Long ago I lived and worked in Hong Kong for several years - why?...for the experience of living there. It was a magical place in the late 1970's.
I had loved Chinese sword-fighting films as a kid (when they came to Ceylon or sometimes when I went to Hong Kong with my parents) and developed a teenage "crush" on actor David Chiang, whom I though was the "living end!"
I was much older when I lived in Hong Kong and happened to make friends with a secretary who worked in Run Run Shaw Studios in Hong Kong. Her name was Daisy Yok Fun. We would have lunch together when we could catch 5 minutes here or there (it was a busy lifestyle in HKG). One day Daisy (who knew of my childhood crush on David Chiang, the actor) said "Come have lunch with me at the studio tomorrow....it'll be worth your while!" So I begged off an hour for lunch (unthinkable!) and went to meet Daisy. She showed up at the gate and presented a pass for me to come in. My heart was beating liking butterfly wings....would I SEE HIM?....would I gain his autograph? Daisy sighed greatly (those deep sighs that reveal something is quite wrong)...."well, I had hoped you and I would be having lunch in the cafeteria with David Chiang.....I told him what a fan you are.....but it's all WRONG!!! He didn't come in for work today!!!" I was disappointed beyond belief but Daisy suggested I have lunch with her "anyway" in the Run Run Shaw Studio cafeteria. We took our food and sat at a table - leaned to the left and to the right hoping to GLIMPSE a star (if not David Chiang, then perhaps Ti Lung or Lili Li!) - a gent sat at the table next to us. Daisy called out to him "what a disappointment - my friend wanted so desperately to see David Chiang, but he's not here today". "I know" said the gent...."I was to stand-in for him stunt-wise but he isn't here". Suddenly the gent extended his hand to me and said "Hey, sorry for your disappointment. I'm definitely not David Chiang, but I do a lot of his stunts. I'm Jackie, Jackie Chan...I'm sure you don't want my autograph, but I'll give you one if you want" (and he took a bow - he was a born comedian). I didn't want to hurt his feelings so I said "Oh sure, you can sign my autograph book" - he signed it (I held on to that book for many decades but then misplaced it).
In those days Jackie was a stunt man. He literally BUILT his way up from stunts (some that injured him seriously) to actor and eventually director/producer. My personal opinion of him is that he is a nice person - he's personable, funny, great with kids, not afraid to laugh at himself (which goes against Chinese tradition of "losing face"); he's a good guy.
As for David Chiang?? I've heard he settled in Toronto. Jackie (Chan) never forgot his old colleagues in cinema - he frequently tried to ensure that either Ti Lung or David Chiang made a "cameo" appearance in one of his many films after HE (Jackie Chan) became the superstar and they faded away a bit. I think what I appreciate most abour Jackie Chan is that he only became a "star" when he was already in his late 40's, although he'd put in 20 years prior as a stunt man and "unknown".
The Forbidden Kingdom is a great film of his:
Shangai Noon:
Shanghai Knights:
Karate Kid was a real winner:
The Spy Next Door:
Rush Hour & Rush Hour II were hilarious:
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