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Chinese martial arts icon Jet Li made a rare personal video in which he appeared shirtless to quash rumours that he had undergone a heart transplant. On November 1, Li, 62, known as the “Kung Fu Emperor,” shared a video on Douyin, where he has nearly 5 million followers. The video, titled “An Honest Weekend,” shows him shirtless, practising casual kung fu moves, swimming in his private pool, and playfully interacting with his dog, Duoduo. Despite being in his sixties, the kung fu movie superstar still displayed visible muscle definition, with no trace of the rumoured scar allegedly left from heart surgery. He remarked: “Public opinion can be a fearsome thing. Living in this era, you need to have your own opinions. Always following other people’s views can be troublesome.” “Although I don’t know that friend, I hope people stop using others’ tragedies to fuel speculation. I wish everyone good health, and above all, I believe independent thinking is most important,” he added. The video, which had garnered over 60,000 likes at the time of writing, was widely interpreted as Li’s response to a bizarre online rumour claiming that he had undergone a heart transplant, with the alleged donor being the late Shaolin monk Qiufeng. Qiufeng, whose real name was Xing Zhongping, was a 34th-generation Shaolin monk known for his striking appearance and martial arts skills. Qiufeng, hailed as the “most handsome Shaolin monk,” gained fame for his role in the TV drama The Journey of Legend but tragically died in a car accident in August last year at the age of 21. Rumours began to circulate after Qiufeng’s body reportedly showed suture marks, coinciding with Li’s hospitalisation that same month, fuelling speculation about possible organ harvesting. Li is widely regarded as one of the most iconic Chinese film stars and one of the greatest martial artists in cinema history. He made his Hollywood debut as a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 in 1998 and went on to star in international productions such as Kiss of the Dragon in 2001 and Unleashed in 2005. In 2008, he starred in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and The Forbidden Kingdom, marking his first on-screen collaboration with fellow kung fu legend Jackie Chan. However, in recent years, Li has been battling ongoing health issues. He previously disclosed that he suffers from hyperthyroidism, and in the middle of this year, he revealed that a tumour had been discovered in his neck. He underwent surgery and a biopsy in August, which fortunately confirmed that the mass was benign. His shirtless video, posted to refute the rumours, once again stirred a wave of sympathy from his long-time fans. One follower commented: “Brother Li has had it too hard. He’s been criticised for so long, but he finally bared his chest to prove himself. I’ve always believed in him.” Another echoed: “I think it’s hard for ordinary people to defend their rights; they don’t have the energy or the money. Jet Li should have hired a lawyer to sue the trolls. After all, making up rumours costs nothing, and there are just too many disgusting people out there.”
