October 15, 2008

The third day of our Dragon's Heart charity trip to Henan Province in China began quite early. We arose before the sun and after getting ready, we packed our bags and headed off to Jackie's room to have breakfast and help him prepare for our departure. Today we would leave Xinxiang and drive to Xinmi City for another day of activities.

Jackie was pretty perky considering that it was early in the morning and he's not really fond of rising with the roosters. He bounced around the hotel suite, eating his breakfast while doing some last minute packing. When asked how he'd slept, he said he'd gone to bed early because there was nothing on television (besides Jackie Chan movies, commercials, news reports, etc.) and not too much going on at the hotel. Despite having some trouble staying asleep - he kept thinking about the concert and the auction he'd attended the day before - it seems that he managed to get a good night's rest.

Whenever Jackie is involved in charity work, he worries that he isn't doing enough or that if he'd done things differently he could have raised more money. While we are at the auctions, he'll frequently look over to his staff and ask us what we think of the proceedings. We try to reassure him that things are going well; that he doesn't have control of how much money people are going to spend at any particular auction. For the charity auctions, there is always a professional auctioneer on stage because experience has shown that Jackie is just too soft hearted when it comes to demanding higher bids. If he's given a chance to be the auctioneer and sees a child making a bid or notices someone looking worried that they might be bidding too high, Jackie's heart melts, he slams down the gavel, and cries out "Sold!" He understands this, yet if you watch him during the auctions, you'll see him squirming in his chair, positively itching to get onstage and tell a story or describe the auction items in more detail. Actually, he usually does interrupt the auctioneer to tell a story or embellish a description, much to the delight of the audience. Certainly his presence is an added incentive for excited bidders. Jackie always signs items in clear view of the audience, making it that much more special for the winners.  We think that he does a brilliant job with these charity auctions and maybe someday we can convince him of this.

Downstairs in the hotel lobby there were hundreds of people waiting to bid Jackie farewell. His visit to Xinxiang had caused tremendous excitement and it looked as though every local official, hotel staff member, and resident of the city had come to say goodbye.

After boarding the van we settled in for the two hour ride to Xinmi City. After we passed through the city center, all we saw was farmland for miles in every direction. Jackie sat quietly looking out the window and then decided that he might as well make good use of the travel time and promptly fell asleep.

 
Downtown Xinxiang.

Nothing much to see out the window.

Xinmi is a small city in Henan Province and I bet you didn't know that it's considered the honeysuckle capital of China (I didn't know this either). From all appearances it is a poor city with broken and dilapidated buildings lining the streets. As we approached the area where Jackie would be attending the dedication ceremony for a new Dragon's Heart school, we began to see hundreds of people standing along the avenue hoping to get a glimpse of Jackie.

We exited the van and immediately a band struck up a welcoming song while hundreds of children chanted "We love you Big Brother Jackie!" We exited the van and everyone strained and pushed to get a glimpse of Jackie. Once he'd passed by, they turned their attention to me. Since we were far from any of the larger cities in China, the people were not used to seeing a foreigner such as myself and they stared at me with curiosity. Most of them smiled and waved, but I found that several of the children were actually afraid! They hid behind their parents and teachers when I approached them and it took a while to reassure them that I was harmless and just wanted to take their photo. Luckily, the presence of my camera was a cue for the kids to charge forward, laughing and flashing the peace sign, hoping to get into the picture.

 

Jackie went up to the stage and after saying hello to the crowd and receiving flowers from a young student, he sat down to watch several performances. The children danced and sang for nearly half an hour, after which Jackie unveiled the plaque for the soon-to-be-built school.

Some of the friendly people in the crowd.

Everyone was smiling!

This little girl gave a sweet (and very long) greeting to Uncle Jackie.

Look who we ran into.....Jerry from "The Disciple" finalists.

