Reactions To Jackie Chan “Control” Comment & Translation

News report from Chinanews.com.cn:

Recently, Jackie Chan made a statement on Hai’nan BOAO Forum that Hong Kong and Taiwan are “very chaotic because of having too much freedom”, So he is “gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we’re not being controlled, we’ll just do what we want.” This statement has drawn many complaints, some netizens attacked Chan’s statement; some even called for banning Chan’s movies and the products he represents.

Select comments from NetEase, translated by littleredbook:

网易广东广州网友/(from Guangdong, Guangzhou)

As a human being, Jackie Chan has his good side, such as being enthusiastic about public services and charity. Also as a human being, Jackie Chan has his “evil” side, such as abandoning lovers and daughter. Again, as a human being, Jackie Chan has his own freedom of speech. Why he can’t make comments on what he thinks is wrong? Is it really necessary to make a big deal out of this common statement? To make it clear, don’t regard Jackie as a perfect guy.

网易江西赣州网友/(from Ganzhou, Jiangxi)

There is really nothing to attack. Nowadays people think that saying any bad thing about China is evil. It is good to be patriotic, but it is unnecessary to think that Chinese is perfect without any defect. He was just expressing his opinion, it is unnecessary to attack him. Most Chinese are reasonable people; know what is right and what is wrong. Some crazy netizens, have too much time and criticize anything out there.

网易广东深圳网友/(from Shenzhen, Guangdong)

Say something true to show majority’s defect, and then attacked by everybody – this is why those people who tell truth will never be accepted by the society.

网易辽宁大连网友/(from Dalian, Liaoning)

What Jackie Chan said is very objective, he hopes that Chinese people continually improve themselves in order to stand firm among the nations of the world. If we can’t face our own bad habits now, then which generation should we expect to give up those bad habits?

网易澳大利亚网友/(from Australia)

Make some sense! Nowadays a lot of Chinese don’t dare to face their own defect, government and normal citizens, too much impulsiveness.

网易广东惠州网友/(from Huizhou, Guangdong)

I agree with Jackie Chan, we all know by heart, it is actually the truth.

网易重庆网友/(from Chongqing)

I think he is the one needs to be controlled, he even couldn’t control his mouth. It is no good when you are not well-educated.

网易河北网友/(from Hebei)

I think among those netizens who against Jackie Chan, 80% are kids under 16. Their brains are still in the process of turning mature, so we don’t need to pay too much attention to their comment. As long as they grow up, they will understand what does brother Chan mean.

网易辽宁大连网友/(from Dalian, Liaoning)

Hongkong and Taiwan are really chaotic. Those politicians in Taiwan argued with each other all the time; and all their entertainment programs are using celebrity’s first kisses or sex to get audience. So much chaotic.

网易北京西城网友/(from Beijing)

If the entire Chinese are like Americans, sell something like guns, then China will become a hell. Why the people nowadays can’t figure this out? If 1.3 billion Chinese are as open as Americans, then what will be the consequence? We need to see the big picture; I think Jackie Chan is right.

网易福建网友/(from Fujian)

If Chinese people do not face up to our own shortcomings and inadequacies, I think China will sooner or later become a colony of Japan. A group of idiots, which point Jackie Chan stated was wrong? Chinese people are really inadequate in this aspect, nothing to be complaint about. With so many defects but afraid to be found out by others, this is really ridiculous!

网易云南昆明网友/(from Kunming, Yunnan)

There are two kinds of people in China, citizens and government officials. I’d like to ask brother Chan, should it be officials control the citizens or citizens control the officials?
If officials control the citizens, then who’s gonna control the officials?
If citizens control the officials, then how to control? Is it even possible?
If both of them need to be controlled, then controlled by who?
Or we all let you brother Chan control us, let you become China NO.1, are you satisfied?

Select comments from Tianya, translated by littleredbook:

指鹿为鹿

Jackie Chan always positions himself as a patriotic. (His) Kung fu shows Chinese’s power and moral integrity, why he starts to speak ill of Chinese people?
If that’s the case, when think of brother Chan’s fighting back to evil force, does it also represent of having too much freedom?
His statement of Chinese doesn’t deserve freedom and should be controlled; this is a public insult for Chinese people. Since Chinese people need to be controlled, then does this mean we need to be controlled by non-Chinese?
Jackie Chan, you are not allowed to insult China and Chinese people! Just mind your own business as a special zone citizen!

