8-Person Team Served Cai Lan in His Final Years Living in a Hotel – Shocking Expenses Revealed, Living Life to the Fullest

One of Hong Kong’s 'Four Talents', Cai Lan, passed away at the age of 83. He truly knew how to enjoy life, seeking out fine cuisine everywhere. Besides being a film producer and writer, he was also a food critic. After breaking his cervical vertebra in April last year and undergoing surgery, he needed a wheelchair and lived a reclusive life. His wife had passed away two years earlier, and as he had no children, he spent his final days living in a hotel, taking care of himself with an 8-person team, including his assistants, secretaries, three caregivers (one for day shift, two for night), two Indonesian domestic helpers, and a driver. He was attended to 24/7.

Having so many people and hotel expenses was astonishingly high. Some media reported his monthly expenditure was at least 500,000 HKD (about 269,000 MYR), but for him this was not a heavy burden, and it aligned with his philosophy of 'enjoying life while you can.'

In January this year, he even attended his own calligraphy charity exhibition 'Carefree Unrefined' in Kuala Lumpur, with Cherie Chung present to support him. Although he was white-haired, he looked healthy, though his legs were somewhat swollen. Netizens left comments reminding him to pay attention to this. In April, news broke he was hospitalized in the ICU. He replied it was just an old issue: 'Thank you all for your concern, it’s not that serious, please don’t worry. Just a smile.' But two months later, he still bade farewell to this world.

Cai Lan was a film producer, writer, and food critic; in addition to his many talents, talented men are often associated with romance. He was very passionate and once said on the program 'Thirteen Invitations' that in his youth, he had dated many girlfriends: 'Dozens, at least, having one a year isn’t too much, right?' The host pressed further: 'So you had at least 61? (Interviewing him at age 61)' He replied, 'Yes, at least!' indicating he had at least 61 girlfriends.

He once shared his secrets for dating women: 'Getting a girlfriend requires practice, you can’t just get one right away. How do you practice? Date the unattractive ones without hesitation. Do it long enough and you'll become an expert, and then the beautiful ones will come to you.' He claimed he was not picky about looks and brought them all into his fold.

Cai Lan was bold in revealing information about himself, stating that when he was a teenager, he liked an older girl. In the end, 'He got her pregnant. She just wanted me to love her. I said, how can I love you? To me, it’s something else.' In the end, the woman did not ask him to take responsibility.

Although he had countless relationships before marriage, after marrying Taiwanese film producer Zhang Qiongwen, he remained devoted and respectful. He once said he never cheated after marriage and never did anything to hurt his wife, because he believed marriage was a commitment that he had to keep. He didn’t plan on having children because he felt like a playful child himself and couldn’t take care of kids, so he never had any children.

Cai Lan’s passing saddened many in the entertainment industry, including Shu Qi, Monica Chan, and several other actresses who reposted the news to pay tribute to their old friend. Netizens also lamented 'the end of an era.' After Cai Lan’s death, family and friends respected his wishes and held no ceremony, so as not to disturb everyone, which netizens greatly admired: 'Left most gracefully,' 'Matches his free-spirited character, Teacher Cai, rest in peace.'

It is worth mentioning that Cai Lan, who once worked at Shaw Brothers Studio, had good relations with many entertainment celebrities, including Jackie Chan, Shu Qi, Monica Chan, Hong Kong director Gordon Chan, Yang Di, Lin Yilun, and Chen Xiaoqing, who all paid tribute via social media.

Source: Apple News, China Times