 

Jackie took a tour of the classrooms and several other ramshackle buildings on the campus. When he saw the school kitchen he was positively dumbfounded, as were the rest of us. The "kitchen" consisted of what looked like a hole in the wall; it couldn't have been more than 50 square feet in size. There was no electricity and it looked as though the workers used some kind of wood burning fireplace to cook on. Jackie went inside and stood in complete shock while our guide told him that this was the place where meals were prepared for the entire school - over 400 students! It was really startling. Later, when I talked to Jackie about this, he asked me to make sure and mention the dilapidated buildings, the inadequate kitchen facilities, and the general poverty of the children when I reported on our trip. He also said he hoped that if the fans could see the faces of the children they are making donations for, they would continue to support the charity. So here are some beautiful children who are directly  benefiting from the generosity of Jackie's fans:

 

Here are some photos of Jackie taken while he was touring the facilities:

Jackie was stunned by the condition of the kitchen.

This is where lunch for 400 students is prepared daily.

Jackie talks to some students in one of the classrooms. He told them that there were people in places very far away who were helping them get a nice new school.

This is the kind of crowd surrounding Jackie at many of the Dragon's Heart functions.

Jackie tours the school.

This classroom was in better shape than most of the ones in the old school.

 

After touring the classrooms, Jackie recorded some video with X Lee and then it was time to leave. There were so many people trying to get close to Jackie that it took quite a while before we could make our way back to the van.

 

 

People were pushing and reaching out trying to touch Jackie. When we finally got back to the van, we all checked each other for injuries abd as usual Jackie had many scratches on his hands and forearms. When I expressed my concern he just smiled and said, "It's no problem; I'm used to it!" I told him that although he may be used to being scratched up by enthusiastic fans, I doubted I would ever get used to seeing his arms covered with cuts. He grinned, taking it all in stride, and applied a generous coating of antiseptic lotion.

Jackie checks out a few scratches.

We drove away from the school and headed towards our next stop - an elderly center. On the way there Jackie was very thoughtful and quiet, which was quite understandable. Although the visits to the schools are filled with celebration, it always makes Jackie sad to see the conditions that the children endure. He feels it's unfair that so many children have so little while others have so much and that is one reason why he wants these Dragon's Heart trips publicized - to raise awareness and increase support for the poor children.

Jackie reflects on some of the things he's just seen at the old school.

We arrived at the elderly center about an hour later and were greeted by hundreds of people, all of them smiling from ear to ear and waving at Big Brother Jackie.

The view from inside the van as we approached the elderly center.

We exited the van and again Jackie was asked to sign an autograph. Immediately there was an incredible crush as everyone tried to get close to take a photo. One thing that we always find amusing when we're on these trips is that the security personnel and the police are often right in there pushing and shoving with the rest of the fans, holding their cameras aloft and trying to get a photo of Jackie. As for me, well I didn't want a repeat of what happened the day before, so I held my camera high in the air and made no attempt to squat down to take the photo. Last time I couldn't move as the crowd pressed in, so I stayed standing and this time you get a bird's eye view of Jackie signing:

Jackie greeted everyone on his way up to a small staging area where he was formally welcomed by local officials and the directors of the elderly center. He sat with some of the residents (much to their delight) and after the speaker onstage finished, Jackie got up and talked to the seniors. He told them that he appreciated everything they'd done for society during their long lives and promised to make sure that they had a comfortable and happy retirement. Several of the seniors came up to give Jackie gifts and afterwards, one of them requested that he sing for them. Jackie happily sang a few lines from Endless Love (theme song from his movie The Myth) and when he finished the crowd cheered wildly. You would think there was a rock concert going on, the way they jumped to their feet, yelling and waving. After the song, Jackie posed with some local martial arts students and then proceeded on to lunch with the seniors.

Ever the gentleman, Jackie helps one of the seniors down the steps.

 

Jackie sings Endless Love.

The elderly residents were thrilled with Jackie's performance.

Jackie told the crowd that he was happy he'd remembered the words.

Jackie organizes the children for a photo.

