In early September, 2005 Jackie traveled to China with a group of staff members for the Jackie Chan Shanghai Charity Week. Accompanying him was the JC Group's newest staff member, whose job it was to chronicle the week-long event and write about it for the Scrapbook. Jackie, Willie, and Solon's idea was to give the fans a look at Jackie's world from a different perspective.

 
by Katharine Schroeder

September, 2005

Rain. Photographers. More rain. Rehearsals, press conferences, bus rides, parties, no sleep, and fun. A lot of fun. We're on the road with Jackie Chan! You would think that this kind of existence would have burned out even the most devoted of entertainers, but it doesn't faze Jackie. Not even a little. Jackie Chan thrives on the frantic pace and he expects as much from his friends and his staff. Here are my experiences as a JC Group staff member on her first road trip with Jackie and the company. Off to Shanghai for the Jackie Chan Charity Week!

Day One: Getting to Shanghai

They call Hong Kong's transportation system a marvel of efficiency and it is. A quick trip on the MTR and I was deposited on the Airport Express heading toward Chek Lap Kok International Airport. My first trip with The JC Group and we were heading for Shanghai, China to participate in a week-long charity event. Willie, Jackie, and Solon brought me along so I could spend time observing and photographing everything that went on. They wanted me to share it with you so that you could get an inside look at the JC World from a new perspective.

After arriving at the airport and finding our meeting place, I noticed a group of photographers already gathered and waiting. Within moments cameras started flashing as the celebrities began arriving for the flight. I was really impressed with the celebs as they stood smiling for photo after photo after photo. It was all very calm - not what I'd imagined it would be like when I saw all the celebrity "airport" photos in the press. This was very calm and civil, especially when Jaycee arrived with Papa Chan. Jaycee kept a protective arm in front of his grandfather the whole time, and the fans and press were polite and respectful.

After having breakfast together, our group boarded the plane. Jackie was not traveling with us; we'd be meeting up with him in Shanghai. But nearly everyone else who worked at the JC Group was on that plane, along with many of the celebrities who would be part of the Charity Week events. Nevertheless, it was a quiet flight to China. Some people slept, others read, others talked. Just regular, ordinary things that people do on an airplane. I don't know what I'd expected; I guess I didn't really know what to expect. But I know that I was surprised at how normal it all was. Just a group of co-workers traveling together. Never mind that some of them were famous. I settled right in - reading the paper, having lunch, talking to a friend.

Arriving in Shanghai

Once we arrived at the hotel in Pudong, Shanghai, things started happening immediately. A press conference was set up in a banquet room at the hotel and after dropping off my luggage, I was told to head over there with my friend and colleague Fibe leading the way. Jackie was seated up on a small stage and there were at least fifty photographers and videographers waiting patiently for the conference to begin. I saw Solon signal to Fibe to translate the press conference for me, which she did. Fibe speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. Not only that, she has endless patience and an easygoing personality. Without her I would have understood about 4 percent of the discussion since everyone was speaking Mandarin Chinese.

Jackie saw us standing on the side, smiled a hello, and soon the press conference began. The questions and answers centered on the Jackie Chan Shanghai Charity Week events. Jackie spoke about his devotion to charity work and expressed his desire to do even more than he was already doing. He thanked everyone repeatedly for their support. As you would expect, Jackie spoke from the heart. I was shocked to find out that he feels he's not doing enough. He thinks he can do more, and that is what he strives for.

The Day's Not Over Yet

After a 760 mile flight, a bus ride from the airport to the hotel, and a press conference, it was going to be time to relax, have something to eat, maybe take a nap, right? Wrong. We were only just getting started. After having a quick snack across the street from the hotel, we were off again. This time we were heading for the stadium where the concert would be held. It was rehearsal time. Fibe and I met up with the others (and there were so many of us!) in the hotel lobby and we all boarded the two buses. I had assumed that Jackie, Willie, Solon, and the other VIPs would be going by private van or limousine, but again I'd assumed wrong. Everyone loaded up into the buses together.

