Jet Li’s wife has put aside enough money for his older daughters to last ‘until they’re 100’

Martial arts legend Jet Li has faced decade-long allegations of favouring the daughters from his second marriage.

But in a new video interview, the 63-year-old China-born actor shared that the two children from his first marriage have enough to last them until they are 100.

Li was married to former martial artiste Huang Qiuyan from 1987 to around 1990, and they have two daughters – Si and Taimi, who are in their late 30s.

He married his current wife, retired actress Nina Li Chi, in 1999, and they have two daughters – Jane, 26, and Jada, 23.

This latest interview, uploaded to his YouTube channel on June 25, was done with Jada.

It was also used to promote his new memoir Beyond Life And Death: The Way Of True Freedom, released in May.

During the 44-minute clip, Jet Li acknowledged the chatter on Chinese online platforms, and said that even before Nina Li had children, she assured him she would take care of her step-daughters. “She said, ‘I will pay for them to go to school. I will take everything. You do not have to worry.’”

Jet Li was agreeable to this agreement, as he felt this would help his two elder daughters bond with their stepmother.

Nina Li, he added, had also put some money aside for Si and Taimi, “good enough for two girls until 100 years old”.

Even if the duo do not work, they will still have money, he assured. And if they do work, they need to take care of only themselves and their mother, he added.

“(Nina and I) don’t need it. We are good.”

He said the family never wanted to address the favouritism rumours. According to him, his older daughters, who live in China, “do not want to be famous”.

But during his visits to Beijing, they suggested dispelling such talk because they felt it was “not fair” to him.

The siblings remain close, and Jada confirmed that Si and Taimi take care of her a lot whenever they can. They meet annually either in Singapore or the United States.

That said, Li – who became a Singapore citizen in 2009 – acknowledged that he was more involved as a father with his two younger daughters.

Prior to that, he focused on making movies and earning money. But in 1997, during the Asian Financial Crisis, he had “more time to think about life”, which led him to become more hands-on as a parent.

“I thought (providing) enough money, a good education, was good enough... (but) I really did not know how to communicate with (my daughters).

“Just (paying) the money (was) not good enough.”

Another turning point was Jada’s mental health, which further motivated him to be more present. Reports say she struggled with depression when she was just seven years old.

In the video, Li told Jada: “You changed my life (to) become (a) real father. Before that, I was only just half a father.”