by Katharine Schroeder

September 20, 2007
Day Six

It is very early in the morning and we are preparing to leave Zaozhuang, China to begin the next phase of this Dragon's Heart charity trip. It is day six of our journey and this morning we will say goodbye to the Austrailian International School students who will head back to Hong Kong as the rest of us continue on to Inner Mongolia. It will be a long day of travel beginning with a car ride to the airport, a flight to Beijing, then another to Inner Mongolia. Because China is so big and the locations we are traveling to are often remote, there is a lot of time spent in cars and on airplanes. But this is unavoidable and no one complains. Although it can be exhausting, it is a unique opportunity to get to know the people that you're traveling with and many friendships are formed during the long rides. It is also a chance to admire the grandeur of the China landscape and there is never a shortage of interesting things to see out the window.
 
After finishing up last minute packing, Fibe and I met up with Jackie and the others to settle into the vans for the long ride. Jackie had been up late the night before talking with X Lee and he immediately began trying to find the most comfortable position for sleeping. After fidgeting around a bit and then changing seats, he quieted down and within minutes his breathing leveled out; Jackie was asleep.

If you've read these Scrapbooks before, you will recall that Jackie is one of those people who can sleep anywhere. He sleeps on all types of surfaces and in every possible position. I imagine that this ability comes from many years of being forced to grab sleep whenever the opportunity presents itself. On a movie set there can be long periods of waiting and one way to deal with the boredom of having nothing to do is to sleep. Jackie is a man who spends every waking hour in high gear; indeed, the only time you will see him motionless is when he's sleeping. When he's awake he's a bundle of energy; even when he's sitting down, his arms will be moving and his eyes will be taking in everything that's happening around him. Yet when he's sleeping, he looks completely natural and peaceful. He has perfected the art of the Power Nap and when he's awakened, he takes just a moment to be ready to go again.
 
As usual, I spent the time in the car looking out the window (and obviously musing on the nature of Jackie's sleep patterns). The way I figure it is that I can sleep when I get back home; I just can't resist watching all of the things going on outside the window of the car. The landscape is quite varied in China; we pass through small towns, big cities, and lots of places where there's nothing but mountains and fields. It's beautiful and I often wish I could tell the driver to pull over so I could take some photos. Since that's impossible, I just take them out the window of the van.

We arrived at the airport at around 11:00 and were led to a lounge where we would spend the next hour or two waiting for our flight to leave. During these waiting times there are several choices of activities: talking, sleeping, reading, playing games, or taking photos. I sat down on one of the couches and listened to Jackie talking to one of the reporters, filling her in on some of Dragon's Heart's activities. As he spoke, a group was taking photos on the other side of the room. Jackie’s attention was caught immediately, and he couldn’t keep his mind on what he was saying. Finally, he gave in and joined everyone for some group photos, something Jackie can't resist being part of.
 
After a few minutes, someone told Jackie about a report he had just read on the Internet. The news story stated that Jackie had refused to appear on a Chinese television show because they wouldn't pay him some outrageously high salary. The article stated that other celebrities happily agreed to do the show, but not Jackie Chan. When all of us heard this, we were quite upset and angry because it was completely untrue. Jackie couldn't do the show because he'd already committed himself to the Dragon's Heart trip. The news report was 100% false; there was not even a bit of truth to it.

What was even more amazing than the made-up news was Jackie's reaction to it. He wasn't a bit angry or upset. Instead he sat trying to figure out how they could have said such a thing when it was so obviously untrue. At first he assumed there had been some kind of miscommunication or mistake. Then he started thinking that maybe someone told this lie about him on purpose, but he couldn't figure out why they would want to do that. Honestly, it was really upsetting for the rest of us who knew the truth. I felt so bad for Jackie; here he was going on a charity mission instead of appearing on a television show, and someone wrote this about him. I will never understand why some members of the press report lies and get away with it. I have gotten to know many members of the press since I began working for Jackie, and most of them are really professional and conscientious people. They stick to the facts and they don't fabricate stories to sell newspapers. But there are those who feel it's their right to tell lies, and the papers who employ them are just as guilty as these crooked reporters because they publish the stories without checking them out first. Anyway, Jackie told me not to get too bent out of shape about this; he said he's used to this kind of thing happening. Of course this wasn't the first time I'd seen things written online that are completely untrue, but it's hard to swallow when it happens. If you respond to what people falsely write about you, it looks like you're being defensive and it will only lead to a back and forth war of words. The best thing to do about people who write demeaning, insulting, and untrue things is to ignore them. Jackie's fans know that he is a good person and they know that he's not the type of man to put a price tag on every single thing he does. He spends a great deal of his time appearing free of charge to support dozens and dozens of different organizations all over the world. I admire Jackie for his ability to brush this kind of thing off. He's not easily angered and is secure enough to ignore these types of people who enjoy writing lies. They're just not worth getting upset about.
 
