BEIJING, April 10 – Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan has responded over public anger about his plan to move ancient Chinese buildings to Singapore, saying he would not do anything bad towards his country.
“Jackie Chan didn’t do anything illegal, and I certainly won’t do anything bad towards my country,” he wrote on his official website as well as Sina Weibo, a twitter-like microblog service in China where he has 15.63 million followers, on Tuesday evening.
“I never imagined that sharing my thoughts about donating historic buildings would cause such a big stir,” China’s Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying in the website.
“I need to find an opportunity to sit down and explain all the details,” he added.
Chan’s planned donation of four Hui-style ancient buildings that he bought twenty years ago to the Singapore University of Technology and Design has led to heated debate in China since he posted the message on Sina Weibo on April 4. Many netizens are furious about Chan’s donation plan and think his patriotic image has been tarnished. However, most of his followers showed support after his response.
“Big Brother (a nickname in which Chan’s followers call him) is our pride and a model. I fully support him,” commented “Nanglong” on Sina Weibo.
“Jackie Chan is using a primitive way to protect ancient Chinese buildings. I support his donation to Singapore if not against the law,” said
“Gongfuchayinshi.” Officials in Huangshan City, located in east China’s Anhui Province and known for its Hui-style ancient buildings, have expressed their wish to display Chan’s ancient buildings.
“We are willing to provide the best place, most experienced craftsmen and funding to welcome those ancient buildings home,” said Wang Henglai, director of the Huangshan municipal government’s cultural commission.
Hui-style architecture is a major Chinese architectural style from ancient times, with the exquisite homes, ancestral halls and memorial archways as its most impressive embodiments.
BERNAMA
