Jackie Chan proves he is very uncool by unveiling plans to open his own theme park
09·17·2013 Lily Huang (黄晓茵)It’s all just too much, not just Jackie Chan but a theme park thrown in for good measure. Kick-ass rides, anyone?
Hong Kong action movie star and all round China lickspittle, Jackie Chan announced on Thursday that he plans on building a theme park in Yizhuang district, Beijing with the help of local Chinese organizations. The new theme park, named JC World will be two square kilometers wide, featuring five main paths, each with its own separate theme. The park will showcase some of his personal collection, such as special furniture and jewelry. And what kind of crazed maniac would not like to check out some of Jackie Chan’s jewelry? But in some sense the park is justified because, well, you know, Chan was poor as a kid and stuff:
“I was very poor when I was a child, so when I had money later on, I bought all sorts of things and went around the world collecting them,” said Chan. “I want to exhibit all my stuff. They may not all be worth a lot of money, but they may have a story behind them.”
A theme park displaying his personal items and memorabilia? Wait a minute, what about super awesome rides? Maybe the park will be more of a museum that features a few scattered rides. According to USA Today, press reports have yet to shed light on what exactly will lure visitors to the planned Jackie Chan World Park. But it will most likely not be rides. Chan reportedly will donate the remaining, at least four, antique Chinese buildings he had purchased and restored over the years to the park. Donating his own buildings to his own theme park, yes, his munificence is boundless.
Earlier this year Chan gave similar buildings to a Singapore university (I can’t imagine the logistics of giving somebody a building. How do you even ship it?), and received in return a downpour of criticisms on Chinese social media. Ever the stooge and lap-dog, in recent years Jackie Chan has increasingly taken a pro-Beijing stance. His endorsement of China’s strict censorship and media control have sparked this comment on the website BuzzFeed: “On Chinese social media — where exposing official hypocrisy is a national sport — nothing makes you lose street cred as quickly as shilling for the government.”
Image courtesy of beijingcream.com