Comments on: Thoughts on Jackie Chan’s “Chinese need to be controlled” comments http://www.lovehkfilm.com/blog/juiyinjong/2009/04/21/thoughts-on-jackie-chans-chinese-need-to-be-controlled-comments/ ... On this day, I see clearly, everything has come to life. Mon, 04 May 2026 14:21:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: joe http://www.lovehkfilm.com/blog/juiyinjong/2009/04/21/thoughts-on-jackie-chans-chinese-need-to-be-controlled-comments/#comment-79775 joe Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:54:47 +0000 http://www.lovehkfilm.com/blog/juiyinjong/2009/04/21/thoughts-on-jackie-chans-chinese-need-to-be-controlled-comments/#comment-79775 i'm chinese but i was born and raised in North America so i'm not in touch with the homeland. this story brought a couple of questions came to mind: 1. do the general populace in china generally support government policies, like censorship? do most mainlanders agree with jackie chan's comments? 2. i know before china reclaimed hong kong, there was a distinct difference between people from china and hong kong in terms of culture and the way people think. does this distinctness still exist? would people from hong kong react the same way people from china would? i’m chinese but i was born and raised in North America so i’m not in touch with the homeland. this story brought a couple of questions came to mind:

1. do the general populace in china generally support government policies, like censorship? do most mainlanders agree with jackie chan’s comments?

2. i know before china reclaimed hong kong, there was a distinct difference between people from china and hong kong in terms of culture and the way people think. does this distinctness still exist? would people from hong kong react the same way people from china would?

]]> By: meh http://www.lovehkfilm.com/blog/juiyinjong/2009/04/21/thoughts-on-jackie-chans-chinese-need-to-be-controlled-comments/#comment-79774 meh Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:18:08 +0000 http://www.lovehkfilm.com/blog/juiyinjong/2009/04/21/thoughts-on-jackie-chans-chinese-need-to-be-controlled-comments/#comment-79774 since it's hard to get inside jackie's head (Being Jackie Chan, anyone?), i'll just say the instinctive revulsion for me comes from the inevitable comparison of what he says in public, to those of Jet Li's (who backs up his advocacy with huge resolve of unwavering principles with hardly any contradiction.) regardless of what his true motives and impetus are, he errs in wanting such simplistic comments to carry the weight of gospel that his superstar image aspires. so yeah, pretension annoys more than his actual lack of articulate punditry. filing this next to his drunken disruption @ emile chau's concert. since it’s hard to get inside jackie’s head (Being Jackie Chan, anyone?), i’ll just say the instinctive revulsion for me comes from the inevitable comparison of what he says in public, to those of Jet Li’s (who backs up his advocacy with huge resolve of unwavering principles with hardly any contradiction.) regardless of what his true motives and impetus are, he errs in wanting such simplistic comments to carry the weight of gospel that his superstar image aspires. so yeah, pretension annoys more than his actual lack of articulate punditry. filing this next to his drunken disruption @ emile chau’s concert.

]]> By: David Harris http://www.lovehkfilm.com/blog/juiyinjong/2009/04/21/thoughts-on-jackie-chans-chinese-need-to-be-controlled-comments/#comment-79773 David Harris Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:20:47 +0000 http://www.lovehkfilm.com/blog/juiyinjong/2009/04/21/thoughts-on-jackie-chans-chinese-need-to-be-controlled-comments/#comment-79773 For what it's worth (direct from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8009576.stm) Chan's remarks 'out of context' Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan's comments about whether freedom was a good thing for China were taken out of context, his spokesman has said. He was criticised after suggesting to a business forum in southern China that Chinese people "need to be controlled". But his spokesman said Chan was talking about freedom in the entertainment industry, not Chinese society at large. People with "ulterior motives" had misinterpreted what he was saying on purpose, Solon So told AP news agency. Chan said on Saturday: "I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not. I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled." He also said freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong and Taiwan made those societies "chaotic". "If we [the Chinese] are not controlled, we'll just do what we want." His spokesman responded as the backlash against Chan grew. The tourism board for Hong Kong said it had received complaints that his comments "hurt the image of Hong Kong and aren't reflective of Hong Kong people". Earlier, pro-democracy legislator Leung Kwok-hung told AP that Chan had "insulted the Chinese people". For what it’s worth (direct from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8009576.stm)

Chan’s remarks ‘out of context’

Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan’s comments about whether freedom was a good thing for China were taken out of context, his spokesman has said.

