Jackie Chan. Jet Li. Michelle Yeoh. John Woo. These are just several names among the many that fall under the category of other Asian actors, actresses and directors who have made their way to Hollywood, which is presumably the ultimate destination of stars in the entertainment industry around the world. Most of these stars now rarely star in or direct movies in Hong Kong; in fact, some of them have even gone so far as to indicate that they will never work in their native country again.

Why is the US film industry so tempting to these Hong Kong celebrities? Stars like Jackie Chan and Chow Yun Fat could have acted in a Hong Kong film and received instant attention there, but they chose to sacrifice their time and efforts in order to star in a Hollywood production. In fact, Chow Yun Fat spent a number of years learning English before he had the opportunity to star in his American debut, The Replacement Killer. To them, Hollywood is a symbol of fame; getting to Hollywood is equivalent to raising their status in the entertainment industry. In addition, Hollywood provides an opportunity to produce larger-scale films; relative to American, not as many people in Hong Kong are willing to invest tens of millions of dollars in a single film.

After working in a Hollywood movie, however, these celebrities think of themselves as a "higher" class of entertainers. To them, it may seem degrading to go back to where they had come from and make movies there. In fact, it is almost as if they have forgotten who supported them when they were still unknown names in the international arena.

Hollywood is a symbol of fame; getting to Hollywood is equivalent to raising their status in the entertainment industry.

While some of the more prominent Asians in the American film industry such as John Woo reason that the entertainment industry in Hong Kong is flooded with worthless movies and is no longer providing the environment for them, this is purely an excuse. Several Hong Kong films such as Wong Kar Wei's In the Mood For Love and Happy Together have been nominated and have even won in the prestigious Cannes film festival in France. In light of this accomplishment, saying that Hong Kong films are

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