(PHOTO: Local feng shui master Tony Chan Chun-chuen (C) smiles as he arrives at the High Court in Hong Kong on May 11, 2009 to fight for the control of the assets of the late billionaire and head of real estate empire Chinachem, Nina Wang.)

A legal battle over the estate of colourful Hong Kong billionaire tycoon Nina Wang began yesterday, pitting her former lover and feng shui master against her family, who both lay claim to the vast fortune.

Ms Wang, who died in April 2007 aged 69, was one of Asia's wealthiest women whose business empire - including the Chinachem Group, the city's largest private property developer - has been estimated to be worth at least US$4.2 billion.

The court battle, a culmination of nearly two years of legal jockeying, hinges on which of two wills is valid, with overseas handwriting experts to be called as witnesses.

Ms Wang's former feng shui adviser, Tony Chan, lays sole claim to the fortune, based on a 2006 will as she lay dying of ovarian cancer. Mr Chan, who is married, has said he was Ms Wang's longtime lover.

In the rival legal camp is the Chinachem Charitable Foundation representing Ms Wang's family, which lays claim to an earlier 2002 will in which most of Ms Wang's wealth was left to charitable causes.

Denis Chang, the lawyer for the foundation, said there was 'very strong evidence' that Ms Wang's signature on the 2006 will was a forgery, while drawing attention to the will's inconsistent language with its mix of legalese and affectionate terms.

He said Ms Wang had been critically ill and was unlikely to have been in a position to prepare and sign the will on that day.

In the 2006 will, read out in court, Ms Wang named Mr Chan as the executor of her estate, trusting that he would act in a fair and just way for the 'need and good of my family and loved ones'.

The crew-cut Mr Chan, who sat in a dark pinstripe suit, smiled occasionally at the court proceedings. His lawyer, Ian Mill, didn't give his opening submission on the first day's hearing.

Ms Wang's family have also asserted that Mr Chan misled the superstitious, pig-tailed Ms Wang to hand over her billions in exchange for eternal life - a claim Mr Chan has denied.

Ms Wang was dubbed Siu Teem Teem (Little Sweetie), after a favourite Japanese manga cartoon character and her giggly ways. Her wealth, idiosyncrasies and tragic personal life made for a soap-opera- like existence under the media's constant glare.

The Shanghai-born Ms Wang inherited most of her wealth from her husband, Teddy, who was kidnapped in 1990 and never seen alive again, despite the payment of a US$33 million ransom.

The petite Ms Wang, known for her braided pig-tails, mini-skirts and beloved pet dogs which she would take to boardroom meetings - later faced an acrimonious legal battle with her nonagenarian father- in-law amid claims of adultery and murder. She finally wrested control of Teddy's estate in 2005.

Despite her vast wealth, Ms Wang was famously known for her self-professed frugality - rummaging for bargains in discount clothes stores and staying in cheap hotels overseas.

Ms Wang was a grandiose dreamer who once planned to build the world's tallest building. She later split the project into two smaller parts, the taller of which she named Teddy Tower after her husband and the shorter one after herself.