Everyone together - no one got special treatment, everyone treated as an equal. This was a charity weekend and we were all there for the same reason. So as Fibe napped in the seat next to me and Jackie talked and laughed with Emil Chau in the seats in front of me, I had time to think about the first day of this trip. This crowd sure knew how to pack a lot of activity into one day, and everyone seemed to have boundless energy. The secret to this, I found out, is the staff's ability to sleep just about anywhere for any amount of time. If there's a comfortable spot and 10 minutes available for a quick nap, someone will be sleeping. That's how they keep up the pace. I was learning, but not fast enough because I was getting tired and I couldn't sleep because I was new to all this after all. And for me, all of this was a little unusual.

We arrived at the stadium in the early evening and Jackie got right to the rehearsal. I learned something about Jackie from watching him rehearse: he knows how to enjoy himself. He was having a really good time even though he must have been tired and he was working hard. He was having fun! As the night wore on, he just kept going and going without losing his patience, his pleasure, or his energy. He rehearsed for hours and hours, stopping only to pose for photos with some of the stadium staff or to videotape an interview.

I thought about this; about how important it is to enjoy what you're doing, even if you're working hard. Work takes up so much of Jackie's life, it's essential for him to enjoy himself doing it. We should all take a lesson from Jackie.

Day Two: The Concert

I slept right through breakfast! Willie jokingly told me I was lazy and how could I argue with him? It was only the second day of the trip and already I was feeling some of the effects of the non-stop pace. After meeting in the lobby, we all headed back into the

buses for the ride over to the stadium. It was time for more rehearsal. Again Jackie sat in the seat in front of me, this time singing for the entire ride (nearly an hour!). He was trying so hard to remember the words to so many songs - he played the songs over and over and sang along, trying to memorize the lyrics.

So as we drove along, I looked out the window and listened to Jackie sing. I tried to read, but there were too many things going on. Occasionally, people in neighboring vehicles would glance into the window of our bus. They would do a double-take when they spotted Jackie. Next would come the look of shock and disbelief: mouth open, eyes bulging wide. Then the big smile, mouthing the words "Cheng Long!!" and the fumbling for a camera, a phone, anything. A great story for them to tell at the dinner table. "Honey, you'll never guess who I saw in the bus next to ours..."

As we approached the stadium, it started to rain. The look on Jackie's face said it all: He was thinking about how this was going to affect the turnout for the concert and what effect that would have on how much money could be earned for charity. He looked so sad, but he said nothing. Our arrival at the stadium coincided with a furious downpour, but Jackie got right to work anyway. He bounded up to the stage and moments later he was singing and dancing, protected from the downpour by the overhang. As the morning turned to afternoon the rain tapered off and began again and again.

Undeterred, Jackie kept singing while other performers arrived, rehearsed, and left. Jackie was so full of energy and he was 100% involved in what was being coordinated on-stage. He spent time consulting with the stage manager, the musicians, and his fellow singers. My job was to observe what was going on and to take photos. This leads me to share with you something else that I've learned from spending time with Jackie: He really doesn't mind having his photo taken. Really.

If he's busy and has to stop what he's doing, he might be a little reluctant. But the rest of the time, he doesn't mind having a camera pointed at him. I guess he's gotten used to it after all these years; it's just a fact of his life. I read once that the late Princess Diana was the most photographed person on Earth. I wonder if Jackie might have surpassed her.

So I wandered around, making notes and taking photos. I wandered to the reception

room where the artists and guests retreated to during the day to rest and have a drink or a snack. I wandered around the stadium and up onto the stage. I watched X-Lee, Jackie's videographer, climbing around like a monkey to get the best shots. X-Lee is amazing - he's so creative and he's always right where the action is. I loved watching him.

Since this was my first trip with the JC Group, a part of me kept expecting someone to come along and ask me what I was doing there and tell me to get packing. Of course that didn't happen. But everyone was so busy while I was just wandering around! I wished that I could do more to help. Truthfully, even though I was traveling with the group, I didn't have a feeling of belonging yet. I didn't know it then, but that feeling would disappear by the time I arrived back in Hong Kong at the trip's end.

