Photo Of Jackie Chan Holding An Empty Sheet Of Paper Goes Viral Amidst China's Blank Paper Protests
As you may have read by now, China is currently in the midst of a national crisis, where unhappy Chinese citizens are raising blank sheets of paper to protest against Beijing’s ‘zero Covid’ policy and its strict pandemic restrictions.
The act represents their fight for freedom, much like how yellow umbrellas have become a symbol for demonstrations in Hong Kong.
So how did famously pro-China martial arts superstar Jackie Chan, 68, find himself in the centre of the controversy?
The star is a supporter of the Hong Kong National Security Law that was established by the Beijing government in 2020.
Simply put, the law makes it easier for authorities to prosecute those in Hong Kong who participate in protests and challenge the authorities.
Which was why it came as a shock to many when a picture of the star raising a blank sheet of paper went viral online.
Many netizens found it hard to believe what they were seeing, and left comments such as “this can’t be real” and “him holding a piece of blank paper is simply a joke”.
The comments regarding the picture were all negative.
One netizen even wrote that Jackie was giving the protests “a kiss of death”, meaning that he would be the cause, should it fail.
Turns out, the picture of Jackie was photoshopped.
A netizen discovered the original picture, which dates back to 2016, where Jackie was holding a sign that read “saluting frontline firemen”.
The picture was posted in respect to the two firemen who lost their lives fighting the huge blaze at the Amoycan Industrial Centre in Ngau Tau Kok, Kowloon, that year.
The original words on the paper were digitally removed, resulting in the huge misunderstanding.
Photos: Sinchew News, Jackie Chan/ Weibo