Biography.guide
Home › People › Businessperson › Chen Din Hwa
Portrait of Chen Din Hwa

Chen Din Hwa

1923 – 2012

Hong Kong billionaire entrepreneur

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Chen Din Hwa

Lived 1923 – 2012 (aged 88–89). Chen Din Hwa was a Chinese businessperson.

Chen Din-hwa (; 1923 – 17 June 2012) was a Hong Kong industrial tycoon, billionaire and philanthropist. He was known as the "King of Cotton Yarn" in Hong Kong.

Life and career Chen was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang, Republic of China in 1923. His family was poor and he left school at the age of 12 to serve as an apprentice to a silk merchant. His father was reportedly a Shanghai-based industrialist, mainly in textiles. When Chen was 22 years old, he was already chief manager of his family business and owned several shops and factories in Shanghai and Ningbo. In 1949, Chen's family shifted to Hong Kong and set up in business there. He set up a successful cotton-yarn maker called Nan Fung Mill.

In 1954, he established Nan Fung Textiles, becoming chairman, and Nan Fung Development Limited. The company also developed interests in shipping.

When diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2009, Chen handed over control of his business to his younger daughter Vivien Chen, who had been part of the business since 1981. In 2010, his wife Yang Foo Oi and elder daughter Angela, a trained architect who lived in the United States and now in Hong Kong, sued younger daughter Vivian, alleging that Chen was misled into transferring assets to a trust fund controlled by Vivian. Yang divorced him in 2011.

Chen died on 17 June 2012 at the age of 89, reportedly of prostate cancer. though earlier in his career he had been among the top ten.

Family and personal life Chen was married to Yang Foo Oi until 2011, when the couple divorced. They had two daughters. As a devout Buddhist, Chen founded the eponymous D.H. Chen Foundation, which provides charity services in education, welfare and medicine.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1923, Ningbo
Birth century
Occupation
Awards
Honorary doctor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Honorary citizen of Shanghai; Honorary doctor of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Also known as
Chen Din-hwa

People in Chen Din Hwa's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Chen Din Hwa's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Chen Din Hwa?

Hong Kong billionaire entrepreneur (1923–2012)

When was Chen Din Hwa born?

Chen Din Hwa was born in 1923 in Ningbo.

When did Chen Din Hwa die?

Chen Din Hwa died on 17 June 2012 in Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital.

What was Chen Din Hwa's occupation?

Chen Din Hwa was a businessperson.

What nationality was Chen Din Hwa?

Chen Din Hwa was Chinese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Chen Din Hwa

· Wikidata: Q700071

· DBpedia: Chen Din Hwa

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Chen Din Hwa. https://biography.guide/chen-din-hwa/

MLA: "Chen Din Hwa." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/chen-din-hwa/.

Chicago: "Chen Din Hwa." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/chen-din-hwa/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 04:59 UTC