He was criticised after suggesting to a business forum in southern China that Chinese people “need to be controlled”.

But his spokesman said Chan was talking about freedom in the entertainment industry, not Chinese society at large.

People with “ulterior motives” had misinterpreted what he was saying on purpose, Solon So told AP news agency.

Chan said on Saturday: “I’m not sure if it’s good to have freedom or not. I’m gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled.”

He also said freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong and Taiwan made those societies “chaotic”.

“If we [the Chinese] are not controlled, we’ll just do what we want.”

His spokesman responded as the backlash against Chan grew.

The tourism board for Hong Kong said it had received complaints that his comments “hurt the image of Hong Kong and aren’t reflective of Hong Kong people”.

Earlier, pro-democracy legislator Leung Kwok-hung told AP that Chan had “insulted the Chinese people”.

]]> By: phatyou http://www.lovehkfilm.com/blog/juiyinjong/2009/04/21/thoughts-on-jackie-chans-chinese-need-to-be-controlled-comments/#comment-79769 phatyou Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:40:29 +0000 http://www.lovehkfilm.com/blog/juiyinjong/2009/04/21/thoughts-on-jackie-chans-chinese-need-to-be-controlled-comments/#comment-79769 I'm not trying to condone or justify what jackie said, but I think jackie said what he said, not because he was trying to carry favour with the mainland (there was certainly some brown nosing going on, because he would never say the same thing in HK or taiwan) but in some simplistic way he actually believes in it. jackie grew up very poor, so poor that his parents had to send him out to the academy, and in the academy that was where he learnt his discipline and his principles, under the iron hand of master yu jim yuen. fast forward 40 years, with the prosperity of HK and china coming in bloom, he probably views this generation as soft and spoiled, and yearns for the culture of his youth, where respect for your elders and authority reigns supreme, but minus the torture and the human rights abuses. maybe I am overthinking it, but that's the way I see it. as for the nail in coffin for jackie's career? the beginning of the end came when he decided not to do anymore action movies. 'shinjuku incident' was a bold attempt to remake himself, but in the end, he is who he is. jackie is not good enough of an actor to be seen as another character and not as jackie!. maybe he should go into producing, be somebody like eric tseng and cherry pick projects and use his contacts in and outside the industry to get them made. I haven't been really paying attention, but how is his relationship weird with his son? his overcriticalness towards him? it seems like jackie always slag jaycee in the media. from what I have read or seen on tv, I find jaycee to be very well adjusted, down to earth guy. he could've very well had gone down edison's or juno's route as a spoiled rich brat, but I don't get that from him at all. seems like a nice and jovial guy. I’m not trying to condone or justify what jackie said, but I think jackie said what he said, not because he was trying to carry favour with the mainland (there was certainly some brown nosing going on, because he would never say the same thing in HK or taiwan) but in some simplistic way he actually believes in it. jackie grew up very poor, so poor that his parents had to send him out to the academy, and in the academy that was where he learnt his discipline and his principles, under the iron hand of master yu jim yuen. fast forward 40 years, with the prosperity of HK and china coming in bloom, he probably views this generation as soft and spoiled, and yearns for the culture of his youth, where respect for your elders and authority reigns supreme, but minus the torture and the human rights abuses. maybe I am overthinking it, but that’s the way I see it.

as for the nail in coffin for jackie’s career? the beginning of the end came when he decided not to do anymore action movies. ’shinjuku incident’ was a bold attempt to remake himself, but in the end, he is who he is. jackie is not good enough of an actor to be seen as another character and not as jackie!. maybe he should go into producing, be somebody like eric tseng and cherry pick projects and use his contacts in and outside the industry to get them made.

I haven’t been really paying attention, but how is his relationship weird with his son? his overcriticalness towards him? it seems like jackie always slag jaycee in the media. from what I have read or seen on tv, I find jaycee to be very well adjusted, down to earth guy. he could’ve very well had gone down edison’s or juno’s route as a spoiled rich brat, but I don’t get that from him at all. seems like a nice and jovial guy.

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