She Forgave Him Betrayal and Distrust: The Love Story of Jackie Chan and Joan Lin

Chan and Joan met in 1982 when Jackie went to meet Miss Annie Wang, editor of Hong Kong’s Silver World magazine, to view her photographs. The journalist did not come alone, but with actress Joan Lin. The girl was already known not only in Taiwan, but also in Asia. Chan was struck by the appearance of a new acquaintance. “She looked so pure and innocent that it looked like there was a supernatural creature in front of you,” he said.

Jackie himself at that time, on the contrary, was a rather rude and ill-mannered young man. Behind him was the fame of a womanizer. At first, Chang never thought he could win Lin’s heart. But the eastern beauty fell in love with him at first sight. She quickly realized that her feelings were mutual.

Chan noticed immediately that Joan was different from all the girls he knew. Despite her popularity, she was sweet, shy, and kind. Lin dressed modestly, wore no jewelry, and was very polite.

The girl did not seek to change her lover, she accepted him with all his flaws. “Despite the fact that my behavior was less than ideal, she paid no attention to it. She never corrected me if I accentuated words incorrectly or acted like a rude simpleton when we were going to dinner,” the actor recalled.

Joan always tried to be close to her beloved. She reacted very strongly to everything Jackie said. Lin admired his sense of humor and considered him the most amazing person she had ever met. He didn’t care how famous his beloved was and how much he earned. First, she was drawn to Jackie’s kindness and openness. “I didn’t ask her why she loved me, but I often wondered why she was with me. She really seemed to find something in me,” Chan said.

The celebrities have in no way reacted to the fact that their romance has been widely discussed in the press. Jackie and Joan rarely saw each other, because at that time the actor was touring a lot.

Some time later, Lin discovered that she was pregnant. Before that, Chan was suspicious of girls who said they were expecting a child from him. But this time it was different. Jackie was incredibly touched by the news that he was soon to become a father.

Shortly after the happy news, the lovers held a wedding ceremony for close friends at a restaurant in Los Angeles. The stars exchanged their vows and the priest spoke the appropriate words. This ended the ceremony. On the evening of the same day, Joan was admitted to hospital and a day later the couple had a son, who was named Chang Zoming.

After the birth of her child, Lin quit her acting career. Much more important to her was the role of a loving mother and caring wife.

After the wedding, the couple tried for a long time not to appear together in public, and even more so not to show their son. The reason for this was the tragedy that occurred after the media reported about the couple’s marriage. Upon learning that the actor was no longer free, two fans committed suicide. They couldn’t accept the new idol status.

Over time, Jackie began to spend less time with her family. Despite the birth of a child, he still disappeared on the set, traveled the world, sometimes even forgetting to call his family. Chan has not seen his wife and son for months. At that time, Joan devoted all her time to raising a child.

Falling under the sway of friends who told him that when they returned from a long shoot only devastated bank accounts were waiting for them at home, Jackie grew suspicious of his wife. The actor did not spoil his wife and child with expensive gifts and sent them money only for the most necessary expenses.

As for Joan, she still loved her husband and trusted him.

Accordingly, Jackie himself did not justify the trust. In 1998, reporters reported on his romance with Asian actress Elaine Wu Qili, which gave birth to Chan’s daughter. Then the actor realized that a divorce was inevitable, as he thought Joan was unlikely to forgive him for his betrayal.

But the woman turned out to be a real angel. When Jackie told him about the affair, she didn’t dare reprimand him. On the contrary, she offered help and even wanted to defend him in front of the public. She said that you should never hurt someone else, so as not to suffer yourself. Hearing these words, Jackie burst into tears. He realized that only a loving and faithful woman could say such a thing.

Jackie repented, asked his wife for forgiveness, gathered his strength, and returned to Joan’s son. For the first time in 15 years of marriage, he spoke with his wife, with the child and, above all, with himself. He realized that all these years he had deprived himself of true happiness.

Since then, other women have ceased to exist for Jackie Chan. There was only one left in his life – Joan Lin.

Jackie Chan’s son – Jaycee Chan – followed in his father’s footsteps: he became an actor and singer, although not so famous. The relationship between the young man and his parent was strained: in 2011, during an award ceremony in Beijing, Jackie Chan even declared that after his death he would prefer to bequeath money to charity rather than to leave it to his son. “If he’s capable of something, he can make money himself, but if he can’t, he’ll waste my money,” he said.

Jaycee and Jackie became close after the youngster spent six months in a Beijing jail for drug use and possession. According to Chinese laws, he could be sentenced to death and Jackie Chan constantly flew to Beijing to commute the sentence. It helped: Jaycee was released, and he and his father reconciled. “I haven’t seen him for too long. I feel like he’s matured this time. We didn’t talk about sad things. It was a family conversation. We talked all night and didn’t sleep,” the actor later said.

Text: Alexandra Zakharova

Photo: Getty Images, social media