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India Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Jackie Chan was 40 when he learnt his father was a spy: My original name is Fong
Legendary actor Jackie Chan, celebrated for his remarkable martial arts prowess, recently shared a fascinating personal history. The actor revealed that his father was actually a 71-year-old Hong Kong actor recently reflected on the surreal moment when his late father, Charles, revealed that he had once worked as a spy for the Chinese government in the 1940s. In a retrospective with PEOPLE, Chan shared that he didn't discover this 'secret' until he was in his talking about the same, he said, 'One day, I was driving a car, my father suddenly said, 'Son, I'm old. I might sleep and never wake up. I have a secret to tell you'. His father then informed him of his true identity, revealing that their surname was Chan's rich family history was spotlighted in Mabel Cheung's 2003 documentary 'Traces of the Dragon: Jackie Chan and His Lost Family'. The film delves into the life of the actor's late father, who worked as a spy for Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) during the 1930s and 1940s. Following political turmoil, he escaped to Hong Kong in the 1950s to avoid persecution by the actor revealed that he was 'very shocked' at the revelation and initially felt unable to listen to his father Charles' explanation of his mother led an equally fascinating life. Before settling in Hong Kong, she was a stage performer in Shanghai and was involved in smuggling opium. In his retrospective with PEOPLE, Chan described her as a 'very traditional' woman who supported his film career but couldn't bring herself to watch him perform dangerous stunts on the actor returned to the Karate Kid franchise with 'Karate Kid: Legends'. The film is the sixth installment in the 'Karate Kid' franchise.'Karate Kid: Legends' is distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment India in Indian theatres on May 30, in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Taiwan's opposition KMT keeps focus on mass lawmaker recall as leadership race plays out
Taiwan's main opposition party the Kuomintang is gearing up for a pivotal leadership election in September – hoping a new party chair can steer it back to power after years on the political sidelines. But before it can look ahead to the 2028 Taiwan leadership race, the KMT faces an existential threat: a sweeping mass-recall campaign engineered by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that could gut its fragile legislative majority and plunge the party into deeper disarray. Analysts warn that failure to contain the recall challenge could derail the KMT's leadership transition before it even begins, leaving the Beijing-friendly party fractured and demoralised. In an interview with the Taipei-based United Daily News on May 26, KMT chairman Eric Chu Li-luan signalled he was ready to step down after completing his term, hinting that Taichung mayor Lu Shiow-yen could be a promising successor. 'My position has always been consistent. Every time someone mentions mayor Lu Shiow-yen, I say, 'She's excellent – very welcome, sincerely welcome,'' Chu said. 'What I hope for most is a smooth handover. I genuinely look forward to it.' Under Chu's proposed timeline, the KMT will announce the party chair race in July, hold internal voting in September and install a new leader by October.
AU Financial Review
4 days ago
- Politics
- AU Financial Review
The terrible secrets of Taiwan's Stasi files
During the 1980s, a young intellectual called Yang Bi-chuan used to give illicit history lectures in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. Charismatic and fearless, with a frizz of unruly hair, Yang was only in his 30s, but had already served seven years in prison for angering the authoritarian government that ruled the island. A voracious reader and self-taught historian, he referred to himself as the Taiwanese Trotsky. At that time, nobody was teaching the Taiwanese their own history. The lush, subtropical island, which sits 130 kilometres off the coast of China, was run by the exiled Chinese Nationalist Party, the Kuomintang (KMT). When Taiwan was mentioned in KMT-run schools and universities, it was merely as a footnote in the glorious 5000-year-long history of China. Students at the National Taiwan University invited Yang to come to their classrooms after the day's official lessons were over to fill in the gaps.
Japan Forward
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Confront the CCP's Historical Lies and Seek Liberation
このページを 日本語 で読む President Xi Jinping's Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is now rewriting history on a global scale. This manipulation was displayed during Russia's WWII Victory Day ceremony on May 9. Let's take a closer look at China's historical fabrication, its serious implications for Japan, and potential countermeasures. During his state visit to Russia, Xi became the first Chinese leader to order the People's Liberation Army to take part in Russia's victory parade. President Vladimir Putin praised the occasion, noting it featured the largest number of foreign troops ever to participate in the event. In response, Xi said, "China and Russia will uphold the correct history." He went on to boast that the CCP led the Chinese people, fought alongside the Soviet Union to defeat Japan, and contributed to the global fight against fascism. In truth, however, the CCP's contribution to the "anti-Japan resistance" was virtually nonexistent. Haiying Yang is a cultural anthropologist and professor at Shizuoka University The CCP, founded in 1921, shifted its strategy to armed struggle following intense internal disputes. It established bases in the mountainous regions of southern China and formed a regime known as the Chinese Soviet Republic. When China's Kuomintang (KMT) forces overran these strongholds, the remnants of the CCP began a retreat in 1934. They attempted to flee westward through Sichuan and Tibet toward Soviet territory. Along the way, they engaged in looting and arson, even as they suffered casualties in clashes with Tibetan forces. Mao Zedong later admitted that he had "snatched a few supplies from the Tibetans." Mao and his group initially characterized their escape to the north as a strategic withdrawal. However, they later rebranded it with the noble-sounding name of the Northward Resistance Against the Japanese. In reality, the group had little knowledge of how far Japanese forces had advanced and lacked a clear understanding of Manchukuo, which had been established for over two years. Without accurate perception, they referred to Manchukuo simply as the Northeast. Therefore, when the Maoists settled in Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, in late autumn of 1935, they remained apprehensive