HONG KONG: Asia's richest woman, the late Nina Wang was given an extravagant send-off on Wednesday.

Her funeral was attended by many of Hong Kong's rich and powerful but mystery still surrounds who will inherit her multi-billon dollar empire.

The Hong Kong funeral home was overflowing with flowers - millions and millions of dollars of imported flowers were flown in especially for the ceremony, as her family spared no expense.

This is in sharp contrast to Nina Wang's famously frugal lifestyle.

The ceremony was not open to the public and Wang's company ChinaChem would not comment on the funeral arrangements.

In the funeral parlour, Mrs Wang's body is said to be lying in a sea of white flowers.

And there are also hundreds and hundreds of heart-shaped wreaths, reflecting the last character in her name which is 'Sum' or 'heart' in Cantonese.

Nicknamed 'Little Sweetie' by the local press and known for her pig-tails, she developed her late husband Teddy Wang's company ChinaChem into a real estate empire after he was kidnapped and disappeared in 1990.

Under her control, the business grew to more than 200 office towers and 400 companies worldwide.

While shunning the limelight, she was kept in the spotlight by a decade-long legal tussle with her 96-year-old father-in-law Wang Dah-shin for control of her late husband's company, which she eventually won.

In one of her more rare public appearances, Mrs Wang sported a shorter hair-do in 2005.

It has since been revealed that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer as early as 2004.

But the US$4 billion-question, her estimated net worth by Forbes, has yet to be answered as the couple did not have any children.

Her lawyer has confirmed that her estate will go to a sole beneficiary which may or may not be a family member on her side of the family.

Political leaders like Donald Tsang and tycoons like Li Ka-shing and Stanley Ho were present at the vigil and Catholic funeral rites.

And scores of people turned up to watch from outside as the hearse made its final journey to be cremated, fulfilling her wishes. - CNA/yy