Hong Kong rejects Chan plan

It’s not the house that Jack built but rather the old houses that film star Jackie Chan wants to rebuild that is giving Hong Kong authorities a headache.

For 10 years, the movie star has paid millions of US dollars to store a collection of seven antique wooden Chinese houses amassed over 20 years in warehouses in the former British colony.

The plan was to have the houses — valued at over US$67 million — rebuilt to form a tourist attraction to showcase the culture of China’s past along with a collection of the star’s props and awards.

Ideally, Chan, who inherited his love of old houses from his late father, would have liked the site to be in his birthplace of Hong Kong.

However, in Hong Kong, where land is scarce and property commands some of the highest prices per square metre in the world, it proved a mission impossible — even for an action hero of Chan’s status.

Earlier this month, the 54-year-old announced he had given up hope of the Hong Kong government finding him a plot on which to build his houses despite a decade of pleading.

Instead, in a move that is embarrassing to Hong Kong, he plans to take his houses to Singapore after officials there jumped at the chance within days of a casual conversation with the star, offering him space at a new university scheduled for completion in 2011.

The move was described as a "slap in the face" for Hong Kong by tourism sector lawmaker Paul Tse, who said Chan was a living icon in Hong Kong and should be protected by the city.

"What has Singapore got to do with Jackie?," Tse said. "He’s been the tourism icon for Hong Kong for many years."

Chan said he has done his best to keep the houses in Hong Kong but it took Singapore 10 days to make a decision that Hong Kong could not reach in 10 years.

"It’s not me letting Hong Kong down," said Chan. "I already did my best. Too many consultations are required. Now if you want to see a Jackie Chan museum, you will have to go to Singapore."