Yen on hunt for property in Singapore

Hong Kong actor Benz Hui is reportedly seeking to become a Singapore citizen after he moved into a Yishun home.

Now comes news that Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen is eyeing Singapore property, with his trip here last week to scout for good buys.

According to EdgeProp portal, an agent said the Ip Man star and his wife Cissy Wang checked out The Oliv in Balmoral Road, Bishopsgate Residences, Nouvel 18 in Anderson Road and South Beach Residences in Beach Road.

The couple were said to be willing to consider homes costing $5 million to $10 million. It is not known if the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong prompted Yen to check out the property market here for his family use or investment.

New York-based bank Goldman Sachs this week estimated that investors have diverted up to US$4 billion (S$5.5 billion) from Hong Kong to Singapore.

Singapore property developers have targeted buyers in Hong Kong, with a sales event there last month featuring developers such as CapitaLand, GuocoLand and Bukit Sembawang Estates. Hong Kong buyers snapped up 47 and 78 non-landed homes in Singapore last year and 2017 respectively, research from OrangeTee & Tie indicates.

Yen, 56, is known to be a doting husband. In 2013, he reportedly bought Wang a HK$135 million (S$23.8 million) home in Mount Davis Road, Hong Kong, after renewing their wedding vows.

Then, media reports said Wang was eyeing investments in Hong Kong shops and office buildings, but the cooling measures there put paid to that goal.

Recently, Yen posted online his gratitude to his wife after 16 years of marriage. They have two children, while he has another son from his first marriage. Was his Singapore visit linked to yet another intention to reward Wang with property?

Yen has benefited from the box-office success of the Ip Man franchise that started in 2008, with the fourth, and last, instalment slated for a December release. The franchise tracks the life of the man who trained Bruce Lee.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 05, 2019, with the headline Yen on hunt for property in Singapore. Subscribe