As the time for the concert approached there was excitement in the air - and a lot of tension as well. It was still raining. Everyone did his best to stay upbeat. Ken Low had everyone chuckling as he pleaded to the gods to make it stop raining and it did stop for a while. But it kept starting up again; it was just relentless. Earlier in the day Jackie had said that "when the Dragon walks, it rains" so I told him to stand still. That being an impossibility, we had to cross our fingers and hope for the best.

So the rain kept coming down while we were all in the reception

room and the performers were getting ready. And then just as the audience started filing in, the impossible happened - it stopped raining. It just stopped. You could feel the relief throughout the room.

And so the concert began. There were so many people - all of them there to support Jackie and the others for charity. It was thrilling to see.

Jackie was so pumped up and full of energy and what a performance he put on! He sang, danced, and entertained for the next few hours and the audience was just wild for him. They cheered and clapped and sang along - it was so heartwarming. There was so much love for Jackie and so much energy - it was as though the air was filled with electricity. All these great performances and such a beautiful evening for a concert - the air was clear and warm - the whole thing was just perfect.

I had found a spot back and off to the side where I sat on the ground, mesmerized. It was thrilling just to be there. Luckily, Solon wandered over and reminded me to make sure I took note of everything I observed so I could share it with you. Jackie, Willie, and Solon want everyone to have a look at their world from a completely different point of view. So I kept scribbling in my book and trying to take it all in.

Eventually the concert ended and a most amazing thing happened. The minute - the SECOND - it was over and the performers bid farewell to the audience, the skies opened up again and it started raining! It was all everyone could talk about as we headed back to the reception room to gather our things and leave the stadium.

Dorothy told me to grab Jackie's suits and bring them along, so I took as many as I could carry and headed towards one of the most unreal experiences of my whole trip to Shanghai. As we left the reception room, I followed Dorothy and the others but noticed that we were not heading in the direction of the buses. I didn't know where we were going, but I just followed instructions. We came out in an underground garage area and there was a small bus waiting there to take the performers over to the hotel for the after-concert dinner. I went over to the bus - Jackie was already inside - and handed him the clothes. I turned around to leave and he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bus and told me to sit, which of course I did. I have to say, I was completely horrified to be in that bus - I didn't belong in there! Where were the other buses?! But there I was with Jackie, all of the singers, and my colleague Fibe. Jackie was chattering on and on about the weather; he was as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning. He was so thrilled that he couldn't sit still in his seat! My face started to hurt from grinning at him; his excitement was contagious. He rapped me on the shoulder, pointed to the sky, and said, "So what do you think?! What about the rain!!?? Can you believe it??" I said that I thought it was a miracle. I did think it was a miracle. Someone up there was watching out for Jackie Chan and his good work.

The bus pulled out of the garage and there were now hundreds of fans lined up on either side of the narrow street leading to the hotel. They were screaming for Jackie and knocking on the sides of the bus! I was so alarmed - the bus was shaking back and forth! I looked around and no one seemed concerned, but I sure was. Cameras were flashing and people were pushing in to try to get a look at Jackie. He yelled out a greeting a few times, then pulled the curtains closed. I was numb with shock - this was not a world I was used to. Everyone else in the bus was just talking happily, completely unfazed by what was going on. So I just sat back and enjoyed the mercifully brief ride over to the hotel.

The hotel where the post-concert dinner was to be held was quite near the stadium and we arrived there in minutes. When we stepped out of the bus, we were hit with a blast of light - the photographers were waiting. It was as though a hundred cameras flashed simultaneously - it was blinding! I escaped off to the side and waited while Jackie and the other artists entered the building.

There were many tables set up in the dining room and Solon told me to sit at a particular one because, he said, "I have a treat for you - everyone at the table speaks English!" I had been getting by with the help of my friend and colleague Fibe, who translated much of what was going on the past few days but it would also be good to spend some time with English speakers for the first time in quite a while.

