Chinese action movie star Donnie Yen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), attends the two sessions in Beijing. Photo: web

Renowned Chinese action movie star Donnie Yen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), attends the two sessions in Beijing. On Sunday, he told the media outlets that as a martial arts film star, he suggested more and better policies to attract investment for action films to tell good Chinese stories with the appeal of action films.

"Chinese Action movies are becoming fewer. We need to attract investment and boost demand, so that more filmmakers can develop action movies and make more movies that can become the pride of China," Yen said to media outlets.

From Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and my own IP Man series, this genre is a very good way to tell the story of China in general and of the Hong Kong SAR, Yen noted.

The film John Wick: Chapter 4, in which Yen starred, will be released soon. In a recent interview with foreign media outlets, he talked about stereotypes of Asian characters in Hollywood films.

"Most of the people outside of China don't see it until they are there. The progress—the freeways, the architecture, the convenience of life," he said in a recent interview with British GQ magazine. He also told the magazine that he was upset that the Western media focused only on the negative stories about China. "BBC, CNN, they never talk about the progress. They never mention the real side of it," he said.

He is more selective with the Hollywood movies he takes on and will ask if the role is generic or respectful of Chinese culture before taking the role, Yen said.

Many of Yen's films are about Chinese national identity. "It's all part of being Chinese," Yen said, adding that action movies are a good vehicle for storytelling because they are easier to reach audiences than other movie genres and can effectively promote positive themes.

This is the first time Yen has served as a member of the CPPCC National Committee from HKSAR.