"Kung Fu Emperor" Jet Li has been married twice, and although he has enjoyed many years of happiness with his second wife, Nina Li Chi, he has been dogged by controversy over "abandoning his ex-wife." His friend Madam Xiang (Chen Lan) specifically came forward to clear things up, saying that Jet Li only pursued Nina Li after his divorce, and that he "left the marriage with nothing," not taking a single cent, and also took responsibility for raising their two daughters. "He is a good man."
Jet Li married his martial arts teammate Huang Qiuyan in 1987, and they had two daughters in 1988 and 1989. The couple divorced by mutual agreement in 1991. Jet Li gave his house and assets in the U.S. to his ex-wife. In 1999, he married Nina Li Chi in Los Angeles, and they also have two daughters together.
There were rumors that Jet Li met and fell in love with Nina Li Chi while filming "Dragon Fight" in 1988, when Huang Qiuyan was pregnant with their second daughter. Madam Xiang, however, says that a mysterious fortune-teller "Aunt Zhao" predicted for Jet Li when he would get married, divorced, and that he would meet a very fair-skinned (but not foreign) woman. Jet Li even asked if, since he would eventually meet his lifelong true love, he could skip the first marriage—but Aunt Zhao said "it's destined to be." As predicted, he and Huang Qiuyan divorced three years after marriage.
Madam Xiang clarified that Jet Li got divorced first, and only then did he gradually pursue Nina Li Chi. "He gave his house to his ex-wife and bought her a decent car. Anyway, he left with nothing, and he was responsible for raising both daughters." However, since Madam Xiang is a close friend of Jet Li, many netizens believe her account glosses over key points. She did not mention Huang Qiuyan's sacrifices, including stepping back from her career to support Jet Li, selling her dowry after moving to the U.S. to help her husband, and, after the divorce, being unable to make mortgage payments, having her house repossessed and then living with her daughters in a friend's basement for 10 years. In addition, Madam Xiang's own marital background is similar to Jet Li's: when Charles Heung pursued her, he was separated from his first wife and only remarried after their divorce. Netizens therefore believe Madam Xiang may be painting Jet Li’s choices in a better light.
Source: Apple News Network