Jimmy Lai Before Jail: from garment factory to media mogul, politically active in protests & donations
發佈日期: 2026-02-09 20:03
TVB News
Jimmy Lai began his career in the garment factory before expanding into media, where his outlet's reporting style often sparked controversy.
Here's a look at the former media mogul's life before jail.
Born in Guangzhou, Lai came to Hong Kong at the age of 12 and worked as a child labourer in a textile factory.
By the age of 27, he had established his own factory.
"When I was young, I felt I had a chance to succeed and make money," Lai recalled.
He made his first fortune through stock trading and in the 1980s, founded the Giordano clothing chain.
Lai said at the time, "Service itself is part of what we sell."
During the Tiananmen Square Incident in 1989, Giordano sold T-shirts printed with political slogans.
Later, Lai gradually exited the clothing business and shifted to media, founding Next Magazine and Apple Daily.
"The first time I came to see it, it felt like seeing a child being born," Lai reflected on his early media ventures.
Apple Daily used colour printing and aggressive pricing, with content that sometimes leaned toward sensationalism and explicit material.
This strategy allowed it to successfully capture market share, influence the media landscape -- and later expand it into Taiwan.
However, its reporting methods repeated drew criticism.
Apple Daily reportedly paid 5,000 dollars to a subject of a tragic family incident in order to secure an interview, raising questions about the practice of "paying to get headlines."
Fuelling the paparazzi culture, the paper was said to repeatedly photograph celebrities in private moments -- including backstage changing areas.
Lai later admitted that he regretted the practice.
Despite controversies, Apple Daily also exposed political misconduct, such as allegations against Gary Cheng of abuse of power and the then-Financial Secretary Antony Leung's financial scandal in early 2003, revealing that he had bought an expensive car shortly before imposing a new car tax.
Lai has long been politically active, participating in marches and rallies, and Apple Daily often encouraged readers to join street demonstrations.
Regarding claims that he funded the Democratic Party, Lai initially denied it.
However, documents later revealed that over the years, Lai had donated at least 50 million dollars to pan-democratic figures and parties such as the Democratic Party and Civic Party.
He later admitted to political donations but denied intending to "disrupt Hong Kong."
He was also accused of spending millions on the so-called "Occupy Central" movement and meeting with Taiwanese politicians to discuss the political move.
During the 2019 anti-extradition protests, Apple Daily distributed yellow umbrellas to citizens, and Lai reportedly helped lead marches.
That same year, he visited the United States and met with then-US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The Commissioner's Office of Beijing's Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong slammed Lai without naming him, accusing him of willingly acting as a tool of foreign forces to "oppose China and disrupt Hong Kong," labelling him a "national traitor."