zp82724

Let me tell you why Jackie Chan said this, it is because he is rich, which is equivalent to those dignitaries. He fears chaos!
If he was poor, if he is an exploitee, would he still talk like that?

floorle

Does this mean Jackie Chan want to be an official?

libieyu1982

Whether this news is true or not, Jackie Chan has fought his way aboard, which also is a true fact that he never loses our Chinese people’s face. Besides, it not excessive to give this kind of statement at his age.

ljftp

He has already settled down his family in a free country. And then he came here to dust the eye of us.
Whether it is good to have freedom or not has nothing to be argued with. The only question is where you want to go, a place with freedom or a place with despotism.

mlpnkobjiv

Brother Chan, you said that it is no good for Chinese people to have freedom, and Chinese people should be controlled, then I would like to ask you that would you like to be controlled? To be controlled as an normal Chinese citizen?
Chan make his influence to normal citizens as a tribute to governor, this kind of statement has surely put himself right on a flunky’s position.

天佑先知

It is clearly that Chan’s got more brawn than brains. What did he mean by saying “Chinese people need to be controlled”? Are Chinese people worse than foreigners? Are Chinese people Inferior to foreigners? Don’t forget that you are Chinese too. The freedom Chinese people have is already so negligible, and he still says bullshit like this.

tabitha1985

To some degree, I agree with Jackie Chan. Hongkong and Taiwan governments have been kidnapped by so called democracy and freedom. Let’s imagine if we are free like them, how chaotic China would be with a population of 1.3 billion?

more info & translated comments at: littleredbook

[transcription]

Eh … actually … actually, China has been changing all along. During the ten years since I returned … for those ten years now, the progress has been very big, very big. Besides today, let us not forget, we have been reforming sixty years … thirty years … but our nation has been founded .. thirty years … we are just a small nation among large nations … how shall we say? … we have a history of five thousand years, but our new nation has only been founded sixty years ago. We have only opened up for thirty years. It is hard to make any comparisons with those …

But I suddenly feel that for the ten years since I returned … I slowly … I grew up in Hong Kong … I grew up in Hong Kong … from the time when Hong Kong was returned to China up until now, I can slowly see … I don’t know … eh … whether it is better to be free or it is better not to be free … right now I am really very confused … eh … if there is too much freedom, it becomes like Hong Kong today … very chaotic … furthermore, it becomes like Taiwan … it is also very chaotic … eh … I have slowly come to realize that we the Chinese people need regulation …

[laughter first, then applause from the audience]

If there is no regulation and we suddenly opened up, we can do whatever we want. Sometimes I feel that … eh … when I go to Singapore, why can’t I have chewing gum? Later I realized that it is correct to forbid people from having chewing gum. If I let you have chewing gum, some people are going to stick it underneath the table or on the chair. They don’t respect themselves. Many people are not like those people in the United States or Japan where they are spontaneously self-respecting. When you don’t have self-respect, the government will regulate. That is for certain. I can see that. Today people are doing whatever they want to do. Today a lot of people are abusing their freedom of speech, abusing their cultural freedom (in Cantonese) … eh … cultural freedom, they are abusing it … er … human rights. They abusing it.

Ever since I returned, our movie screening process has been a lot better today than ten years ago. I believe that it will continue to be a lot better ten years from now continually continually continually. Today our nation of China … I cannot speak for the nation … but I feel that our nation is learning continuously … it is learning continuously from the outside … really … you see that we hold so many research conferences in China, we hold… eh … and we send so many senior officials overseas to study, and this is all in order to learn. I believe that our China will become better and better. This is what I believe. [faint applause]

[cut to a different clip]

What I want to say is … when I was in Hong Kong, I was in the film industry. Sometimes, I want to say that our Hong Kong film industry really has no idea what it is up to. Really. They get a story today, they start filming tomorrow and they are ready to show the movie next week. They make so many, many lousy big movies. You can’t bear to watch anymore. Sometimes I wonder why Hong Kong … Hong Kong in the past … would let such movies be shown? Our film industry produces so many lousy movies. Right. Every country has its own system. When I go to the United States, I cross the street and the police will stop me if I go through a red light. You have to observe the laws of that nation. If you go to Vietnam, you will have to abide by Vietnamese regulations. If you go to Singapore, you will have to abide by Singaporean regulations. In China, you may be uncultured and you litter everywhere. If you go to Singapore and you litter, watch what happens. You will go to jail immediately. Therefore if you come to China to make a movie, you must abide by Chinese regulations. These are just the rules of the game. This is how I feel. [applause]

more information at: EastSouthWestNorth