Legendary Chan Dragon
(Jackie Chan 成龙) is regarded by many
as the current reigning Kung Fu King of the
silver screen. Sadly, His Majesty is now half
a century plus two years old, so a decision
to select his successor was officially
announced in Beijing last Friday, December
29, 2006.
The move shall not be
read as the indication that the King is about
to abdicate his throne in a near future, said
the board of the selection, the Beijing TV
station. "I still have lots of movies to
produce," the Majesty proclaimed. Which
means his successor will have to wait
patiently in the wings. Nothing wrong with
that. Charles was made the successor to Queen
Elizabeth II long before half of the
population on the planet were born, and the
Queen is still going, going, going, going …
not gone.
Our king has a son
actually. But unlike all other kings or
queens, this king has decided not to make the
royalty a family business, 'cause he's a firm
believer that raising a good successor to the
throne is a very important thing. It’s not
that his son isn’t good. He is good and has
been showing punches and kicks on the screens
lately. But the king wants the best man for
the job, not just a good man, suppose.
In ancient times,
Chinese sage kings like Yao (尧) and Shun (舜) used to select their
successors by virtue. But this noble
tradition was replaced by a backward new
fashion, inheriting through bloodlines, in
the next five thousand years or so. Now
Jackie Chan is determined to go back to the
forward old way.
It is reported that
the board has already begun to accept
registration by candidates. The basic
criteria requirements include that the
candidates must be aged between 18 and 28,
capable of driving a car or motorbick at the
speed of a bullet, jumping from the rooftop
of a skyscraper, doing martial feats such as
highflying kicking, dizzying spining,
mindless twisting, siderolling, backfliping,
and then able to not be themselves, for
instance, laughing while feeling sad,
bemoaning while feeling happy…… and much
more, much much more …… more ……
The final contest will
be held on the Great Wall, said the board,
and the ten winners will then be awarded with
the opportunities to play leading roles in
Jackie Chan’s new film "The Inheritors
of the China Dragon" that is planned to
be screened for the occasion of the Beijing
Olympics 2008.
Among the ten, one
that is the best will be crowned, or more
precisely, ringed as the successor to the
King with a jade ring Jackie Chan inherited
from his mother.
It is a long journey
for a construction worker in Australia to
grow into an international Kung Fu Lord.
Thirty years ago, when Jackie Chan first
started his acting career, he was scoffed at
by an author as unfit to play his hero for
the sin of having an unproportionally large
nose. And he was also ridiculed by some
leading actresses who co-starred with him.
"You've got to be kidding," they
would complain to the directors. "How on
earth would I love a man with such small
eyes?" Cruel comments as those often
sent Jackie Chan weeping alone in toilet.
But he who laughs
last, laughs best. Jackie Chan has finally
risen to a lordly height, while many other
stars have long faded from the scene. Long
live the King!
