After billionaire Tran Le Hoa passed away, there were many rumors that "Duong Tang" Tri Trong Thuy was alienated by her stepchildren, did not receive inheritance from his wife and had to live his last years alone.
But recently, when Tri Trong Thuy shared his current life, everyone realized that he was not as tragic as rumored.
Zhi Zhongrui was born in 1952 in Beijing, coming from a family with many generations pursuing Peking opera. In 1986, he became famous throughout China for his role as Tang Sanzang in the classic movie "Journey to the West". When his career was at its peak, he chose a different direction.
In an activity for classical drama lovers, Tri Trong Thuy met Tran Le Hoa. At that time, she was 47 years old, already owning a significant fortune thanks to real estate business.
Tran Le Hoa once divorced and had 3 children, 11 years older than Tri Trong Thuy. The two quickly found a common ground, not only in Peking Opera but also in their interest in antiques and zither wood, and then moved on to marriage.
The marriage caused public uproar. Tri Trong Thuy was associated with negative words such as "women are bigger than men", "marrying for money", "piggybacking on tycoons" for many years.
However, he did not care but chose to almost withdraw from the screen and spend most of his time working at the Chinese Zitong Museum built by Chen Lihua. He held the position of deputy director, directly researching and preserving zitong artifacts.
For 36 years, Tri Trong Thuy has been attached to this job. Every day, he inspects the exhibition area, adjusts the temperature and humidity, researches materials and craft techniques with artisans.
In the eyes of outsiders, he seems to be relying on his wealthy wife to live well. But for him, museums are the place he spends most of his life preserving.
After Chen Lihua passed away, many conflicting rumors appeared on social networks. Some people said he enjoyed a huge inheritance, others said he left empty-handed and was excluded from the family by his wife's children.
But in fact, Tri Trong Thuy has never participated in any inheritance dispute.
When the photo of him holding a female assistant's arm attracted attention, the museum quickly explained that this woman was Tran Le Hoa's long-time assistant, and what she held in her hand was just a viewing map. Tri Trong Thuy did not hold a press conference to clarify but continued his normal life.
Currently, he is still filming videos sharing knowledge about zither wood, occasionally introducing handicrafts made from wood. Recently, he appeared with a series of beaded strings themed "Journey to the West" made from Hoang Hoa Le wood from Hainan. He slowly introduced the material, patterns and carved details, receiving many positive feedbacks from collector lovers.
Tri Trong Thuy does not have a biological child and there are also no shortage of rumors about property. But after 36 years of being attached to the museum, what he values seems not to be money.
Tran Le Hoa left him not necessarily with a large inheritance, but with a stable life where he could continue to do what he loved and was respected.
At the age of 73, Tri Trong Thuy still lives calmly, continuing the work that he chose many decades ago.
