Then & Now | The crazy rich Asians of old Hong Kong – when a pink Rolls-Royce and a gold-studded toilet seat were fact, not fiction

With everyone else having weighed in on Crazy Rich Asians, my generally well-disguised FOMO (fear of missing out) has encouraged yet another foray. But what were these types like in the past?

Then, as now, no shortage existed in a society so wholeheartedly dedicated to the osten­tatious pursuit and enjoyment of money. One key difference was that until the post-war Shanghainese influx, Hong Kong’s seriously rich local Chinese seldom displayed their wealth – or themselves. Personal safety was afforded by relative anonymity.

Brash Shanghai émigré types aside, full-on flamboyant display was, inevitably, the preserve of Hong Kong’s B-list moneyed. Comfortable levels of second- or third-generation rentier wealth, sourced from well-placed office buildings, or a family bank descended from an earlier pawnbroking business, typically provided the wherewithal. Some little-used, mostly British professional qualification – usually legal – padded out their personal details in the local society rags.

Kai-bong hailed from an old-established family – his father, Sir Sik-nin Chau, a prominent ophthalmologist, became the first ethnic Chinese steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, in 1935. His mother, Lady Ida, is best remembered for the faithful maid who perpetually trailed behind, to discreetly settle the many “purchases” her mistress “forgot” to pay for.

Party and interview fodder for decades, until Kai-bong’s death, in 2010, even the gateposts at the couple’s gold-themed house – Villa d’Oro, at Mount Davis – were enthusi­asti­cally gilded. Gold coins, studded into a custom-made toilet seat, were gleefully shown to every visitor, whether they needed to pee or not. In Hong Kong, a fur coat inevitably covers up ragged undergarments, and like almost all “luxury” abodes here, Villa d’Oro was architecturally uninspired, devoid of craftsmanship, and shamelessly vulgar; the best part – a magnificent view westwards over islands and sea – owed nothing whatsoever to the house itself.