Once the discussion about the false new report ended, we took more photos. As is usually the case, a chain reaction occurs when one person produces a camera. Soon, everyone will have a camera out and hundreds of photos are taken. It's always a lot of fun and it makes for great memories. The people that I work with are masters at arranging themselves neatly and creatively within seconds of spotting a camera, so the photos always look good. Jackie even borrowed my camera and took a few pictures himself.

Jackie took this photo, then handed the camera over to someone else so he could join us!

Here is our crew with JC.

Jackie's bodyguards pose with Ah Yuen and X Lee.

Sometimes it's hard to stifle a yawn when waiting in airport lounges.

Jackie makes good use of his time - signing autographs.

Sleepy Jackie relaxing.

We were all very grateful to these four men for keeping Jackie safe throughout the entire trip.

When the flurry of photo taking ended, we all just sat and talked for a while until we got word that our flight was boarding. We said goodbye to the Zaozhuang team and then walked together to the waiting airplane.
 
Our group took up the entire front section of the airplane; this was the norm. We reserve the front of the plane for several reasons. Number one, our group acts as a buffer between Jackie and the crowds of people on the plane. It also saves time when we're getting on and off. There is no need to wait for people who are seated all over the airplane and we can stay together and stay with Jackie. It's really important for security reasons to make sure that once Jackie is in the waiting van, we get moving quickly. Otherwise, crowds will surround it and that can make for a dangerous situation for both him and the people outside the van.
 
The trip from Shandong to Beijing, then Beijing to Inner Mongolia was long but uneventful. On the first flight Dorothy, who was sitting next to me, fell asleep immediately so I was forced to fend for myself with the air hostesses who spoke not even a single word of English. I managed to communicate my needs to them with my newly perfected combination of Mandarin and sign language. Since Dorothy was sitting in the window seat, I had no choice but to join the others and take a nap after taking a quick photo of the clouds to show you.

Of course Jackie also fell asleep, this time using a more decorative method of blocking out the light than he'd used the day before, when he'd stuck tissues between his eyes and his glasses. When I see him doing things like using wadded tissues as a light-blocker or sweeping the floor at the office, I always give him a curious look and he always replies, "This is the glamorous life of a celebrity!" And then he laughs.

When he's not sleeping on the plane, Jackie is reading.

When we arrived in Inner Mongolia, our plane pulled around to the rear of the airport's tiny terminal where vans were ready and waiting. Incredibly, the airport had only one runway; such a difference from the airports I was accustomed to in Hong Kong or New York! When we came down the stairs off the plane, there was a small delegation of students dressed in ethnic costumes and beautiful Dragon's Heart school uniforms, waving flowers and shouting a welcome to Jackie. The late afternoon air was cool and fresh; the sun low in the sky but quite intense. The combination of the clear air and the bright sun caused the children's costumes to appear ultra-vibrant and colorful; they looked like they'd stepped right out of a National Geographic episode on a high definition television. X Lee immediately went over to the children and within moments he had them talking right into his video camera. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I was impressed with how comfortable they were talking to X Lee while he had the camera right in their faces. It was quite adorable.

Jackie seemed embarrassed by the appearance of local officials and all of the children. He felt that they must have gone to a lot of trouble to bring everyone to the airport to greet him. I guess there is a small part of him that will never get used to being a celebrity; people have been making a fuss over his visits for many years and still he was humbled by the display at the airport.

We got into the van and once we were settled we began the last leg of our day-long journey from Zaozhuang to Erdos in Inner Mongolia. Before we traveled to Erdos, I tried to do a little research on the place because I confess that I knew absolutely nothing about Inner Mongolia besides knowing that it was the homeland of Ghengis Khan. I won't go into all the details about Erdos, but I want to show you a map of where it's located because if you're like me, you might not have been sure of where it is:

While we were driving to the hotel, Jackie did a few telephone interviews and then Mr. Hu, the Dragon's Heart coordinator, told a story about someone trying to cheat a Chinese businessman out of money in the name of charity. Luckily the scheme was stopped, but Jackie was quite disturbed by the news. Of course he knows that these things go on, but I suspect that some part of him feels as though charities should remain immune from the criminals who will feed off of people's generosity. I want to take this opportunity to assure you that all the money that comes in to the Dragon's Heart Foundation is deposited directly into the charity account. There is not one penny diverted away from the charity and no one's pockets are being padded by the donations from Jackie's generous fans. I have met all the people involved with Dragon's Heart and their devotion to the children is second only to their love and respect for Jackie. There is just no way any of us will allow someone to take even one dollar from the Dragon's Heart Foundation charity.
 
