Jackie Chan: No Fear. No Stuntman. No Freedom?
A controversy is brewing around famous action star Jackie Chan.
Action star Jackie Chan’s comments wondering whether Chinese people “need to be controlled” have drawn sharp rebuke in his native Hong Kong and in Taiwan .
Chan told a business forum in the southern Chinese province of Hainan that a free society may not be beneficial for China ‘s authoritarian mainland.
“I’m not sure if it’s good to have freedom or not,” Chan said Saturday. “I’m gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we’re not being controlled, we’ll just do what we want.”
He went on to say that freedoms in Hong Kong and Taiwan made those societies “chaotic.”
Chan’s comments drew applause from a predominantly Chinese audience of business leaders, but did not sit well with lawmakers in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
It’s an odd take from a man who has benefited from living & working in Hong Kong and the United States where Jackie Chan is able to enjoy perks like freedom and democracy. Whether these comments were made to appease the attending audience of pro-China businessmen or not, he will have a lot to explain next time the world press can ask questions.