3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
Ex-China gymnast Yang Wei sets son Olympian task: survive in Hong Kong on US$487 a month
China's three-time Olympic champion gymnast Yang Wei has set his son a task worthy of its own gold medal: surviving in Hong Kong on only 3,500 yuan (US$487) a month.
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Yang, who won two gold medals at the Beijing Olympics eight years after claiming his first in Sydney, shared a video explaining how his son, Yang Wenchang, had learned valuable life lessons while studying in one of the world's most expensive cities.
A hashtag related to the topic had been viewed more than 50 million times on Weibo, but some people said Yang Snr's claims were invalidated by suggestions that his son was earning extra money on the side.
'Yang Yang [Yang Wenchang] is studying in Hong Kong,' Yang Wei said. 'His monthly living expenses are 3,500 yuan, which sounds like a lot, but he has budgeted very carefully.'
Yang Wei won gold in the individual all-around and team event at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Photo: AP
Yang said that his son was allowed to use 500 yuan of the money on whatever he wanted, but the remaining 3,000 – what the gymnast called a 'survival fund' – had to be used on food, transport and other necessities.
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'He spends all his money by the end of the month, and it is challenging to save,' Yang said.
