In this episode of Trint’s “A Photo A Story”, Jeff recalls a larger-than-life story from Hong Kong in 2012. Where Gigi Chow, the daughter of a renowned billionaire and serial womanizer, had become the subject of world headlines after marrying her girlfriend.
In a clash of cultures, her father thought she should have married a man. So publicly offered $64 million USD to any man who could get her to marry him. A challenge that quickly spread across the world, drawing suitors to Gigi keen to take home the prize.
Watch the video above or see Trint in action by viewing a read-only link of this transcript, with playback features to read-along with the video. Or if you’d just like the text, you’ll find Jeff’s story below.
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Jeff: So it was kind of a fun story, but also an interesting one about these conflict of cultural values and expectations. And the father saying, no, no, I love her and no, I understand it's her life to live. But she really should have a husband, don't you think?
Jeff: This is a picture in the skies over Hong Kong. The woman who's piloting it sitting next to me is, at the time 33 years old. She's Gigi Chao, the daughter of a very, very famous Hong Kong real estate billionaire.
Jeff: I went to Hong Kong for 20/20, the ABC News primetime newsmagazine, to profile Gigi because it was a rather unusual story. She's this wonderful person who became the subject of world headlines because she married her girlfriend. She's gay and she's very comfortable with that.
Jeff: Her dad is a serial womanizer, professes to have slept with more than 10,000 women. And in fact, we went to his yacht and he showed up with these gorgeous women on his arms and this very, very frail old man. And it was this really bizarre stunt that he did. But the whole thing was kind of a stunt, not in Gigi's making.
Jeff: Her dad, while professing his love for his daughter, really wanted her he felt to marry a man. And so offered very publicly 500 million HKD, about 65 million U.S. dollars, to any man who could get her to marry him.
Jeff: And so, of course, news organizations around the world ran with this bizarre story and I was sent to Hong Kong to cover it. And she had this incredible sense of humor about it. She was very philosophical. She understood that there was this clash of generations in Hong Kong and clash of cultures. She refused to denounce her dad for this stunt. And it was just a stunt. And she said, you know, "I'm married. I love the woman I'm married to and I'm not going to marry a man." Despite, as you can imagine, endless proposals from people keen to get $65 million from her dad. It wasn't going to happen and it didn't happen.
Jeff: The father still maintained a sense of humor about it all and said, "you know, it's her life to live. But I didn't really think she should have a husband. But I love her anyway." And she kind of said the same thing. And, you know, I think a lot of other people would be really, really furious at their dad for pulling such a stunt.
Jeff: But she kind of shrugged and said, my dad's my dad. And, you know, he can do what he want, but I'm once but I'm going to do what I want and I still love him. And that was the story.
