Jackie Chan Photo: Li Hao/GT

Hong Kong action movie superstar Jackie Chan said he wanted to join the Communist Party of China (CPC) at a recent forum in Beijing, a comment that experts said reflected Hong Kong elites' increasingly objective and rational understanding of the CPC amid the city's reflection on its position and search for its future development.   

Chan joined a symposium on Thursday in Beijing, which invited Chinese film insiders to speak and share their thoughts regarding the keynote speech delivered by the top Chinese leader on July 1, the centennial of the founding of the CPC.  

At the event, Chan, also the vice chairman of the China Film Association, not only expressed his proud feeling of being a Chinese, but also showed his longing for the CPC. "I can see the greatness of the CPC, and it will deliver what it says, and what it promises in less than 100 years, but only a few decades," Chan said.

Also, he remarked that "I want to become a CPC member."

As a celebrity who participated in the star-studded theatrical performance Epic Journey that was dedicated to celebrate the centennial of the founding of the CPC, Chan said that he was impressed by the resilience and spirits of the Eighth Route Army, the military force that, under the leadership of the CPC, fought the Japanese invaders during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), and he was touched by the bravery of the soldiers.

Chan's speech showed the change of Hong Kong elites' opinion of the CPC in recent years, Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan studies at Nankai University in Tianjin, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"Local residents in Hong Kong have started to reflect on the city's position and development direction since 2017, the 20th anniversary of its return to the motherland. Some major incidents in recent years, including the release of the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the 'anti-extradition bill movement' in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the celebration activities for the centennial of the CPC, have showed Hongkongers how different generations of CPC members contributed to and sacrificed for the country's revolution and development," Li explained. 

The CPC is the designer and operator of the implementation of "one country, two systems." Only when Hong Kong residents gain an objective and rational understanding of the CPC could they understand the principle of "one country, two systems" objectively and rationally, and figure out their future position and development direction clearly, Li noted.  

This year witnessed the first time that Hong Kong celebrated the CPC's anniversary on an open and large scale, thanks to the implementation of the national security law for Hong Kong, according to Hong Kong-based observers.

Such historic high atmosphere and many celebration activities offered Hong Kong residents, especially many youngsters, who have lacked a complete and objective picture of modern Chinese history, and those who were deceived by radical rioters to take part in violent protests in 2019, an opportunity to learn about the country's system and the CPC.

Whether it is the Hong Kong regional government, society or individuals, they should correct their one-sided, outdated and wrong understanding of the CPC over the past few decades, and reshape their perception of the Party and the country, Lau Siu-kai, deputy head of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times in a recent exclusive interview. 

Although the CPC still won't directly get involved in specific affairs in Hong Kong society, its spirit will be manifested through the Constitution. There is no reason why the CPC should not be seen in Hong Kong, nor does it need to hide its existence, Lau noted.