62-year-old martial arts star Jet Li, who recently posted a photo of himself in a hospital bed on social media without disclosing the specific reason for his hospitalization, was spotted alone at Beijing Airport a week after being discharged.
When a man tried to help him with his luggage, Li refused and hurried away, prompting some concerned netizens to criticize him for being “stubborn” and not taking care of himself. On August 17, Jet Li had posted a hospital photo on social media with a caption stating, “Recently, I went through another unexpected trial.”
In the photo, he looked haggard, lying on a hospital bed with medical monitoring equipment connected to him, displaying heart rate and blood oxygen data on the screen. There were also IV fluids and catheters by the bed, making viewers feel uneasy. Afterward, Jet Li shared an update, revealing he only had a minor “hardware issue” and needed maintenance, completing his treatment on August 18, and publicly shared a picture of himself being discharged from the hospital in a wheelchair.
A week later, Jet Li had not provided any further updates on his condition. However, some netizens recently posted a video on social media that appeared to show Jet Li back to work and arriving at Beijing Airport. In the video, he was wearing a blue jacket and a hat, hastily pushing his luggage while looking noticeably thinner and slightly hunched. Some netizens commented that they felt a sense of melancholy.
What troubled some fans was that in the footage, a man in a red shirt originally attempted to help Jet Li with his luggage but was not only directly refused by him but also seen him hasten away. The person who shared the video disclosed that they were just filming from the sidelines, afraid that approaching him would disturb him. Following the video’s exposure, many netizens confirmed the person in the video was indeed Jet Li.
Some fans criticized him for being “stubborn” and “not taking care of himself,” recalling his previous statement that he treated surgery as a performance. They questioned why, having just undergone surgery and left the hospital, he did not seek assistance, fearing he might harm himself again.
Jet Li rose to fame in 1982 with the martial arts film “Shaolin Temple” and portrayed various iconic characters like Huo Yuanjia, Linghu Chong, and Wong Fei-hung. In 1997, he ventured to Hollywood and appeared in numerous films. Due to his martial arts background and past in action films, he has sustained several old injuries. Since late 2016, reports have consistently referenced his white hair, visits to temples, and participation in Buddhist practices.
According to a previous report, in 2023, Jet Li had settled his affairs with his current wife, Nina Li Chi, and expressed his wish for “no memorial, no funeral service; burial or sea scattering, it doesn’t matter.”