Benz Hui’s Great-Grandfather Is The Godson Of Empress Cixi

Benz, who lives in Yishun — his 23-year-old daughter, Charmaine, runs a bakery in Upper Thomson — addressed those rumours in a recent interview with Macau host Avaly.

He revealed that his paternal great-grandfather Xu Yingkui, who was a 19th-century Qing dynasty politician, was indeed the godson of Empress Cixi and that his grandaunt, Xu Guangping, was really the wife of Lu Xun, which makes him the nephew of one of China’s most famous authors.

As for whether his dad really is a goldsmith, Benz downplayed the rumour by saying that they “[sold] accessories”. The host then commented that Benz is a “rich man’s son”, before asking him why he didn’t go into business or politics.

“What is a rich man’s son?” asked Benz. “You have money if you have a dollar. I could have one cent, so how can I be considered a rich man’s son?”

Avaly then commented that a person can only pursue the arts if he’s from a wealthy family. Her comment surprised Benz, who stuttered, “You must be joking. I worked hard to get to where I am. You don’t know… a person may look well-off on the outside, but you wouldn’t know if he has worries on the inside. If I don’t act in a show, would I have money to eat? My family was well-off in the earlier generations but when it reached me, I had to depend on myself.”

Photos: Aik Chen/8days.sg and hk01