfortable, then it’s good enough for me,” Chow told Jayne Stars.

#ChowYunfat spotted on #Taipei‘s Yangmingshan #ProjectGutenberg https://t.co/yVjsdJs5HZ pic.twitter.com/lZYnREMRUg

— Taiwan News (@TaiwanNews886) October 9, 2018

Since beginning his acting career, he has amassed a notable fortune; his net worth is estimated to be HKD $5.6 billion (USD $714 million).

Jasmine recently revealed her husband’s plans to give away the entirety of his net worth to various charities, which isn’t surprising given his track record.

When Jayne Stars asked Chow why he was planning on giving away his fortune, he smiled and said, “The money’s not mine. I’m only keeping it safe for the time being.”

He further explained that he doesn’t see money as a source of happiness.

He said, “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 seems to have the right attitude about his fortune and will surely impact many with his donations.

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