Jackie Chan's Mansion Seized by Authorities as His Ties to China's Factional Battles Surface

A Beijing mansion belonging to movie star Jackie Chan has been seized by authorities and is now being put up for auction. Details are still thin, but some analysts believe Jackie Chan may have been targeted for alleged tax evasion, related to promotions he did from 2006 to 2008 for a land company in Beijing, which paid him 20.6 million renminbi that was directly converted into credit for his purchase. Yet, questions are being raised on why now, given that Jackie Chan’s family lived in the home for 13 years. And why have Beijing authorities seemingly ignored Jackie Chan’s influence in China, Hong Kong, and even in the United States, especially given his relative positive stance on the Chinese leadership, in order to seize and auction his mansion. The move may be related to factional battles within the Party. Jackie Chan’s ties are through the network of former vice chairman Zeng Qinghong, who was under the Jiang Faction. This is the main faction fighting with the faction of Xi Jinping, the current head of the Party. The timing of this move appears to be related to the recent end of the Party's high level Beidaihe meeting, after which Xi Jinping launched new purges targeted areas of society still controlled by the Jiang faction. In this episode of Crossroads, we'll be taking an in-depth look at this story, and more.