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Jackie Chan or Chen Long just announced his plans to film his 100th movie, tentatively titled Chinese Zodiac, a film he has wanted to make for over 6 years but has not had the opportunity. The Hong Kong kung fu star who became famous to Asian audiences through the 1978 blockbuser Snake in Eagle's shadow and to American audiences through the 1995 hit Rumble in the Bronx has however been in the limelight currently for a different kind of reason. In the local paper, an article by Seah Chiang Nee stated that Jackie Chan’s assertion that the Chinese need to be controlled has not gone down well in Singapore where the people want more freedom. Taiwan and his native Hong Kong weren't very happy too as Jackie said that the two places with their freedom had been rather chaotic. Jackie Chan purportedly had been blunt when he said that the Chinese people are not civic-conscious and Singapore is not yet a civil society where people behave well without the threat of punishment. Seah further added that the world has had a chance to enjoy Jackie Chan’s unique films because of his upbringing in chaotic Hong Kong and his talent in regulated Singapore would probably have been lost to the world. I am not sure if Seah had meant to say that talents had been lost in regulated Singapore or for that matter in regulated China, for which case, that would be rather untrue and foolish. It is not that the two countries lack talents but there is an abundance of them if one is just willing to look and admit. Incidentally, over the same paper, there was a report on a bid by New York Governor David Paterson to allow gays to legalise their union but the bid has been shot down by senate members in Albany even before it could be put to a vote. I suppose Jackie whom I am sure admires Japanese and Americans for being orderly, must have meant this type of control. Democracy doesn't mean that one must have all the freedom in the world without considering the negative effects they bring to society.
Jackie Chan or Chen Long just announced his plans to film his 100th movie, tentatively titled Chinese Zodiac, a film he has wanted to make for over 6 years but has not had the opportunity. The Hong Kong kung fu star who became famous to Asian audiences through the 1978 blockbuser Snake in Eagle's shadow and to American audiences through the 1995 hit Rumble in the Bronx has however been in the limelight currently for a different kind of reason. In the local paper, an article by Seah Chiang Nee stated that Jackie Chan’s assertion that the Chinese need to be controlled has not gone down well in Singapore where the people want more freedom. Taiwan and his native Hong Kong weren't very happy too as Jackie said that the two places with their freedom had been rather chaotic. Jackie Chan purportedly had been blunt when he said that the Chinese people are not civic-conscious and Singapore is not yet a civil society where people behave well without the threat of punishment. Seah further added that the world has had a chance to enjoy Jackie Chan’s unique films because of his upbringing in chaotic Hong Kong and his talent in regulated Singapore would probably have been lost to the world. I am not sure if Seah had meant to say that talents had been lost in regulated Singapore or for that matter in regulated China, for which case, that would be rather untrue and foolish. It is not that the two countries lack talents but there is an abundance of them if one is just willing to look and admit. Incidentally, over the same paper, there was a report on a bid by New York Governor David Paterson to allow gays to legalise their union but the bid has been shot down by senate members in Albany even before it could be put to a vote. I suppose Jackie whom I am sure admires Japanese and Americans for being orderly, must have meant this type of control. Democracy doesn't mean that one must have all the freedom in the world without considering the negative effects they bring to society.
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