Jackie Chan Teaches Peace in East Timor

Jackie Chan may be the world's most famous Kung Fu master, but he's turned his focus to promoting peace instead of violence.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on July 01 2008

Jackie Chan may be best known for his jaw-dropping skills in the world of martial arts –but despite the fact that he could probably break your neck with a single finger if he felt like it, the world’s most famous Kung Fu master has turned his focus to promoting peace instead of violence.

Last week, he visited the troubled Southeast Asia country of East Timor as a goodwill ambassador for Unicef, where he showed off a few of his stunning tricks to a group of Timorese teens and children. But Chan’s roundhouse kicks and perfect punches weren’t intended to teach the Timorese how to beat each other up. Instead, Chan talked with the group about using martial arts in a responsible manner.

“If you use martial arts to help somebody, you’re the hero. If you use martial arts just on the street to fight somebody, even if you win, you’re not the hero - you’re nobody,” he said.

Though it’s a good lesson to teach children in any country, the message was particularly urgent in East Timor, where 37 people were killed two years ago during a dispute between residents from the eastern and western parts of the country. A number of martial arts groups were involved in the rally, and used their skills to injure their fellow countrymen.

No one’s certain how much of an impact the famous action star’s words will have on the youths of East Timor –but even a small shift towards a more peaceful outlook could do wonders for the turbulent country.

“They need to listen so they can change and stop all the problems they’ve been creating,” one audience member told BBC News, “and Timorese can live in peace.”

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