Jackie Chan to give Singapore old China homes: manager
Last Updated: Friday, February 13, 2009, 15:03
  

Singapore, Feb 13: Kung Fu movie legend Jackie Chan wants to donate historical Chinese houses worth more than 67 million US dollars to a university being set up in Singapore, his property manager said Friday.

Chan will give the campus seven wooden houses and a performing stage from his private collection, Simon Kwan told AFP.

The structures, currently housed in a Hong Kong warehouse, date back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and are worth more than 100 million Singapore dollars (67 million US), he said.

"He loves Singapore. He thinks it`s the best place to donate his houses to provide education and let the people appreciate them," Kwan said.

Singapore`s Minister for Foreign Affairs, George Yeo, said he welcomed Chan`s gesture.

"I am very excited about the offer as it comes at a time when we are actively exploring a tie-up between our new university and a leading Chinese university," he said. Singapore`s university is due to open in 2011.

"The Chinese houses would be a wonderful symbol of this proposed partnership," Yeo said, adding that transferring the structures needed approval from Chinese authorities.

Chan, whose movies include "Shanghai Knights," "Rush Hour," and "Police Story," has previously invested in Singapore property, local newspapers have said.

Bureau Report


First Published: Friday, February 13, 2009, 15:03


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