about potential attacks from neighboring Inner Mongolia. Mao issued the "Proclamation of the Chinese Soviet Republic" in 1931, publicly asserting that the Inner Mongolians had the same right to secession as the Ukrainians and the peoples of the Caucasus. He also declared that if the Mongolian people chose to remain within Chinese territory in the future, it would be under a federal system. Mao's CCP forces did not advance eastward from Yan'an to confront the Japanese on the front lines. Instead, they focused on expanding their power and undermining the KMT forces. In northern Shaanxi and the Ordos Plateau of Inner Mongolia, they cultivated poppies and trafficked refined opium into KMT-controlled areas and Mongolia. This opium trade weakened the KMT's will to fight and brought poverty to Mongolian society. The CCP forces ambushed retreating KMT troops from the front lines, treating them as if they were allies of the Japanese. In the territories the CCP occupied, they executed wealthy farmers, labeling them as "the exploiting class of landowners." The confiscated land was then handed over to hoodlums and vagrants to bolster the CCP's support base. By the time the eight-year war against Japan ended, much of the country had been turned into revolutionary bases for the party. This is the true extent of the CCP's so-called "anti-Japan resistance." After the war, the CCP mobilized Japanese technicians from the Manchukuo Film Association to produce numerous anti-Japanese films. The titles, such as "Railway Guerrilla Unit," clearly reveal that the CCP forces were not engaged in large-scale, modern warfare against the Japanese. Allied forces of the Soviet Union and the Mongolian People's Republic, which had advanced into Manchukuo and Inner Mongolia, were effectively aligned. The Soviet Union guided the CCP forces into Manchukuo and handed over the high-quality arms and ammunition left behind by the Japanese military. This enabled the CCP to gain the upper hand in the Chinese Civil War and ultimately brought Mao Zedong to power. The Mongolian People's Republic sought to liberate its fellow Inner Mongolians, hoping to unify all of Mongolia north of the Great Wall. For Mongolia, this was a war of national liberation. Yet that aspiration was cut short, as Inner Mongolia was to be occupied by China under the secret terms of the Yalta Agreement, signed by the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union in the spring of 1945. Today, the Xi administration no longer acknowledges the southward advance of the Soviet Union and the Mongolian People's Republic, concealing the true nature of anti-fascist history. At Xi's invitation, Putin is scheduled to visit Beijing this fall to attend China's Victory Day parade. Because the CCP played no real role in resisting Japan during the war, "anti-Japan" has instead become a national policy and a tool for preserving its grip on power today. Japan is not only defenseless against the CCP's historical fabrications, but influential Diet members have taken a conciliatory stance, repeatedly visiting Beijing to beg for giant pandas. Even after these delegations returned, Chinese state vessels continued to intrude into the waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, insisting they have a unilateral claim to the territory. The CCP's aim in targeting the Senkakus is to turn its historical distortions into reality. Japan's current administration has failed to confront China's historical revisionism and its attempts to reshape the international order. Worse still, on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the government is again engaged in "re-examining the earlier war." It's a process that risks culminating in yet another apology, with no effort to break free from the spell of self-flagellation. Such self-flagellation not only hinders Japan's healthy development but risks enabling the CCP's aggressive encroachment. Countermeasures must be urgently devised. RELATED: ( Read this in Japanese .) Author: Haiying Yang このページを 日本語 で読む
Free Malaysia Today
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Buffeted by political chaos, Taiwan's Lai marks first year in office
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's approval rating has fallen to 45.9% from 58% nearly a year ago, according to a survey done in April. (AP pic) TAIPEI : Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te celebrates his first year in office today as his government grapples with Chinese military pressure, US tariff threats and domestic political turmoil. Lai, a staunch defender of Taiwan's sovereignty and detested by Beijing, is scheduled to deliver a speech and take questions from the media at 1.30pm. Taiwan's coast guard warned yesterday that China may use 'cognitive warfare' to 'disrupt public morale' as Lai marks the first anniversary of his inauguration. China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it, held large-scale military drills around the island days after Lai took office. After promising to stand up to China and defend democracy at his inauguration, Lai is expected to highlight 'democratic Taiwan, resilience and unity' in his address, the semi-official Central News Agency reported. Lai has seen his first term in the top job engulfed in domestic political turmoil as opposition parties seek to stymie his agenda. While Lai was elected in January 2024 with 40% of the vote, his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in parliament. Fights in parliament The main opposition Kuomintang party (KMT), which has friendly ties with China, has teamed up with the Taiwan People's Party to challenge the government's policies, including slashing the general budget. Tensions have escalated into physical fights inside parliament and thousands of supporters of the DPP and opposition parties holding rival street protests. The KMT has called Lai a 'dictator' and accused him of pushing Taiwan closer to war with China, while the DPP suggests the KMT is a tool of Beijing and is undermining Taiwan's security. Lai has seen his approval rating fall to 45.9% from 58% nearly a year ago, according to a survey by the Taiwanese public opinion foundation in April. His disapproval rating rose to 45.7% – the highest since he took office – which the polling group linked to the Lai government's handling of US tariffs on Taiwan and the DPP's unprecedented recall campaign targeting the opposition. DPP supporters are seeking to unseat around 30 KMT lawmakers through a legal process that allows legislators to be removed before the end of their term. While the threshold for a successful recall is high, the DPP only needs to win six seats to wrest back control of parliament. A rival campaign to unseat 15 DPP members has been embroiled in controversy after KMT staffers were accused of forging the signatures of dead people. The KMT has also threatened to recall Lai.
