The Comedic Side of Kung Fu

At one point or another, everyone has seen a Jackie Chan film, or one that he stars in. No one can resist the humorous, fun-loving, bad accented character that is Jackie Chan. Non-Asians may not be able to identify with him, but no one can deny that he kicks a lot of butt.

Jackie Chan was born in Hong Kong on April 7^th, 1954 under the name Chan Kong-sang, which when translated, means “born in Hong Kong.” Unlike his successful career, Jackie lived a very poor childhood, despite his parents having steady jobs at the Hong Kong Embassy. He was first introduced to martial arts by his father who believed that Jackie could learn essential life lessons such as patience and courage by practicing Kung fu. When his father took a job offer as a head chef for an embassy in Australia, Jackie was enrolled in the China School of Opera where he was first introduced to acting. Jackie was also exposed to singing, tumbling, acrobats, and other forms of martial arts, which would become the foundation for his career later. After ten years of strict schooling at the opera, he graduated and began to take jobs as being a stuntman for minor roles in Hong Kong films. The Opera equipped Jackie with many acrobatic and entertainment skills, but did not provide him with the essential skills of reading and writing. This made it difficult for Jackie to acquire a steady job after his graduation and he was forced to continue free lancing as a stuntman in roles that required his physical dexterity. With his natural and inventive acrobatic abilities, Jackie soon developed a reputation of being fearless to try any stunt that presented itself. His short career took a sudden turn for the worse when the Hong Kong film industry failed, and Jackie was forced to move to Australia to live with his parents. There he worked at a restaurant and as a construction worker where he was coined the name “Jackie” by one of his co-workers who had a hard time pronouncing “Kong-sang.”

Although being in Australia brought work and income for Jackie, he personally hated the life style and yearned for something more meaningful. His prayers were answered when a man by the name of Willie Chan contacted him and wanted Jackie to fly back to Hong Kong to star in an upcoming movie titled “New Fists of Fury” to be directed by renowned director Lo Wei. Willie would prove to be a lifelong friend to Jackie and the reason for Jackie’s big successful break into the entertainment industry. However, Lo Wei’s films with Jackie did not do well, and Jackie decided to add his own creative direction into films such as “Drunken Master” that really showcased his iconic humor in martial arts films. Despite his success and acceptance in Asia, Jackie Chan did not gain much recognition across seas in America. It took roughly 10 years for Jackie Chan to finally make headway in the States and star in films such as Rumble in the Bronx and Rush Hour that really put him on the map as an Asian American star.

In context, Jackie Chan’s role as an Asian American icon is important because he transcends the spirit of Bruce Lee. He is one of the few Asian stars that have broken away from the stereotypical supporting roles of being asexual or nerdy, and has starred as a lead role in films that are widely accepted by the American public. Although his accent and oriental image remains the same, Jackie Chan has undoubtedly left a mark in American popular culture and serves as a role model to Asian Americans.