Recently on a business forum in Hainan, Jackie Chan said following which really disappointed me:"I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not, I'm really confused now. If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now. It's very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic."
"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." [source]
It's sad that he would not wish the Chinese people the same freedom that he enjoyed his whole life. While in mainland China his comments were ignored by the media, he did spark a backlash in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
"He's insulted the Chinese people. Chinese people aren't pets," siad Leung Kwok-hung, a pro-democracy legislator in Hong Kong. "His comments are racist. People around the world are running their own countries. Why can't Chinese do the same?" said the lawmaker Albert Ho.
"He himself has enjoyed freedom and democracy and has reaped the economic benefits of capitalism. But he has yet to grasp the true meaning of freedom and democracy," Taiwanese legislator Huang Wei-che said. [source]
This also reminded me of Chinabounder's take on Taiwan. It may be very blunt, but it has a lot of truth in it. An excerpt:
"In just 50 years Taiwan achieved what China, in 2000 years, never managed. Democracy. Freedom. A voice for the people!" [read the post here]
So, yeah, Jackie Chan, one of my favourite Asian actors, really disappointed me. He should have known better, he should be an advocate for freedom and democracy. But he rather caters to the communist dictatorship for who knows what reasons. I doubt that what he said he really meant, but he's a celebrity and should be a role model. His words have importance. I hope he knows that.
[Photo: Source]
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