This thesis aims at capturing a continuity of a star persona which reinvents himself to live within the constantly changing context. Using Jackie Chan as an object of study, this paper attempts to structure the development of Hong Kong kung fu action cinema. Such a perspective provides readers with the introductory survey of Hong Kong kung fu action cinema converged at the notion of Hong Kong identity. Covering the period between the 1960s and the 1990s, this history accounts for Hong Kong cinema’s becoming transnational. When Hong Kong filmmakers migrated to Hollywood in the mid-1990s, one of the significant issues raised by many respectable scholars is the notion of authentic Hong Kong cultural identity in these transnational representations. On this condition, Jackie Chan’s changing star persona puts it into question the meaning of ‘authenticity’ itself. Even if the circumstance it based has constantly changed, Chan’s shifting screen image still bears witness to his self-reinvention. What it will become through the self-revolution has been constantly remodeled to the needs of the society’s imagination and identity forms. And, it is also a heart of this thesis which intends to continuously revisit and re-envision a film star persona. While the thesis focuses on Jackie Chan, its research framework intends to be extended to see how his fellow Hong Kong filmmakers who have found their roles in Hollywood and never ceased searching for self-expressions as they have always been doing in Hong Kong cinema. Finally, in tracing Jackie Chan’s star persona in different stages of his film career, the thesis attempts to reflect the Hong Kong cinema, which continuously change, adapt and reinvent itself.
