Lai Wanhua, who was once known as "the most beautiful woman in Macau", was born in a prominent Portuguese family. My father was a famous lawyer in Macau at that time and the only local notary. He owned many properties in Macau and Portugal. His ancestors had been high-ranking officials in Portugal. When Li Wanhua was young, her temperament was similar to that of the popular actress Ingrid Bergman, and she had countless subordinates. When the gambling king was 20 years old, he moved from Hong Kong to Macau to work for the "CIMB" company. Because of his work, he met Lai Wanhua's eldest brother-in-law. When he met her for the first time, he was astonished. The gambling king immediately launched a fierce pursuit, creating a fairy tale relationship. He Chaoxian said: "In order to pursue my mother, my father went to learn Portuguese specifically. Every day when my mother was out of school, he rode his bicycle to the Shanshui Garden where my mother lived for a date, and then asked her to have tea with her after work."
Gamble. Wang learned to speak Portuguese through his association with Lai Wanhua, who helped him start his business in Macau. Sun Jinghong, the nephew of the gambling king, said: "The gambling king's rise is all due to Li Wanhua. At that time, the gambling king's father-in-law was working as a notary in the government. When he saw that Stanley Ho liked it, he asked him to be his secretary, which established a lot of popularity for his future business." Li Wanhua Ranking 15th among 23 brothers and sisters, Sun Jinghong said: "All of these sisters are very beautiful. My aunt (Li Wanhua) believes in Catholicism and takes good care of us nephews. I can go to England to study, all thanks to my aunt's help."< /p>
Lai Wanhua married Stanley Ho in 1942 and gave birth to a son and three daughters. In the first year after his marriage, Stanley Ho successfully earned his first pot of one million, paving the way for him to become the overlord of the gambling world in the future (1962). Originally the gambling king lived a happy life, but in 1957, Li Wanhua suddenly suffered from colitis, which could not be cured even though he searched for famous doctors. In addition, it caused other complications, so he had to have his stomach removed. He took medication for a long time and could only eat liquid food. His weight dropped. I dropped from 115 pounds to 70 pounds.
The gambling king at that time asked for an extra wife according to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, namely his second wife Lan Qiongying. He once said in "The Biography of Stanley Ho": "I can't be a monk all my life. Besides, I already had a big family and a big business at that time. I was very busy at work and had a lot of various entertainments. I needed a woman to take care of the housework and accompany me from time to time." Or so." In 1973, Li Wanhua was involved in a car accident in Portugal and suffered severe brain damage. He was in a coma for a whole month and his health condition became even worse. The third daughter Chaoxian recalled: "When my mother woke up, she had lost most of her memory. She couldn't eat for a long time and it was difficult to move."
Misfortunes never come singly. Eight years later, this tragedy happened to her only son Youguang. It happened again with my daughter-in-law. In June 1981, the two had just finished dinner at their father Stanley Ho's residence in Lisbon, Portugal, when an accident occurred on their way back to their home. The gambling king was extremely sad, and Li Wanhua, who had always regarded his son as his lifeblood, suffered an even greater blow.
Lai Wanhua also attended charity events in her early years. She is also a Cantonese opera fan. But the series of ups and downs are disappointing. The third daughter Chaoxian said sadly: "She has never done anything bad to anyone, but she has to endure a lot of pain. God is so unfair to her." On February 21, 2004, Li Wanhua passed away, and Stanley Ho held a grand ceremony for her on February 25. The funeral of this "Macau's most beautiful woman" who had both wealth and beauty at that time, lived a magnificent life at the age of 80. Her funeral was quite grand. Macau SAR Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government Li Yongwu, Secretary for Administration and Justice Chan Limin, Secretary for Security Zhang Guohua, members of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wu Fu and Yang Junwen, as well as celebrities from Hong Kong and Macao, the Macao Portuguese community and social welfare services Nearly a thousand people including group representatives and relevant persons in charge of Macao Entertainment's affiliated organizations expressed their condolences.
During the funeral, Stanley Ho looked sad and heavy. When laying flowers and scattering earth, his movements trembled and his expression was excited. Stanley Ho, who was already 82 years old at the time, rushed to prepare for his wife's funeral. He personally went to Macau to select a cemetery and published an obituary in memory of his wife in the name of "My Beloved Wife Mrs. Ho Lai Wan Wah". In the obituary, Stanley Ho referred to Ho Li Wan Wah as his "loved wife", and the names of his second wife Lan Qiongying, third wife Chen Wanzhen and fourth wife Liang Anqi were not included in the family rankings out of respect for his original wife.