Jackie Chan's new mission as a travel ambassador: 'To welcome the world to see the real China'
Jackie Chan wants you to "see the real China."
The actor and martial artist was recently unveiled as the Global Ambassador for China Travel by Trip.com.
For Chan's grand reveal Sunday night, Trip.com Group organized a major event in Guilin, a city of five million in southern China. An invited crowd of nearly 2,000 was present, as estimated by organizers. Among the audience were officials from the Guilin municipal government, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region authorities, Trip.com Group stakeholders, and media practitioners from all over the world, including PhilSTAR L!fe.
While the audience enjoyed an extensive buffet dinner, they were treated to performances of traditional Chinese dances, a fashion show, and Chinese electronic music. Nearing the end of the evening, amidst a water curtain show, Chan, 72, appeared on a raft, being rowed through the mist slowly by a boatman.
Clad all in white, the beloved actor stepped onstage and reminisced with the event's hosts about his early days in the entertainment industry.
"If you think about it, in those days, there was no AI, no special effects. Everything was real," he recalled, adding he "had to be there to feel the warmth, feel...everything...you feel the speed train, tall buildings, highway."
"It used to be that when I made films, it was just to make films. Later on, I realized, as an actor, you have the responsibility to bring your culture, to bring your movie, around the world," Chan added, switching between Chinese and English throughout his speech to address his international audience.
On Sunday night, though, Chan said he had a new mission: "To welcome...the world...to China to see Jackie Chan films, to see me...see the real China."
It would be easy to do so, said Chan, as travel to China is now visa-free for more than 80 countries, the actor said. Filipinos need to apply for a visa to enter the country.
According to the Chinese Visa Application Center, citizens holding ordinary passports from 50 countries may enter China without a visa, but can stay no longer than 30 days. Other countries that send their people to China for purposes of sports tournaments, conferences, exhibitions, and study tours are also exempt from needing a Chinese visa.
"So, really, you can come anytime, any season, any day," said Chan, who was born in Hong Kong and is now based in Beijing.
"Everybody who wants to see the real China, please come. Maybe one day, you might see me making a film," he added. "See you everywhere in China."
The popular actor's pronouncements were made even more festive by a drone show. It touched on Chan's early work, showing his famous one-legged sitting position in his 1978 breakout movie Drunken Master. Drones also depicted a likeness of the actor, who's known for doing his own stunts, dangling from what looked like a building.
From January to April 2026, China was the 11th most visited destination with 65,192 outbound Filipino travelers. In 2025, the country logged 233,850 Pinoy visitors.
