Miss Understanding from Top Cinema (Original by Top Cinema, Reprinting is Strictly Prohibited)
The 85-year-old richest woman, Chen Lihua, left, leaving behind a net worth of 47 billion and the famous "Tang Monk" husband Chi Chongrui.
On April 7, 2026, an obituary from Fu Wah International Group hit the hot searches – Chen Lihua, director of the China Red Sandalwood Museum and a well-known female entrepreneur, died in Beijing due to illness at the age of 85. As soon as the news came out, the industrial and commercial circles, cultural and artistic circles and even ordinary netizens expressed their condolences.
However, more people have turned their attention to her husband – Chi Chongrui, who played the Tang monk in the 1986 version of "Journey to the West".
The love and marriage of Chi Chongrui and Chen Lihua can be called a good story: they are 11 years apart and have been married for 36 years, becoming a model example of the marriage between female entrepreneurs and celebrities.
Even when Chi Chongrui appeared on camera selling beauty and skin care products when he was over 70 years old, the truth was heartbreaking.
First, let’s take a look at Chen Laiwa’s identity: a descendant of the Zhenghuang Banner of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, she started from scratch in a furniture factory, then moved to the antique business in Hong Kong, and finally achieved financial freedom through real estate.
In 2016, she topped the Hurun China Rich Women List with a net worth of 50.5 billion yuan. In March 2026, her wealth was still as high as 47 billion yuan on the Hurun Global Rich List.
But what is more legendary than her wealth is her obsession with red sandalwood.
In 1999, she spent 200 million to build China's first special museum on red sandalwood art – China Red Sandalwood Museum in Beijing.
There are nearly a thousand red sandalwood masterpieces in the museum, including two treasures: the 32.4-meter-long wood carving "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" and the 3-meter-high turret model of the Forbidden City. She once spent 8 years using red sandalwood to reproduce the 16 gates of old Beijing at a scale of 1:10 – "nine inside and seven outside" – this obsession convinced even the Forbidden City experts.
She said herself: "I always feel that we need to leave something behind. Instead of leaving money to future generations, it is better to leave these cultural treasures left to us by our ancestors to future generations."
Apart from the Red Sandalwood Museum, the most important person by her side is her husband who has been married for 36 years: Chi Chongrui.
Speaking of Chi Chongrui, the DNA of those born in the 1980s and 1990s immediately moved. The fair and gentle Tang Monk in the 1986 version of "Journey to the West" is his classic image.
In fact, Tang Seng changed three actors: Wang Yue left after filming 3 episodes, Xu Shaohua also got off the car halfway to go to school, and only Chi Chongrui made it to the end of the filming, becoming the most complete "Yu Di Gege" in the hearts of the audience.
He learned the truth in the play, and he also "received" the truth outside the play: a marriage with an 11-year age difference.
In the winter of 1988, the two met over Peking Opera at the theater. At that time, Chen Lihua was already a legend in the business world. She was 49 years old, divorced and had three children; Chi Chongrui was 38 years old and at the time of her popularity.
The outside world was not optimistic, but Chen Lihua took the initiative to chase him.
Chi Chongrui once recalled that at that time, his wife was more than ten years older than her husband, which was "very shocking", but the two still registered their marriage in 1990.
After marriage, Chi Zhongrui almost quit the entertainment industry and fully supported his wife's red sandalwood career. He calls Chen Lihua "Chairman" and Chen Lihua calls him "Mr. Chi". The two never joke and always use "you" when talking.
Chi Chongrui originally had black hair, but his stepson Zhao Yong said he was "bald and rich", so he never had it again.
The two have been together for 36 years, and there has never been any gossip. In Chi Zhongrui's words: "How come decades have passed? Time flies so fast."
I thought that Chi Zhongrui would keep a low profile as the "Deputy Director of the Red Sandalwood Museum". Unexpectedly, in 2022, he did something that surprised the entire network——
The acting network is big.
In September 2022, the online movie "The Great Dream Journey to the West: Five Elements Mountain" was released. On the poster, the words "Chi Chongrui returns to the Westward Journey after 36 years" are particularly eye-catching.
Everyone thought they could see the four masters and apprentices reunited, but after watching it, they found that Chi Zhongrui, who was nearly 70 years old at the time, only flashed for a few minutes at the end.
In the film, Tang Seng, played by Chi Chongrui, leads a horse. He looks fair and prosperous, but he is obviously fatter and older – after all, he would have turned 70 at the end of the year when the film was filmed.
Although the plot of the Internet drama was magically modified, many people still clicked on the three words Chi Zhongrui. One viewer left a message: "The moment I saw him come out, I almost shed tears."
Why are you still acting at the age of 70? Short of money? Apparently not.
His wife has a net worth of 47 billion, and he can't spend all of it even if he lies down. Perhaps, he simply couldn't let go of that role. After all, "Journey to the West" has been airing for almost 40 years, and Tang Seng's IP has been blocked, but he is the only one who can truly create the original version of Tang Seng.
Chi Zhongrui's acting on the Internet is mainly about "feelings", but many people did not expect that he would also appear on the screen to sell beauty and skin care products.
On a certain video platform, Chi Zhongrui, wearing a casual suit with a rosy complexion, introduced red sandalwood skin care products to the camera.
He said that he and Chairman Chen Laiwa usually rubbed their hands with red sandalwood foam. "After rubbing, it felt like a layer of cream on the hands." Later, the company extracted pterostilbene from red sandalwood powder and developed cosmetics.
In another pinned video on the same account, Chen Laihua also appeared and said: "I am eighty years old and I don't have a spot on my face, it's (because of) red sandalwood."
Some people lamented, "I'm 70 years old and still working hard with goods. What are you trying to do?"
In fact, the products Chi Chung-rui brought were related to the red sandalwood business that Chen Laihua had devoted her life to. The store "Lizhi Huatang" where he appeared to carry the goods was a company under Chen Laihua's name.
As the deputy director of the China Red Sandalwood Museum, Chi Chungrui understands both his wife and red sandalwood. Chen Laihua built the museum in 1999 because Chi Chongrui was obsessed with an ancient sandalwood carving. She saw it and decided to turn her husband's hobby into a career.
It has been reported that Chen Lihua said during her lifetime that each of her three children would receive 10 billion, and the rest would be given to Chi Chongrui. It is said that Chi Chongrui refused.
Some people may not understand what he wants. Perhaps the answer lies in the red sandalwood that he and Chen Laiwa share: they want to carry forward red sandalwood and traditional Chinese culture.
Now that Chen Lihua is gone, she and Chi Chongrui's "treasure" red sandalwood is still witnessing their love and marriage in the museum.
What do you think of this love legend between a female entrepreneur and "Tang Monk"?
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