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    Jackie Chan: The Man Who Changed It All

    Written by: Muhammad Suhayb
    Posted on: July 13, 2023 | | 中文

    Stuntman Jackie Chan with Bruce Lee in 1972

    Shooting for a film was taking place in 1972, and the international star, Bruce Lee, was performing a dangerous stunt with an eighteen-year-old boy. The boy had to perform a rarely attempted stunt, but not only managed to finish it in style, but also impressed the man who introduced martial arts to Hollywood. The boy was none other than Jackie Chan, who was fighting the legendary Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury. Since then, Jackie Chan had to take a challenging road to success, eventually revolutionizing martial arts as well as rising to become one of the great film stars.

    Born as Chan Kong Sang in Hong Kong on Apr. 7, 1954, he began appearing as a stuntman in late 1960s and has since acted in over 200 films. Chan Kong Sang's is a ‘from rags to riches story’. He worked as a stunt coordinator in many films, but after completing his schooling, moved to live with his parents in Australia. Jackie's father worked as a cook in the US Embassy in Canberra, where Jackie enrolled in a school. Fate brought him to a construction site where he got his name ‘Jackie Chan’, as his original name was too difficult to pronounce.

    Young Jackie Chan with his parents

    Chan returned to Hong Kong in 1972 and managed to watch Bruce Lee closely with his two forgettable appearances. With Lee’s death in 1973 and the search for ‘the next Bruce Lee’, the sudden rise in Kung Fu films went downhill. Jackie Chan also tried to fit in 'Lee’s shoes’ but being unaware of Lee’s fighting style and above all, the English language, he was nothing but a liability for producers. He may have been an accomplished action choreographer, yet adapting to demands was not his forte.

    Although Kung Fu films were around before Bruce Lee elevated them to international status, Jackie Chan changed the way action was done. In 1978, he starred in the Hong Kong production Snake in the Eagles shadow, which was a massive hit. Jackie Chan had a sense of humor, and used to make deliberate mistakes that drew laughter and was not as stiff as Bruce Lee. However, his entry to Hollywood did not take place till 1995. He attempted to enter Hollywood with Robert Clouse’s The Big Brawl (1980) and James Glickenhaus' The Protector (1985), but both ended up as disasters.

    Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights

    For the next 9 years, Jackie Chan cemented his position in Asia by performing daredevil stunts and slapstick comedy. His usage of outtakes of the movie during end credits, also stopped the crowd from leaving the film. From 1983 till 1995, he introduced a dangerous stunt-driven style of martial arts in films, which include back flips, monkey jumps and flying kicks. With his opera school friends Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, Jackie starred in blockbusters, including Lucky Star trilogy. Known as ‘three brothers’, they were making name and fame, but Jackie had eyes on the North American market. He was fast becoming a legend in Asia, where actors in India and Pakistan, tried to follow his style of fighting, mostly doing cheap copies. Jackie Chan acted and directed in Operation Condor series, which saw him dive on a hot air balloon (yes, a flying balloon), dodge dynamites and jump on trees, while his police movies were a rage across the world.

    Jackie Chan recieving Academy Award from Sylvester Stallone

    It was in 1995 that he finally got his due with US-Hong Kong Production Rumble in the Bronx. The story begins when Chan’s character Keong, who came to America for his uncle’s wedding. The simple Simon landed up in trouble with the mafia and the rest is history. Jackie Chan impressed viewers and producers by his breath-taking stunts, and had an impact on American audiences.

    As he performed his own stunts, he broke bones many times. Jackie and injuries have been together since Snake in the Eagles’ Shadow, but his dedication to performing always kept the films from getting delayed. He has acted with his fractured foot in a cast, broken his teeth, nose, injured his lip and damaged his eyebrow, a price he paid for his stunts.

    From 1995 onwards, he went on to star in American films, and was the top draw for buddy cop films, which included the Rush Hour series with Chris Tucker and Western comedies, Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights with Owen Wilson. After a couple of hits in Hollywood, he formed his own production company, and took on more challenging roles, where he had to use his body less. Even his dubbing for Master Monkey in Kung Fu Panda animated cartoons is like watching Jackie Chan in action.

    Jackie Chan in Rush Hour

    He has collaborated with producers in America and India, has mesmerized the viewers with his work and in 1997, his hands were immortalized in cement outside the Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. He also became the first ever Chinese actor to receive an Oscar, after being in the industry for over 50 years. Jackie Chan is a true symbol of success, and is a proof of how dedication can turn a stunt coordinator into a successful star.

    Jackie Chan at Hollywood's Chinese Theatre


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021









    Video message by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Black Day of Indian Occupation of Kashmir



    Video message by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Black Day of Indian Occupation of Kashmir, 27 October 1947, when Indian military troops forcibly occupied Kashmir illegally, claiming a fraudulent ‘Instrument of Accession’ which never existed as documented by eminent British historian Alastair Lamb! Kashmir & Palestine are examples of illegal occupation & continued Resistance to Repression! There are so many commonalities in Kashmir & Palestine: both under brutal military occupation of foreign powers, both are facing an indigenous, popular, spontaneous & widespread Resistance & Uprising, both are in violation of UN Resolutions which haven’t been implemented, both are witnessing an attempted change in the demographic balance, both are facing the use of rape as a weapon of war, both are testimony to double-standards & hypocrisy of Western powers on human rights & fundamental rights, and both conflicts have an element of racism and Islamophobia, while enduring peace, security and stability will remain elusive in both regions, South Asia & Middle East, until these issues are resolved in accordance with popular aspirations.