Several times guests approached our table looking for a seat, and I got up to offer mine but quickly sat down again when I caught the "Stay put!" signal from Solon. I was secretly thankful that I didn't have to move and I spent an amazing evening talking with friends of Jackie's from Hawaii, California, and even India - Mallika had asked to sit at our table because she doesn't speak any Chinese either! Mallika is as beautiful in person as she is on film; so glamorous and exotic. When I eventually saw her in The Myth I was delighted to see how funny she was - she seems born to do comedy. You will know what I mean after you have seen her in The Myth. Jackie has a lot of devoted friends and I had a wonderful time getting to know them.

Day 3: Practice Runs and Gala Banquet

It was Saturday, the day all the drivers were off to the racetrack to test drive their cars. The JC Group staff was given the option of either watching the practice runs or taking some free time. I chose to stay back in Pudong and check out the area surrounding the hotel. I took a walk through the neighborhood, but there wasn't much to see except a lot of bicycles and cars.

Curiously, at any given time at least half of the car and truck drivers were honking their horns. In Shanghai, blasting your horn every 3 or 4 seconds appears to be the norm; I recalled that our bus driver had spent a considerable amount of time leaning on his horn as well. I guess it's necessary since there are so many people on scooters and bicycles, but it gets very loud.

Since our hotel was far from the city center and in a residential area, there wasn't a lot to see, so I took a few photos and went back to the hotel. After visiting with some people in the lobby, I realized that it would soon be time to get ready for the Gala Banquet, so I was off to my room to prepare.

The Gala Fundraising Banquet was being held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Shanghai. We all dressed in our best clothes and headed to the buses for the ride into town. The journey was uneventful and I just sat back and listened to all the drivers beep their horns.

When we got to the hotel, we made our way to a VIP room where the guests could relax and wait for the banquet to begin. As usual, the JC Group staff was very busy coordinating the hundreds of details of the evening. Since I had no assignment, I stood off to the side with some of the other staff members and watched the parade of celebrities enter the room. Jackie left to give interviews to reporters, but was soon back in the VIP lounge talking and laughing and posing for photos.

Jackie was in high gear - moving from person to person, making sure he greeted everyone who had come to support him. People often talk about his boundless energy, and it is a wonder to witness firsthand; frankly, just watching him was exhausting! Despite the number of guests he greeted, Jackie has a gift for making the person he's talking to feel like he or she is the only one in the room with him. He's a great host because he never misses anything that is going on and he anticipates the next thing that will occur. He's always on top of things, making sure that everyone is happy. And from the looks on the faces of those who surround him, it's working. When people are near Jackie, they're smiling.

It was time for the banquet and the JC Group staff was trying desperately to keep up with all the things that needed to be done. Someone handed me a stack of snap bracelets to hand out to the guests and I was pleased that I could help out. It soon became apparent that this wasn't going to work because the guests kept

asking me questions (in Mandarin) and I was unable to answer. Although I had been studying Mandarin for a while, I wasn't able to communicate yet. I ended up giving my stack of bracelets to a colleague and I went out in to the hallway to wait. I met up with Mallika's brother Vikram out there - he was also at a language disadvantage, so we spent some time talking. Soon it was time for the JC Group staff to go have some dinner.

While the staff was having dinner, Jackie and the other VIPs were in the banquet room socializing, eating, taking part in an auction, and entertaining each other. Jackie was so happy with the response to this fundraiser - so many people wanted to be there that they had to keep

adding tables until there were fifty-seven in total and just no more room! By the end of the evening, an enormous amount of money had been raised and Jackie was a very happy man.

After we finished dinner, we went back to the now-empty VIP room to wait for Jackie and the others. The banquet had gone overtime but we knew that was a good sign, so we just sat back and relaxed, took photos, and talked. On a trip like this, one of the favorite pastimes of JC Group staff is taking photos. If someone takes out a camera, a group is immediately assembled, smiling, posing, and waiting for a picture to be taken.

