A Hong Kong billionaire has offered $65 million (£40 million) to any man who can woo and marry his lesbian daughter. Property and shipping magnate Cecil Chao publicly announced the 'marriage bounty' after reports emerged that his daughter Gigi had married her long-term girlfriend.
Mr Chao, who has never married, told the BBC that his daughter was still single and needed a 'good husband'. Same-sex unions are not recognised in Hong Kong, although homosexuality was decriminalised in 1991.
Gigi Chao, a businesswoman and University of Manchester graduate, is said to have married her partner of seven years, Sean Eav, in a ceremony in France earlier this year. However, her father dismissed these claims as false, adding that his offer had already generated many replies from potential suitors.
'It is an inducement to attract someone who has the talent but not the capital to start his own business,' Mr Chao said. 'I don't mind whether he is rich or poor. The important thing is that he is generous and kind-hearted.'
Despite his public search for a husband, Mr Chao insisted he would not force his daughter to marry against her will. Ms Chao said she found her father's plan entertaining and would not worry until an actual suitor was found.
