November 17, 2006

Jackie Chan Organic Skin Care; HKAPA Ribbon Cutting

On November 16, 2006 two very special events occurred in Hong Kong and although Jackie was unable to attend either of them, his involvement in both is newsworthy. First, the Jackie Chan Organic Skin Care line was introduced at Cosmoprof Asia, the largest and most prestigious international beauty trade event in Asia. Jackie and his business partner Maggie Chu joined forces to produce a line of skin care products which are completely organic. In keeping with Jackie's history of preserving and protecting the environment, the products are composed of natural ingredients which are non-polluting and all packaging is made using recycled materials. Several Hong Kong celebrities made an appearance at the opening, including Asuka Higuchi (Rob-B-Hood, Nothing is Impossible) and Hiro Hayama (Rob-B-Hood, Nothing is Impossible, The Myth).

Later in the afternoon, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the official opening of the new Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Film and Television campus in Pok Fu Lam. This second facility of the HKAPA is located in a renovated heritage building called the Bethanie. Built in 1875 by French missionaries, the Bethanie was used for over a hundred years as a sanotorium for missionaries recovering from tropical diseases they contracted while doing their work. In 2003, a groundbreaking was held to begin renovation of the building for use by HKAPA's School of Film and Television. The Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation donated US$100,000 to build a suite of three rooms for film production students. When completed (they're just about done), the suite will consist of a screening theater, an audio-visual room, and a production design room.

[Above you see photos of the rooms at the Bethanie. These rooms are not finished yet, but we wanted to show you some photos anyway. The audio-visual room was being used as a temporary service area for the dinner party given to celebrate the dedication. The screening theater will have permanent seats installed - the ones you see in the photos are temporary.]