The event coordinators had organized a luncheon for Jackie and the seniors, and so we proceeded to a dining area where bowls full of food and lots of enthusiastic people awaited. Jackie took his place in the center of the table and a chef proceeded to demonstrate his skill at noodle making. It really was a remarkable sight - - hundreds of fine noodles emerging from a thick rope of flour. Fibe tried to get some video of the demonstration, but one of the more aggressive reporters kept hitting her in the head with his video camera, so she finally gave up. 

Some of the food prepared for Jackie.

When the chef was done making the noodles, he took a few strands, whipped out a lighter, and proceeded to set them on fire while everyone oohed and aahed. I forgot to ask what the significance of setting the noodles on fire was, and to this day I have no idea. But it was very impressive nonetheless and we all applauded heartily.

Once the noodle fire was extinguished it was time for Jackie to eat lunch with the seniors. Much to the delight of the onlookers, Jackie helped serve the food. This is something that he always does at mealtimes, and he really enjoys doing it. Once everyone was served, Jackie and the others ate lunch while a swarm of photographers and videographers recorded their every movement. I have to hand it to Jackie, he is completely comfortable in front of the camera - even while he's eating - and he thoroughly enjoyed every bite of the lunch. While they were eating, Jackie kept up a running commentary on the food, complimenting the cooks and thanking everyone for their hospitality.

 

While the luncheon was going on, I sneaked away to take a look at the facilities. Although there were a lot of caring people around to look after the elderly, it was a very depressing place. The rooms were small and there was a noticeable lack of warmth in them. While I was in the hallway, I ran into one of The Disciple guys. He seemed shocked at the condition of the facility and I reassured him that Jackie and the Dragon's Heart Foundation were doing everything they could to help improve situations such as this one.

By the time I got done looking around, Jackie was finished with lunch and heading towards the van. He stopped a few times to take photos with the residents and some of the others who'd come to see him. I think he would have taken photos with everyone who asked, but that was impossible because there were so many who insisted on pushing, shoving, and screaming. In all the trips we've taken with the Dragon's Heart Foundation, this was the most aggressive and out of control I'd seen the people. So instead of visiting with anyone else, we were forced to escape to the safety of the van for our trip back to the hotel where Jackie would be attending a charity auction in the afternoon.

As we drove away from the elderly center, Jackie leaned out of the van to wave goodbye while those of us inside hung onto him to make sure that he didn't tumble out the window!

 

We returned to the hotel and after cleaning up and relaxing for a few minutes, we left to attend a charity auction. Before the auction began, Jackie was introduced to a young girl and her father who told a heartbreaking story of being poor and unable to afford even the most basic things in life, including education. While the man and his daughter were telling their story, Jackie stood by listening carefully. I had my camera trained on him and through my lens I saw that he was becoming increasingly emotional as the little girl continued to talk. Finally she finished and then Jackie, with tears in his eyes, tried to reassure her that he would help her and those who were in a similar situation.

After the sad beginning of the auction, the atmosphere became much more lively and cheerful as people began bidding enthusiastically for all of the things that Jackie had brought with him from Hong Kong. While the auctioneer was eliciting bids, Jackie either stood by or sat behind the curtain offstage and watched what was going on. Every few minutes he would pop out onto the small stage and talk to the audience about one or another of the auction items. Each time someone won a bid, Jackie signed the item and gave a big hug to the winner. He charmed the audience with stories and jokes, thanking them again and again for their generosity.

An autographed Dragon's Heart t-shirt.

Handshake for a lucky winner.

Jackie applauds one of the bids.

Autographed pullover.

Just look at the expression on this winner's face!

Jackie autographed one of the plates from the set.

Proudly showing off the plate he autographed.

Jackie watches the auction from backstage.

 

When the auction ended, Jackie said one last thank you to the bidders and we went back to the hotel. Since we didn't have to leave for the next event until later in the evening, we took the opportunity to relax and chat for a while. Jackie's suite at this hotel was enormous and it became the gathering place for all of us to hang out, talk, watch television, and take photos.

