Tribute to action

"It's hard to imagine how tough a stuntman's life can be," he says, adding that he believes the group should be rewarded.

The weeklong film festival he launched presents the Steel Man Awards as its top honor, a set of 11 awards in the action genre for best feature, director, actor, actress and stand-in.

A global solicitation process for potential contenders for the awards was launched in April. So far, more than 800 companies in over 50 countries and regions have responded, says Cai Liang, an organizer of the Datong edition. The selected films will be screened in 19 cinemas in the city and all member cinemas of Jackie Chan Theater International, a theater chain co-founded by Chan and Hong Kong company Sparkle Roll Group.

Film critics will discuss new trends in action films in Asia, covering Chinese martial arts films directed by Xu Haofeng and Lu Yang, Thai films featuring Muay Thai and more.

Wang Cheng, producer of the popular Chinese TV program, Movie Talk, and an organizer of one of the forums, says his team is working to invite 12 stunt performers' associations from nine countries, including Russia, Britain, Japan, Germany and Thailand.

"This is a new part of the festival that will be launched this year," says Wang, adding that international stunt veterans will discuss their survival and development at a time when computer-generated imaging can easily turn a human into an action figure or superhero on screen.

In addition to celebrating action films, the Datong event is boosting tourism in the city, which is known for the UNESCO heritage site, the Yungang Grottoes, and the Hanging Temple. During last year's festival, some 1.4 million tourists visited Datong, an increase of 47 percent year-on-year compared to the same period in 2017, according to the festival organizers.

They say the 2018 event also garnered 170 million views for related content on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

As an initiator of a campaign to use his celebrity influence to help impoverished areas in China, Chan will visit several locations in and around Datong during this year's event. Last year, the campaign saw more than 30 Chinese film stars, including Chen Kun, Zhou Xun and Huang Xiaoming, tour impoverished areas to promote local productions and tourist attractions.