Jaycee Chan talks about his prison life: “I was so afraid of going crazy”

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JayceeChan

It was 172 days after Jaycee Chan was released from the prison. Jaycee accepted an exclusive interview with Taiwan Apple Daily, and shared his 6-month life in prison.

Last year, Jaycee and his good friend Kai Ko were arrested for drug possession. Jaycee admitted that in his first week of jail, he felt very angry and unfair as as he did not understand why marijuana laws in Asia were different from overseas. After talking to his inmates, he gradually realised that he had made a mistake, and he would often ask himself, “What do I want in life?”

Jaycee recalled that when he was first let out from his cell onto a small balcony, he saw an old inmate who was squatting at a corner. Like a haunted film, the old man was constantly shaking off his dandruff and peeling the skin of his feet. Jaycee was terribly frightened and he was afraid that he would turn crazy too. When he talked to the old man, he later realised that he was feeding the ants with his dandruff and dead skin.

As time went by, Jaycee also had his odd habits. When he was let out from his cell, he would love to kill mosquitoes to feed the spiders. He would also stuck the dead mosquitoes on the wall, so that he could gauge the wind direction. There was once when his inmate accidentally caused the mosquito to drop off from the wall. Jaycee was so angry and yelled at him, “How do I gauge the wind direction now?”

JayceeChan

Jaycee’s diet mainly consisted of buns, eggs and cabbage. There would be additional food if it was a festive season. If he got sick of the food, he would pay for a cup of instant noodles.

During his imprisonment, Jaycee also read eight books by Warren Buffett, and he also wrote two scripts and four songs.

When asked if he had felt humiliated when he was first arrested and handcuffed, Jaycee shook his head. He said that he was very calm and followed the police officers’ instructions. There was also no preferential treatment for him. Jaycee had to strip for an X-ray scan before changing into prison clothes.

Jaycee has been living in Taipei with his mum, Lin Feng-jiao since his release. He recalled that when he first returned home, his dad Jackie Chan did not scold him and instead gave him a big hug.

Whenever he is out on streets now, Jaycee has to wear a mask. He was initially scared of the public stares, but now he is more afraid of causing trouble to his friends.

Whenever he is out with Kai Ko, he will prepare an extra mask for him. He told Kai, “If I wear and you don’t, isn’t it strange?”

Jaycee also said, “We both paid a price for our mistake and we will work hard to get back on our feet again.”

Source: Apple Daily

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