After a quick dinner in Jackie's suite, it was time for the next round of activities. We drove to a nearby theater where Jackie would be performing several songs. When we got there we were escorted to an enormous and elaborately decorated reception room. It was big enough to hold several hundred people, but there were just a few of us there and we all felt kind of foolish spread all over the room. Eventually we gathered in one corner and a few minutes later we were joined by the Tibetan singing group called A Jia. This group is the first all female Tibetan singing group in the world and Jackie's known them for a few years. He invited them to perform during this Dragon's Heart trip and they happily accepted. The girls were dressed in beautiful costumes and we spent a very enjoyable hour waiting backstage and taking lots of photos. While we waited, Jackie entertained us with a very funny Peking Opera performance. I don't know if whomever wrote the skit meant for it to be comedic, but Jackie turned it into a hilarious little show, made even more silly by his outfit - - very non-traditional jeans and a t-shirt. He sang and posed and had everyone bent over double laughing.  Finally the time drew close for Jackie to perform, so we moved out to the stage area to wait. 

Jackie watches the performers through a crack in the door.

Jackie with A Jia.

Eventually Jackie was invited up to the stage and the crowd just went wild. The security was very tight at this venue, and no fans were given the opportunity to run up and grab Jackie like they did at the October 14 concert. Everything was controlled very well this time. Jackie visited with the MCs for a few minutes and then sang a few songs. One segment of the evening consisted of members of the audience coming up to the stage to show everyone their best Jackie Chan imitation. One girl came up but had no idea what to do, so Jackie suggested that she try to imitate the scene from Who Am I? where Jackie yells out to the sky "WHO AM I??!!"  After demonstrating to her how to say it (in English), the girl gave it her best try, much to Jackie's amusement.

Jackie waits backstage.

Jackie demonstrates a move for the fan to imitate.

Jackie teaches a fan to shout "WHO AM I???!!!"

"WHO AM I???!!!!!"

A fan giving his best Jackie Chan imitation.

The Disciple guys sing.

After the MC put lipstick on Jackie, he was asked to put his lip prints onto a plaque. I wish I'd asked what that was all about.

 
The Disciple winners and finalists, backstage at the theater.

It was a lovely evening with performances by A Jia, the Disciple guys, some local singers, and of course Jackie. Originally Jackie was supposed to sing one song with the Disciple team, but the crowd wanted more, so he sang several songs. Jackie really loves to sing and I think that in the last year he has recorded more songs than he'd recorded in the past 5 or 10 years! Although Jackie's first love is making movies, I really think that he would be just as happy to be a singer. Throughout the day Jackie sings constantly, that's how much he loves it.

Jackie sings with The Disciple guys.

Anyway, just as the concert was about to end, Jackie told a story to the audience about a little girl in Guizhou who donated her life savings to the Dragon's Heart Foundation a few years ago. After the audience heard this story, there began a parade of little kids headed for the stage - every one of them holding money to give to Jackie. It was a really sweet thing to see and one can only hope that the children who made these spontaneous donations would continue to do so even after Jackie left Henan.

Jackie was thrilled with the donation.

Once all the children had been given a chance to go up to the stage and make their donations, it was time for us to leave and we hustled into the van for the short ride to the hotel. On the way back, Jackie was still in a state of exhilaration from the concert. I notice that of all the things that Jackie does, performing (singing) at a concert seems to affect him the most. He gets completely charged up and very excited. I think that he actually absorbs some of the energy of the audience into his body and it can take him quite a while to calm down after this kind of experience.

By the time we got back it was very late, so after talking for a while and having a little celebration (more on that in the next Scrapbook) we all said goodnight and headed back to our rooms to rest up for another busy day to come.

Note:  While we were waiting in the reception room before the concert, I asked Jackie to say a few words about the Dragon's Heart trip and the donations from the fans. Here's his impromptu message:

 

Text, photos, and video Copyright 2009 Katharine Schroeder / The JC Group

All Rights Reserved

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