I think that if someone took out a camera in an empty field in the middle of the night, in the middle of a snowstorm, the JC Group staff would appear and instantly assemble for a photo, smiling and flashing the peace sign. There is no such thing as "camera shy" when it comes to this group. Everyone teased one JC Group staff member, saying that she can "smell" a camera and will come running from great distances to be included in all photos! It was so much fun to watch, really - one of my favorite parts of the trip!

Soon it was time to board the buses for the ride back to the hotel. It was very late and everyone was quiet on the ride back. Still not able to nap on cue, I sat and looked out the window, watching the Shanghai night pass by.

Day 4: Race Day!

Despite the fact that we got back to our hotel after midnight, my roommate Fibe and I were up late into the night talking. This trip was turning out to be a great opportunity for me to get to know my coworkers (and my bosses) since we spent so much time together at meals, on the bus, and at the events. Eventually Fibe and I realized that we'd better get some sleep - it was Race Day tomorrow!

After breakfast we headed down to the lobby to wait for the group to gather. I spent some time with X-Lee talking about his job accompanying Jackie all over the world, chronicling events both private and public. X-Lee is amazing and watching him work is inspiring. He is all over the place, getting interesting angles and never missing a shot.

I also chatted with one of Papa Chan's friends from Australia - a great lady with a very interesting past working as a nurse in some of the finest hotels in Asia. She kept me laughing for nearly half an hour with stories of some of her colorful career moments.

Eventually the artists started to emerge from their rooms. Jackie was on the balcony overseeing all the activity and waving to those down in the lobby. The air was charged with excitement as we all looked ahead to the big race. The drivers and other VIPs boarded the first few buses and headed out to the race track while the rest of us filled the remaining buses and soon were on our way as well.

It was a long ride to the race track and most of the people on my bus talked for a while and then settled in to either nap or read. I read my book, occasionally stopping to listen to Jaycee Chan read aloud passages from the book he was reading. It sounded so beautiful, like poetry. But when I asked him, he told me he was reading everyone their horoscopes! (Note to self: Learn Chinese!)

Soon the impressive sight of the Shanghai International Circuit appeared outside our windows. We had arrived! The entire entrance was full of press photographers and reporters and the drivers posed and waved, all of them very excited and anxious to get started. We headed into the building to begin what would be a very long day.

The room where we would spend the day overlooked the racetrack through a wall made entirely of glass. There were 15 or 20 beautifully set tables and a buffet offering a staggering variety of food. Since there wasn't much to do until the race started, everyone spent the time eating, socializing, and - you guessed it - taking photos!

Many of the JC Group staff were still hard at work trying to keep everything running smoothly, and some of us were left on our own. At my table were JC Group staff members, Jaycee, his assistant Alice, and other friends. Over the course of the day

the membership of each table would change again and again as some people left and new people arrived. The entire day was like a big family gathering - everyone moving around the room from table to table sharing stories, meals, laughs, and hugs. And of course, taking photos.

Most of us watched the goings-on from the comfort of the banquet room which had both the giant viewing window and televisions as well. Jackie was in and out, looking a little frazzled as he tried to arrange the drivers for photos, visit with his guests, and worry about the race. He eventually settled down to visit with the girls before they left to move down to the racetrack.

I spent the day wandering around - the banquet room, the balcony, the viewing deck - taking photos and watching everything that was going on. I visited with lots of different people - it was really a treat. Mallika's brother Vik and I picked up our conversation from the night before and we agreed that it would benefit us to learn to speak Mandarin.

Jackie always says that everyone should learn Putonghua - "the language of the future." It certainly would have come in handy in Shanghai. I visited with Jackie's friends and relatives from Australia again and I got to know some of the people from the JC Group's Beijing and Shatin offices. Many of the people I'd met on the night of the concert were there and I visited with them as well.

One person I missed seeing was Nancy Heller, the wife of Jackie's U.S. agent. She's an artist and designer and a very interesting person to talk to. Her husband told me that she was off for the day hunting down antique Chinese fabrics which she turns into handbags for friends and family.

