Jackie Chan: Chinese People Need To Be Controlled

BOAO, China — Action star Jackie Chan said Saturday he's not sure if a free society is a good thing for China and that he's starting to think "we Chinese need to be controlled."

Chan's comments drew applause from a predominantly Chinese audience of business leaders in China's southern island province of Hainan.

The 55-year-old Hong Kong actor was participating in a panel at the annual Boao Forum when he was asked to discuss censorship and restrictions on filmmakers in China. He expanded his comments to include society.

"I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not," Chan said. "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."

Chan added: "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."

The kung fu star has not been a vocal supporter of the pro-democracy movement in his hometown of Hong Kong. Since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, voters have not been allowed to directly elect their leader. Several massive street protests have been held to demand full democracy, but Beijing has repeatedly said Hong Kong isn't ready for it.

The theme at Saturday's panel discussion was "Tapping into Asia's Creative Industry Potential," and Chan had several opinions about innovation in China.

He said that early in his career, he lived in the shadow of the late martial arts star Bruce Lee. He said that during his first foray into Hollywood, he struggled to establish his own identity, so he returned to Hong Kong. After spending 15 years building his reputation in Asia, Chan finally got rediscovered by Hollywood, he said.

Chan said the problem with Chinese youth is that "they like other people's things. They don't like their own things." Young people need to spend more time developing their own style, he added.

The action hero complained that Chinese goods still have too many quality problems. He became emotional when discussing contaminated milk powder that sickened tens of thousands of Chinese babies in the past year.

Speaking fast with his voice rising, Chan said, "If I need to buy a TV, I'll definitely buy a Japanese TV. A Chinese TV might explode."

Comments

[nichtviel]

From his statements he sounds like a very confused and somewhat illogical person. Now if the majority of Chinese reason like this maybe he is right.

[J G H]

There is a difference between control and regulation. Regulation sets limits, but allows freedom within those limits. Control applies positive direction of actions.
The Chinese need enforcement of regulations they do have on foodsafety, work conditions and pollution. They may need some stricter regulations in some of these areas, but enforcement is needed
In the same way, in this country we have seen a deliberate undermining of the regulatory apparatus by the Bush administration (and the Reagan administration before it). The result has been abuses by the regulated industries resulting in the corporate leaders making out like bandits (which they are) while their companies, customers, and investors get reamed. The S&L collapse under Reagan and the derivatives and energy markets under Bush are a direct result, not of regulation, but failure to regulate. And let us not forget Bernie Madoff. Chan is an actor, not necessarily accustomed to detailed analysis of political philosophy, but the problems that inspired his remarks are real, however clumsy his response to them may be.

[mariegachelin]

Jackie Chan brought up a valid observation no matter how clumsy his statement seems. There is obviously a difference between control and regulation and it does not mean that Chinese people cannot control themselves.

[rachebee]

I think that he is saying that a healthy sense of personal responsibility and ethics has to accompany freedom and democracy. Obviously he believes that the Chinese people are lacking in both. I don't think that makes him a tool of the Chinese government.

[totaldisbelief]

I think you have a handle on what he meant. And it's not only the Chinese people that are lacking in ethics and personal responsibility ....as evidenced by recent Wall St. hijinks

[Democrat70]

Jackie Chan's next movie: Mandarin Sheep

[latinopride]

I don't see the need for outrage here, in my opinion the Republican Party is far worse than the Chinese Communist Party.

[vesaversa1]

Jackie if your against human rights for your peoples please take your little @ss back to red china and make you stupid movies .The american peoples who believe in human rights in this country should be boycotting Jackie Chan movies.

[xyzb212]

emmm op. "Chinese audience of business leaders in China's southern island province of Hainan."

[Nanningyan]

where in this article did it say he was opposed to human rights? He simply stated that Chinese people need to be controlled. Perhaps if the translation had used the word regulated it would have been less offensive to you. We are far more "controlled" in this country than when I was a boy and are far less controlled than we should be. Chinese people exhibit significant self control which is far more than I can say for many in US society.

[LivingInChina]

I think Jackie is right on this one for the reason mentioned by "dmyron," China has had authoritarian government for so long(many thousands of years) that its people may not be able to function any other way."

It is not that they cannot function any other way, but that without a history of contrasting discourse on political and social subjects they would find it difficult to sort through the rhetoric related to the creation of a democratic system.

This will change with time as China becomes more entrenched in the world order and the Internet finds more subscribers.

Things are changing, but the old ways are entrenched and change will be slow. Generations will pass before China resembles anything close to a democracy.

But I could be wrong.

[Tobias Gilk]

I think that it's a mistake to think of means of governance as commodities (yes, I'd like two-scoops of democratic representa­tive-repub­lic with 'freedom of the press' sprinkles on top). Effective governance arises organically from the populous. That isn't to say that this can't be given some directional assistance.

With respect to China, I would agree that central governments have suppressed organic dissent, so governance is artificially tethered to the status quo. But the presence of dissent does not automatically mean that the population, social mores and culture, would be prepared for the leap to democracy.

But I could be wrong, too.

[ChristopherAtom]

Hardly a surprise to hear Chan say something like this. He has always been a tool of the Chinese government. He was allowed to become a star by his leaders. What is more telling isn't what he said but who he was saying it to: "Chan's comments drew applause from a predominantly Chinese audience of business leaders in China's southern island province of Hainan." The Chinese elite of the corporate kleptocracy.
The rich of the east, it turns out, are just as twisted as their western counterparts.

[ChristopherAtom]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3203253804055041031

[whsmith]

Um... that reads like sarcasm to me, especially since the next sentence mentions his life long support of democracy. Huffpost once again manufacturing outrage and controversy out of thin air in the pursuit of clicks? Bloggers really need to get a grip on some ethical standards. You guys are as bad as Drudge. .... On another note, Jackie, a Japanese TV? Korea makes the best TVs these days my man. Samsung all the way.

[negogato]

I am in Hong Kong.
There is outrage in Hong Kong over his statements. Blame the blogs if you like but this is a real problem for real people who are connected to reality. Lots of them.
Blame the messengers to dismiss the message I suppose is your meaning.

[dmyron]

He may be correct. China has had authoritarian government for so long(many thousands of years) that
its people may not be able to function any other way. The disparate provinces have been forced together for this period and contrary to Americans perception of China as homogenious it is anything
but.

[DKLabRat]

Easy to say for someone who isn't restricted in his daily life and has all the freedom he wants or needs.

[LMPE]

Someone ought to kidnap the tea party attendees and drop them into China. See what they think of that kind of society.

[LostRiverLedger]

China's "Joe the Plumber"

[damnadamson]

The man speaks the truth and your views are reverse racist ! I agree with him ... look at all the garbage made in China??? He hit the nail on the head.

[Senseimilla]

Asking Jackie Chan for his view on democracy is like asking Dolph Lundgren what he thinks about the economic crisis...

[brovold]

Well Dolph might be a poor comparison as he's a Fulbright scholar with a masters degree in chemical engineering who's allegedly somewhat fluent in five or six languages. He may still be a dummy, however, when it comes to the economic crisis...s­ince pretty much everybody is.