Hong Kong's once-glamorous actress Lana Wong Ha-wai, now 94, has revealed her shocking descent from luxury to poverty - living in a 160-square-foot transitional housing unit while surviving on a HK$4,195 monthly welfare allowance.
The former starlet, affectionately called "Ha-wai BB," once lived the high life as mistress to late tycoon lawyer Woo Pak-chuen, bearing him six children while enjoying HK$300,000 monthly allowances, luxury homes in Mid-Levels and Happy Valley, and a fleet of servants.
Fortunes reversed
Wong's world collapsed after Woo's 2008 death. "I couldn't afford lengthy legal battles…while undesirable friends took the chance to seize my Lakeside Garden property," she told East Week magazine, The Standard’s sister publication.
"I became homeless - sleeping in massage parlors before relying on friends' charity."
Now residing in New Territories transitional housing after a five-year wait, Wong's tiny flat contains just a foldable sofa bed, rice cooker, and an electric mahjong table gifted by friends.
Though applying for legal aid to claim from Woo's family trust failed, she remains grateful: "Having a roof over my head at 94 is a blessing enough."
Glamorous past, harsh present
It is understood that the actress once owned one of Hong Kong's only two convertible Mercedes-Benz cars - the other belonging to actress Li Ching.
"Money meant nothing then," Wong recalled. "In the 60s, I'd treat entire Cantonese opera troupes to abalone banquets and gave beggars HK$100 tips."
Despite her plight, Wong refuses help from children or longtime partner Albert Poon Bing-lit, who is now based in the US: "I won't burden them. People treat you differently when you're poor - dinner invitations dry up quickly."
Unbroken spirit
Surviving on HK$1,395 after rent, Wong admits: "Of course it's miserable. But I'm tough - I don't cry."
She still hopes to secure funds from Woo's estate to build a nursing home. "At 94, I don't need millions. I just want to help other lonely elders."