Soon it was time for the celebrity race and there was plenty of commotion down on the track. Everyone did fine, although a few of the drivers had to pull out of the race before it ended because of one problem or another. Still, Jackie was ecstatic and could hardly contain himself as he stood on the roof of a car shouting with joy.

Once the race was over, it was time to head back to the hotel. I have never seen Jackie looking the way he did - completely drained. I couldn't figure out whether it was exhaustion or relief - it seemed to me that he looked sad too. I didn't know it then, but he would tell me later exactly what had been going through his mind.

When we returned from the racetrack, we headed for the banquet hall to wait for Jackie and the other artists. It was time for the end-of-the-charity-week celebration! The brightly lit room was enormous and there were probably 30 tables, all beautifully set. JC Group staff escorted the artists and VIPs to their seats as they arrived and before long, everyone was sitting and the waiters began serving dinner.

The food was delicious and exotic, like the surroundings. There was a festive mood in the air - everyone seemed relieved that it was all over and they could just relax. Jackie, Willie, and Solon were busy making the rounds and visiting everyone in the room. Thousands of photos were snapped as everyone tried to get a picture of everyone else. Again, as soon as a camera appeared, a group would arrange in perfect formation and wait for the countdown: "Yat - yi - sam!" Sometimes I was laughing so hard, I shook the camera and blurred my photos.

As the evening passed, I began to feel sad that it was all coming to an end. Everyone was so happy to be there and they were taking full advantage of this chance to visit with friends they hadn't seen in a long time. One of the most emotional points of the evening came when an old friend of Jackie, Willie, and Solon's took the stage and gave a heartfelt speech which had half of the people in the room near tears and the other half in tears. He had been very sick and was so happy to be together again with all his friends. It was very moving.

After that, the mood in the room picked up again as Jackie and Solon circulated, visiting with the guests. Willie was deep in conversation with some people at his table, so he stayed put for a while.

It was at this point in the evening that I found out why Jackie had looked so deflated at the end of the race earlier. We were talking and he asked me if I was enjoying myself, how I was feeling. I told him I was having a wonderful time. Then I said, "How are you feeling?" And he said that he was feeling kind of depressed because all of the fundraising was over. He said he was happy to be at the celebration, but that he felt sad that there were no more events to do - no more money to be raised this week.

I was speechless. This was a man who had just spent four straight days working tirelessly to make sure that as much money as possible was raised, and he still wasn't satisfied with himself! Jackie seems driven by the knowledge that for every day, hour, or minute he is sitting still, he is losing an opportunity to help people in need. Listening to Jackie made me so proud to be a part of his team and I felt so much admiration for him and for all his supporters.

Sadly, the time had come to say goodnight to everyone and head back to our rooms; we had to check out and catch the plane back to Hong Kong in the morning. The last hour or so of the party was quiet as people began leaving - saying good-bye to each other and promising to keep in touch. Again I was wishing that I knew

Cantonese or Mandarin so I could understand some of what was being said around me. Solon reassured me that it was possible to learn and I promised him that if we came back next year, I would be able to speak Mandarin so I could be of more help!

The next morning was a rush of packing, check-out, breakfast, and quick good-byes. We headed back onto the buses for the ride to the airport.

Lucky for Jackie, Solon, and Willie they had left on earlier flights - our flight was delayed for 20 minutes before boarding and then for TWO HOURS on the runway! There wasn't a lot to do on the plane for two hours, so some people played cards while others read, took photos, and of course slept.

Soon we were back in Hong Kong and I was on a minibus, only five minutes away from my apartment when my mobile phone rang. It was my colleague Maggie calling to ask if I had found my way home all right. I reassured her that I had, thanked her, and hung up. I smiled to myself and that was when I realized that over the course of the last few days, I had come to feel like I really was a part of the JC Team.

The End

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All photos: ©The JC Group

"Jaycee With Papa Chan" courtesy MingPao