As we drove along, it became apparent that we were, as Jackie described it, in the middle of nowhere. If you looked out the window to the left, you would see barren land with a few small hills and a hut or two. If you looked out the window to the right, you would see the same thing. It would take a little while to get used to gazing out over this vast and empty landscape, especially for those of us who live in the middle of a city with a population of nearly 7 million.

I guess we drove for about an hour or so and before we knew it we'd arrived in the section of Erdos where we'd be staying. Parts of Erdos are very modern looking and it's surprising to see these places plunked down right in the middle of the deserts and plateaus of Inner Mongolia. In case you're curious, the name "Erdos" seems to be spelled any number of different ways. During my travels I saw the name spelled Erdos, Ordos, Oerdos, E'oerdos, and a few others I can't recall. Anyway, it's an interesting name. Jackie noticed my fascination with the bright lights and futuristic buildings and told me that there's a lot of new money in this particular area of Erdos; much of it comes from coal. I found out later that Erdos is also famous for cashmere, which seems reasonable; there certainly is enough land to support lots of goats.

We arrived at a very (very very) nice hotel and were shown to our rooms, which were large and quite beautiful. There was a small terrace off of the bedroom area and the bathroom had a whirlpool tub the size of a small swimming pool. For the first time, Fibe and I were given our own private rooms and in case you're wondering (as I was) why we were being treated to such unexpected luxury, our accommodations were provided by the city of Erdos; the Dragon’s Heart charity did not pay for this.

Out of curiosity, I turned on the water in the tub to see if it came out hot and was pleasantly surprised to find that it did. I guessed that the plumbing guys who did the work at those other hotels in China hadn't ventured this far out into the wilderness. I was so busy marveling at the at the abundance of hot water that I nearly missed the call for dinner.

Jackie sneaks a quick snack before going down to dinner.

After joining Jackie in his suite for a quick snack, we went downstairs to the dining room and were treated to some beautiful music played on traditional instruments by guys wearing some interesting costumes (I noticed with some delight that one of them was wearing jeans underneath his colorful robes, however). The food was beautifully presented and once again I found myself photographing my dinner, much to the amusement of my colleagues. I walked around the room a bit to take some photos of the musicians and just had to take a picture of the table where Jackie and the local officials were sitting. It was biggest table I've ever seen. It looked more like an ice skating rink than a dining table. I believe there was enough room on top of that table to put an entire buffalo if that's what one chose to order for dinner.

Can you spot Jackie across the endless plateau of this table?

Musicians playing beautiful Mongolian music.

Many of you know that Jackie's Chinese name  means "dragon." This dragon sculpture was in the dining room.

Artfully arranged dinner.

I don't know what this is, but it looks quite pretty.

Always the good host, Jackie serves up noodles.

Once dinner was over it was time to go to a fundraising event which translates as "The Meeting with Compassionate People Charity Event." The drive over to the venue was short, and soon we'd arrived. There were hundreds and hundreds of people lining the streets outside the event hall, all craning their necks trying to get a glimpse of Jackie.

We entered the auditorium and for some reason which I still don’t understand, the organizers insisted that I take a seat in the front row. I thanked them and told them that I'd be fine standing with my colleagues, but they were very insistent. Normally I wander all around taking photos and watching the goings on, but tonight I was going to sit. You may wonder why I would be disappointed to sit in the front row of an event; it’s because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to take the kinds of photos I normally take. Anyway, it worked out fine because sitting down enabled me to handle both my video camera and my still camera at the same time. I was still able to get up and move around, as long as I returned to my seat so as not to appear ungrateful for the special treatment.
 
The event began with the screening of a short video about a poverty stricken mother and her young son who live in a tiny one-room house. The little boy was only able to go to school because of the efforts of the Dragon’s Heart Foundation. This is the same little boy that Jackie talks about in his September 20^th diary. The boy greeted Jackie, saying "Thank you, Uncle Jackie" and presented him with a small gift.

Afterwards, there were several spectacular performances; several featured remarkably talented children, one was a band playing traditional music, and one was a group of older women doing a traditional dance. These women were so athletic and graceful and it was only later on when they were finished that we noticed they were all at least in their sixties!

These little girls did their entire dance number while balancing real ceramic bowls on their heads!

