Action movie star Jet Li has taken to social media again to refute rumours over his alleged youthful looks.
Over the past few months, the 62-year-old has been dogged by rumours that he had gone for a heart transplant or blood transfusion to maintain his appearance, a far cry from those in photos circulated online several years ago when he seemed aged and frail.
The China-born artiste posted on social media on Dec 6 a 2min 48sec video titled: “Instead of constantly changing this and that, why not change your mindset?”
He turned off beauty filters in the video, revealing wrinkles around his eyes and forehead.
To prove that he had not received a heart transplant, Li previously bared his upper body in a social media video on Nov 1 to show that he had no surgical scars. However, some netizens remained unconvinced and even suspected that he used artificial skin or a placenta to cover up his scars.
“A car engine can be replaced if it breaks down, and a battery can be replaced if it is not working,” he said on Dec 6. “But if there’s nothing wrong with your heart, why take the risk of replacing it?”
He pointed out that heart transplants carry the risk of organ rejection, making this practice almost impossible to justify for the sake of youth.
He added: “Some people say that blood transfusions can make you younger, but is this procedure legal? Are stem cells for treating illnesses or for youth? If it’s just for youth, aren’t a facelift or minor cosmetic procedures simpler?”
Li questioned the ultimate purpose of investing massive effort and resources into maintaining one’s youth, emphasising that mindset is key.
“The key is whether a person is happy and feeling at ease,” he said. “If I can live to 150 or 300 years old, but my physical and mental state remains at 70 or 80, I’d rather not. Isn’t prolonging that state to 150 or 300 years a form of suffering?”
Li said that even if life can be extended, “the hardware will eventually break down”.
In August, he made the news after uploading a video of himself in hospital. He disclosed later that he went for an operation to remove a lump on the right side of his neck. It turned out to be a benign tumour.
Li said the key to staying young lies in a person’s mindset, and offered three ways to look young – dyeing one’s hair, applying make-up or using beauty filters. “Becoming younger is really simple,” he added. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
