Wealth, Honor, Beauty, and the Leslie Cheung Phenomenon

Xuefeng

February 20, 2025

At the age of 46, Leslie Cheung leapt from the 24th floor of a hotel, ending his life.

During his lifetime, he accumulated a fortune of 300 million Hong Kong dollars. He was a megastar in the music industry and a celebrated film actor, winning countless awards. He was surrounded by numerous beautiful and talented women. One could say that Mr. Cheung embodied beauty, wealth, honor, and romance all in one. So why did he choose to end his life at the peak of his prime?

Whether due to depression or other unknown factors, the Leslie Cheung phenomenon clearly demonstrates that wealth, honor, and beauty do not guarantee a life of happiness, joy, freedom, and fulfillment.

Today, the internet is flooded with voices advocating the pursuit of “financial freedom,” as if achieving it would automatically lead to happiness, joy, freedom, and a perfect, fulfilling life. But the Leslie Cheung phenomenon tells us otherwise—financial freedom does not ensure a complete and fulfilling life.

From a traditional perspective, the five major pursuits in life are wealth, power, status, honor, and beauty. However, both history and reality have shown that these five elements cannot guarantee a wonderful and fulfilling life, much less secure a place in heaven after death.

This leads us to reflect: What should we pursue in life? How should we live our lives?

These are not questions that can be answered in a few words. I have spent over twenty years exploring them, writing thousands of articles on the subject. I have also dedicated 17 years to putting these ideas into practice. Today, I can confidently say: only by embracing the values of Lifechanyuan and living the Second Home life of Xuefeng-style communism can one fulfill the long-cherished dream of a truly happy, joyful, free, and fulfilling life—one that also holds the hope of reaching heaven.