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Jackie Chan had a difficult childhood growing up, as apart from financial struggles, he was also abandoned by his birth parents, which was sadly not an uncommon practice at the time. Although he reconnected withCharles Chan and Lee-Lee Chan, it wasn’t until Chan was a full-grown adult that he finally learned about his parents’ secrets, which seems straight out of a movie.
After decades of keeping Chan in the dark, his father eventually set the record straight to his son during the filming of Mabel Cheung’s documentaryTraces of the Dragon, leaving Chan in disbelief.
Also read:Jackie Chan Suffered Through an 8 Hour Brain Surgery after Surviving Fatal Stunt Accident in $16M Movie
Jackie Chan’s Parents’ Stay in Mainland China Seems Straight Out of a Movie
Prior to moving to Hong Kong following the rise of the Communist Party in mainland China,Jackie Chan‘s father, whose real name was Fang, was a spy for the Nationalist Army and a gangland leader. His mother, on the other hand, was a legendary gambler in the Shanghai underworld and an opium dealer, who eventually got arrested by Chan’s father, which marked their first meeting. Cheung said (viaThe Guardian),
“The fact that his mother was an opium smuggler, a gambler and a big sister in the underworld was a big shock to Jackie and also to us. Everybody in Hong Kong knew that his mother was like a common housewife, very kind, very gentle.”
However, it seems dealing opium wasn’t a choice she made willingly, as perreports, she took the gig to support her two daughters from her previous husband, who died in a Japanese bombing raid. But prior to living eventful lives during their stay in mainland China, financially, Chan’s father wasn’t in the best spot, which almost pushed him to sell theRush HourStar merely after he was born.
Also read:“I’ve secret door everywhere”: Jackie Chan’s Secret Home in Hong Kong is Inspired From a Batcave
Jackie Chan Was Almost Sold to a British Doctor for $250
Following their struggle to meet the medical bills, his father insisted on selling baby Chan, who was born to Fang’s first wife, for $250 to the doctor per Jackie Chan. But thankfully, his friends convinced him to keep the baby by landing him a loan. Chan claimed (viaFriday Night With Jonathan Ross):
“Because we was so poor when my parents cannot afford to pay the money. He want to sell (Jackie Chan) to the British doctor for 250 dollars. And as soon as my father want to sell me, somehow my friends ‘No No No you’re the only child and you keep it’. But my father was lucky to keep me.”
Also read:Jackie Chan Reportedly Forced Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo Movie into Rewrites as He Didn’t Want to Play a Drug Dealer
Interestingly, Chan wasn’t the only child his father had from his first wife, who died in 1947. During the documentary, it was further revealed that Chan had two brothers, who were living anonymous lives in China.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
