Jackie Chan as a global brand
PS2 game based on the series Jackie Chan Adventures. Flickr cc. courtesy of bootload
The Hong Kong star Jackie Chan is both a representative symbol of the Asian city and a global brand (see also ‘Celebrities’). Before his blockbuster successes, such as Rumble in the Bronx (1995), Rush Hour (1998), Shanghai Noon (2000) and Rush Hour 2 (2001), he made several failed attempts (e.g. Cannonball Run II, 1984) to conquer Hollywood before being accepted. Chan, like other Chinese martial arts actors working in the US, Sammo Hung and Jet Li, have all teamed up with black sidekicks/partners in order to capture the African American market that has been historically interested in the chopsocky films (kungfu movies of the 1970s from Hong Kong following the craze for Bruce Lee as a global martial arts star) and subsequently martial arts/action genre from Hong Kong.
Life-size Jackie Chan. Flickr cc. courtesy of speedwaystar
Chan has gradually achieved global appeal as a transnational star, while remaining a floating signifier of ‘Chinese-ness’ and the official Hong Kong tourism ambassador.
Linked website: http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/kids/index_jackie.html (Jackie Chan Adventures is a brand franchise of his image; the cartoon series was shown on Kids Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network, and featured in several games.)