Jackie Chan is one of the most famous, respected, and legendary actors in cinema history, being not only an actor, but also a filmmaker, stuntman, and perhaps one of the most well-versed individuals in martial arts in all of Hollywood. He has made a name for himself through his massively successful movies like the Rush Hour franchise, the Karate Kid franchise, The Drunken Master, and Police Story. These films have set the foundation for the present-day action movie genre.
Having done so many extreme things in movies, one would think the most interesting thing that has happened to the actor would be onscreen, but that most certainly is not the case. It would seem that Chan’s own family history is even more interesting and surprising than a James Bond movie.
Jackie Chan’s Parents Were Not Who He Thought
When Jackie Chan was younger, he, his father Charles Chan, and his mother, Lee-Lee Chan all immigrated from their Hong Kong to Canberra, Australia. This move did not work well for Chan as he struggled quite a lot in terms of his studies, causing his parents to have to send him back to their home country for his education. Chan spent quite a lot of time in Hong Kong, visiting his parents as frequently as he could.
When Chan was an adult, he went to Australia to visit his parents, as he usually did, only to find out that he has two brothers waiting for him there. It was here that the actor found out the truth about his family’s past. Chan’s father revealed to him that he was a former Nationalist spy and a gangland boss, who had two children from his first marriage that he had to leave behind, a practice that was very common at the time.
This seemed to have been the tip of the iceberg as Chan also found out that his mother used to be an opium drug dealer as well as a well-known underground gambler in Shanghai, a profession she had taken up to support her two daughters from a previous marriage who later died during a Japanese bombing raid.
Jackie Chan Created A Documentary Out Of His Family’s Incredible History
Jackie Chan’s father then went on to explain to him that the reason that his family moved from China to Hong Kong was an attempt to avoid the Communist Party, which even inspired their move to Australia, where they hid for several years, even mentioning that their real family name is not Chan but Fang. Inspired by his parent’s struggles, Chan decided to help them tell their stories to the world, which was something that his father also wished for.
“It’s not just Jackie’s story but the story of every Chinese family.” said Cheung
Chan invited filmmaker Mabel Cheung to Australia to get acquainted with his father, who explained their family story to her, even showing some archival footage, which made Chan weep. After this, he created the documentary Traces of a Dragon: Jackie Chan and His Lost Family in honor of his family’s struggles.
Source: CheatSheet
