The 2004 South Asian tsunami claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and to this day still sends shivers down people's spines. At the time, kung fu superstar Jet Li was vacationing in the Maldives with his family, and he narrowly escaped death in this natural disaster. Recently, film mogul Charles Heung’s wife, Tiffany Chen, recounted the harrowing incident in detail for the first time in a video on Douyin, saying that when the giant wave struck, Jet Li clung desperately to a pillar, with his legs being repeatedly battered by the waves, refusing to let go and thus saving his life.
Chen revealed that she and Jet Li’s family had originally planned to vacation in Phuket, Thailand, but changed plans last minute to the Maldives, never expecting to encounter the tsunami. At the time, Jet Li was walking towards the shore with his wife, Nina Li Chi, and their two young daughters, when a sudden huge wave instantly submerged the shore. He quickly scooped up his elder daughter, but could only watch as his younger daughter and their nanny were swept several meters away by the waves. Fortunately, hotel staff rescued them in time.
During the chaos, his wife Nina Li Chi was even briefly missing, but luckily was eventually reunited with her family unharmed. Jet Li recalled that in that moment, he was silently praying to ‘Goddess Guanyin’, and miraculously, the next wave stopped, allowing his family to escape death.
Chen at the time was shopping on the island. Some people initially thought it was just a high tide, until her husband, Charles Heung, warned her, ‘The furniture is about to be washed into the house,’ and only then did she realize something was wrong. Afterwards, resources were scarce, and they even had to ration water, only returning to Hong Kong several days later. This ordeal became a turning point in Jet Li’s life, leading him to pursue Buddhism and charity work earlier than planned—a course that still deeply affects him today.
Chen revealed that she and Jet Li’s family had originally planned to vacation in Phuket, Thailand, but changed plans last minute to the Maldives, never expecting to encounter the tsunami. At the time, Jet Li was walking towards the shore with his wife, Nina Li Chi, and their two young daughters, when a sudden huge wave instantly submerged the shore. He quickly scooped up his elder daughter, but could only watch as his younger daughter and their nanny were swept several meters away by the waves. Fortunately, hotel staff rescued them in time.
During the chaos, his wife Nina Li Chi was even briefly missing, but luckily was eventually reunited with her family unharmed. Jet Li recalled that in that moment, he was silently praying to ‘Goddess Guanyin’, and miraculously, the next wave stopped, allowing his family to escape death.
Chen at the time was shopping on the island. Some people initially thought it was just a high tide, until her husband, Charles Heung, warned her, ‘The furniture is about to be washed into the house,’ and only then did she realize something was wrong. Afterwards, resources were scarce, and they even had to ration water, only returning to Hong Kong several days later. This ordeal became a turning point in Jet Li’s life, leading him to pursue Buddhism and charity work earlier than planned—a course that still deeply affects him today.