Hi °C | Lo °C A billionaire is offering a £40m (?50m) reward to any man who can win the heart of his daughter.
Cecil Chao Sze-tsung, a Hong Kong shipping magnate and property developer, announced the "marriage bounty" for his daughter following reports that she had married her female partner of seven years.
In a move that is likely to anger many in the gay community, Mr Chao said that he is eager for his daughter to marry any man who can win her heart.
"I don't mind whether he is rich or poor. The important thing is that he is generous and kind-hearted," he said.
The 76-year-old tycoon said he hoped his daughter's prospective husband would use the money to start a business, describing the offer as "an inducement to attract someone who has the talent but not the capital".
Gigi Chao, a 33-year-old graduate of the University of Manchester and director in her father's company, was reported to have married Sean Eav, her partner earlier this year.
Mr Chao described these reports as "false" as he enthused about his daughter's best qualities: "Gigi is a very good woman with both talents and looks.
"She is devoted, generous and does volunteer work," he told the 'South China Morning Post'.
Many comments posted by readers of newspaper's website were critical of what they saw as Mr Chao's "indecent proposal".
"How humiliating for this poor girl," wrote one reader. "Mr Chao needs to come out of denial." (©Independent News Service)