When the performances ended, Jackie was escorted onto the stage by a group of adorable little girls. The hostess for the event thanked him for all his work on behalf of Erdos’ children, elderly, and homeless. She then gave the microphone over to Jackie and he began speaking to the audience. He told them about the poverty and abuse he’d endured being raised in the opera school and about the kindness of the Red Cross representative who gave him things like a winter coat and toothpaste. When Jackie had asked how he could ever repay the man, he was told to make sure and return the kindness to someone else if he was ever in the position to. Jackie never forgot these words and they are one of the guiding forces behind his drive to help others. Jackie told the audience that recently he’s realized more and more how meaningful it is to visit the recipients of his charity work in person. He said that he always knew the value of the monetary donations he made – that was quite obvious. But in the last few years he’s come to realize that his personal visits to these people are quite important also. The spiritual boost that comes from visiting the children and the elderly is not one-sided either. In other words, Jackie benefits as well. The more places he visits and the more people he meets, the more inspired he is to work even harder.

Jackie then told the audience about the Build a School for a Dollar project and about how happy he was with its progress. He wanted them to understand that it wasn’t the amount of money that was donated; rather, it was the heart behind it that was important. He told them about the three year-old boy in America who sent a single coin to his office after learning that there were kids who didn’t have enough money to go to school. Jackie said that children will learn from the actions of the adults around them, and encouraged all the grown-ups to set a good example for their kids.
 
The hostess then asked Jackie if there were any memories of his visits that stuck with him; that he just couldn’t forget. When she asked him this question I was shocked at how quickly and strongly he reacted; it was as though he’d been struck. An emotion that looked much like grief registered on his face and he immediately wrapped his free arm around the front of his body – a protective gesture that even amateur students of body language will recognize. Anyone who doubts that Jackie is deeply affected by the things he sees should put those doubts to rest. Although Jackie is known for being a daredevil and a happy-go-lucky fellow, he is a man who is very sensitive to the feelings of others and he’s deeply compassionate.

In answer to the hostess’ question, Jackie told the story of a little girl who was losing her vision, but didn’t tell her mother because she knew that they couldn’t afford the 15 RMB (the price of a bottle of water) it would cost to buy her glasses. He also told them about the handicapped teacher who climbed a mountain every day for 35 years to teach his students. Although Jackie has told these stories countless times, he again became very emotional and the anguish, frustration, and outrage over these heartbreaking situations was evident in his voice, in his eyes, and in his gestures. As I sat watching and listening, I could barely move – Jackie’s intensity had me breathless. Honestly, he’s said these same words many times, but each and every time he says them, he does so with such passion that it’s impossible not to be moved. He shared his deepest feelings with the audience; how he’ll never be able to accept how some people can be so wealthy and others so poor; about so many children suffering and about his intolerance for apathy when it comes to the needs of others. As I watched Jackie up on that stage, his hand pummeling the air, his voice thundering across the auditorium, it occurred to me that in another life he might have been a preacher or motivational speaker. His impassioned speech sent chills down my spine and prompted my eyes to fill with tears. I know that if you were sitting in that audience, you would feel the same way.

As he continued, Jackie talked about the responsibilities he has working for UNICEF, for his own charities, and for his country. He told the audience his “train” story – the one he talked about in his diary where he says he feels like a locomotive pulling all the cars along behind him and about his inability to stop without affecting so many people. I don’t think Jackie was complaining; on the contrary. He was reassuring the audience (and himself, really) that he is doing as much as he can to help others. Don’t forget, he still has a full time career as an actor, producer, director, and businessman, yet he manages to support the causes that are close to his heart. Those of us who see how hard he works and how seriously he takes his obligation to charity think that he’s doing a pretty good job.
 
After Jackie finished his speech, the hostess introduced a young man who, despite being blind, had learned to play the piano and who had dreams of becoming a professional pianist. With the support of the Dragon’s Heart Foundation and the devotion of his mother, he is able to go to school and to continue to practice his music.

Jackie deals with a microphone stand malfunction.

The young man sang a duet with his mother while he played the piano. Once finished, he presented Jackie with a beautiful indigo blue scarf. The boy’s mother then told Jackie that it was the boy’s fervent wish to “see” Jackie, at which point Jackie placed the young man's hands on his face so that the boy could see him using his sense of touch. To the delight of the audience, the boy tenderly touched Jackie’s face and then impulsively reached out and hugged him.

