Etta Ng Chok Lam, 19-year-old daughter of movie star Jackie Chan, announced her marriage to 31-year-old Canadian girlfriend Andi Autumn on Instagram Sunday.
"There's nothing greater than true love found," Ng wrote on Instagram. "Everyone deserves love and not until I felt love can I be sure that understanding, connecting, attention and love in the face of hate can heal the most depraved of hearts. Love always wins. Always…"
In one photo, Autumn and Ng held aloft their marriage certificate, dated Nov. 8.
The marriage announcement, which has drawn enormous attention on Chinese social media platform Weibo, defies both Chinese cultural norms and Chan himself, from whom Ng is estranged. In a YouTube video posted back in April, Ng and Autumn asked for help, describing themselves as homeless, "due to homophobic parents."
Autumn also posted about their marriage over the weekend, writing "with this love, comes unbelievable strength and confidence to ignore our own pain, shut down our ego, and know exactly who we are and what we want."
Jackie Chan's estimated net worth is $350 million, making him the second only to Robert Downey Jr. on Forbes' ranking of the highest-paid actors, thanks both to international hits and movies made more for the Chinese market, like Railroad Tigers and Kung Fu Yoga.
Chan's youngest daughter is his only child with Elaine Ng Yi Lei, actor and Miss Asia 1990. In 1999, Ng Yi Lei, sometimes credited as Elaine Wu, disclosed her affair with the married Chan, who said he had "only committed a fault every single man in the world commits." According to Ng's mother, her daughter has never seen "a single cent" from Chan.
Ng has also had a contentious relationship with her mother, including allegations of abuse and cruelty.
Ng and Autumn hope their marriage will inspire other lesbian and gay couples to overcome family prejudices, hashtagging their posts with #lovewins, #gaymarriage and #fightforwhatsright. "The new generation deserves more," Autumn wrote on Instagram.
The couple now live in Hong Kong, which Ng describes as a "beautiful city full of life and passion."
"Love is undoubtedly stronger than blood," Ng wrote.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
