- Gigi Chao says she has had boyfriends in the past but is 'quite sure' she is gay at the moment
- Property magnate Cecil Chao Sze-Tsung has three children by three women and claims to have slept with 10,000 girlfriends
- He has offered the huge reward to any man who can woo his daughter - even though she has had a church union with her long-term girlfriend
- His daughter laughed off the reward and said she is not upset with him
Swamped by marriage offers: Gigi Chao has received numerous proposals since her father made his offer
Property and shipping tycoon Cecil Chao offered the ‘marriage bounty’ after his daughter Gigi announced that she had married her female partner in France.
But in a forthright response Miss Chao, 33, claims her 76-year-old playboy father is only concerned with the impact her sexuality will have on her place in Hong Kong society.
She said she and her 45-year-old partner Sean Eav have been ‘overwhelmed’ by the deluge of emails proposing marriage and 1,500 Facebook friend requests in just a few days.
‘My father wants me to live in the closet and marry a man to promote my social status, and thinks marriage is a prestigious thing,’ she said.
‘Hong Kong is a long way from even talking about legalising gay marriage, but we need to change first social perceptions so the word “gay” doesn’t immediately cause blushing and embarrassment.’
She also told how she had been discreet about her sexuality to protect her father, a well-known figure in Hong Kong high society, and was uncomfortable with the sudden global attention. She said: ‘Due to my parent’s high public profile, I don’t flaunt [my sexuality]. And that’s a very Chinese cultural way of life.
‘We accept people in the closet. In Europe, one could say to be gay is cool, but in Asia we’re far from that.
Ladies man: Hong Kong tycoon Cecil Chao Sze-Tsung has a reputation for being a playboy
In denial: Hong Kong billionaire Mr Chao, who
claims to have slept with 10,000 women, has refused to accept that his
daughter is gay
She said: ‘We laugh about it. He’s really happy that he’s slept with 10,000 women. I mean, he definitely sees it as a good thing.’
The Manchester University graduate met marketing manager Miss Eav through her work as an executive director for her father’s property company.
She also has her own luxury goods, PR and marketing company, Haut Mond Talent.
And she revealed she had dated men in the past: ‘I’ve had boyfriends but never labelled myself as gay or straight. I’m true to my heart as to what I found attractive. At the moment, I’m sure I’m gay but it’s a personal experience.’
Dismayed: Cecil Chao, right, is said to have
been upset when his daughter Gigi, left, announced at an event in
Beijing that she had tied the knot with her long-term lover, Sean Eav,
five months ago
Unfazed: Gigi Chao says she is on 'very loving terms' with her father and was not upset by his bounty pledge
‘Even my friend from Denmark has read the news. I am secretly praying for a blackout so I can get some peace and quiet.’ Since Mr Chao made his £40million offer he has received more than 200 proposals from men as far afield as Oklahoma, Bulgaria, Turkey and India.
Mr Chao has said of his potential son-in-law: ‘I don’t mind whether he is rich or poor – the important thing that is he is generous and good-hearted.
‘Gigi is a very good woman with both talents and looks. She is devoted to her parents, is generous and does volunteer work.’
son-in-law: ‘I don’t mind whether he is rich or poor – the important thing that is he is generous and good-hearted.
‘Gigi is a very good woman with both talents and looks. She is devoted and does volunteer work.’
Gigi Chao graduated from university in 1999 with
a degree in architecture. She went on to work for two years with
British architect Sir Terry Farrell
High hopes: Cecil Chao Sze-Tsung offered a
multi-million pound 'marriage bounty' to any man who can win the heart
of his lesbian daughter
Couple: Gigi Chao, right,and her girlfriend of seven years Sean Eav, had a church blessing in France
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