The next person to be introduced was a little boy whose story is as heartbreaking as you can possibly imagine. Several years ago, he became ill and because his family didn’t have the money to take him to a doctor, he became permanently paralyzed. The boy’s older sister then had to leave school to stay home and take care of him while their parents both went out to work to pay for the medical bills. Despite his tragic fate, this little boy remains cheerful and happy. His biggest wish in life was to meet Jackie and to sing with him on stage; tonight both of those wishes came true. Although it was difficult to see this little boy in a wheelchair and know how easily this could have been prevented for the want of a few dollars, it was also difficult not to smile when you watched how his face beamed and listened to him banter back and forth easily with his hero. He was completely charming. Jackie was quite taken by this brave little guy and he kept reaching out to touch his face or stroke his shoulder.

After the little boy was introduced and had presented Jackie with a hand made gift, the boy’s sister took the microphone and began to tell her story. She tearfully told Jackie about her love for her brother and about her heartbreak at having to leave school; about the tragedy of a little boy whose ability to run and play had been needlessly taken from him. She thanked Jackie and the Dragon’s Heart Foundation for the assistance they’d provided to her family and while she spoke, Jackie’s face filled with compassion and he struggled to hold back his tears. Jackie has been trying hard not to cry in front of the children, although clearly it is difficult not to when you hear these stories. As I sat in my seat, video camera in one hand, still camera in the other, I was grateful for having autofocus equipment; the tears were spilling out of my eyes and everyone around me was reaching for tissues. There are hardly words to describe the emotion that was in the room as the young girl told Jackie her family’s story.

Once she was finished, it was time for the little boy to sing for Jackie and time once again for tissues. I would challenge anyone not to be moved to tears while listening to the plaintive sound of this little boy’s song and watching Jackie’s face.

The little boy sings for Jackie.

When he was done with his solo, the little boy was joined by Jackie and two other singers for a group song – Jackie’s theme song – Sincere Hero. The song is about love and about grabbing hold of life and fulfilling your dreams. For one little boy who was dealt a tragic blow, there’s no song imaginable that could have been more appropriate. Jackie and the other singers gave a terrific performance and the audience was very appreciative. When you watch Jackie singing Sincere Hero you will notice that he uses sign language to accompany some of the lyrics. He learned these signs when he performed the song at a special school for the deaf several years ago. He likes to include them when he sings the song and they even act as a translation for people who don’t understand the Mandarin lyrics.

The audience cheered wildly as the song ended and then we were treated to several more performances by local dancers. The music and dance were traditional Mongolian and the costumes were gorgeous. Jackie stood to the side of the stage and watched, dancing along in place as the music filled the auditorium. When the performances were over Jackie posed for many photos with all the different groups:

In her rush to join in on the photo, one of the performers tumbled right off her feet. (Don't worry; she was okay. But look at Jackie's reaction!)

Jackie tries to help arrange dozens of giggling girls for a photo:

Everyone wants to hug Uncle Jackie.

As a special finale, he sang Endless Love, accompanied by a young woman who was to sing the Korean lyrics. Actually, the girl didn’t seem to be singing the same song as Jackie; the Korean lyrics were not the ones that are in the song that we all know and love. As she sang her half of the duet, I watched Jackie’s face register surprise, amusement, and even a little empathy. (Jackie knows how difficult it is to memorize lyrics to songs.) However, this woman seemed quite sure of the words she was singing; it’s just that they weren’t the words that were written for this song. Jackie, ever the professional, waited patiently as she sang her part and then proceeded as though nothing were amiss.

Jackie singing Endless Love.

Traditional dancers.

Jackie waves goodbye.

Fans waiting outside to wave goodbye to Jackie.

Once he got into the van, we sped off and soon we were back at the hotel. It was quite late at night and it had been a long day, so after saying goodnight to Jackie we went to our rooms to go to sleep. As luck would have it we would be leaving very early the next morning, so none of us would have a chance to enjoy all the luxuries – including lots of hot water - that this hotel provided.
 
Before retiring for the night, I stepped outside onto the small balcony to enjoy the cool night air. Beyond the lights of the hotel complex was the vast and desolate Inner Mongolian plateau. There was no one around at this late hour, yet as I stood there gazing out into the darkness, I could still hear the tender voice of a little boy singing to Big Brother Jackie and making a dream come true.

Click to download this small video to your computer for viewing. This will take a few minutes; file size is 15 megabytes. Because the video is so long, the quality is low to maintain a smaller file size.

If you'd like to learn more about one of Dragon's Heart's projects, click here to read about Jackie's Build a School for a Dollar campaign.

[Note from the writer: You will notice that this article is written by "Katharine Schroeder" rather than the usual "Katharine Mysak." I am the same Katharine, but from now on I will be using the name I was born with.]

Text, photos, and video ©2007 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.

Back to top