Donnie Yen Joins China’s Top Political Advisory Committee
The Hong Kong actor was invited as a representative from Hong Kong’s cultural and art sector.
On January 18, Hongkong action star Donnie Yen, 59, was officially announced as one of the new members joining China’s top political advisory committee, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
The CPPCC has a total of 2,172 members. Donnie was in Singapore just last week to promote his new film, the Chinese wuxia flick Sakra.
Donnie, who was born in Guangzhou, settled in Hong Kong briefly with his family when he was younger, before eventually moving to the United States, where he spent most of his growing up years.
He held Hong Kong citizenship from 1963 to 1974, and then American citizenship from 1974 to 2010. However, he renounced his American citizenship in 2010, and has held Hong Kong citizenship since 2009.
According to reports, Donnie is fiercely protective of Chinese culture, and has refused to appear in foreign projects that he feels will portray Chinese citizens and culture in a negative light.
Apart from Donnie, a couple of celebrities have previously served on the provincial and municipal CPPCC committees.
Last week, Mario Ho, son of late casino king Stanley Ho, revealed on social media that he's now a member of Hubei's CPPCC.
Hong Kong director Stephen Chow has been a member of Guangdong’s CPPCC since 2013, while Hong Kong stars Kenny Ho and Jordan Chan have been members of Huizhou City’s CPPCC since 2008 and 2014 respectively.
Fellow Hong Kong celebs Maria Cordero is a member of Meizhou City’s CPPCC, and Wong Cho Lam belongs to Guangxi’s CPPCC.
However, joining the main CPPCC is considerably tougher.
TVB Ah Jie Liza Wang was a member of the main CPPCC in 1998, while martial arts star Jackie Chan joined in 2013, and was then re-elected in 2018.
As a member, Donnie will be able to attend the annual meeting of the CPPCC National Committee, and potentially present proposals and new projects.
Last year, at the annual meeting, Jackie put forward a proposal calling for funding to build cinemas in the rural areas of China.
Photos: PBE Media, Donnie Yen/Instagram, Liza Wang/Instagram
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