Surrounded by sensational conspiracy theories
The most ironic tragedy of actor Jet Li lies in the fact that: When he was young, the audience scrutinized every shot and beautiful kick of his on screen; but when he got old, the public "dissected" every scar, complexion, hairstyle and gait of him to embroider thrilling scripts.
In August 2025, Jet Li underwent surgery to remove a tumor in his neck area. After recovery, his face became rosy, his hair turned black, and he could move again. However, the unexpected healthy image of a person with a long-term illness became a trap for malicious rumors. On social networks, people rumored that he had "changed heart" from a 21-year-old martial artist who died in a traffic accident in 2024.
He even had to take off his shirt while swimming and diving, releasing a video proving that his chest area did not have heart surgery scars as rumored. According to Chinese media in March 2026, Jet Li bitterly exclaimed that public imagination was too limited: "Why don't you rumor I'm replacing Huawei's heart, Xiaomi's liver, or Tesla's kidney?
Entangled in scandals from short films
The absurdity continued to escalate when Jet Li suddenly ventured into the field of short films - a format that was considered "instant noodles" of the digital age. From an international star with a salary of hundreds of millions of yuan, only accepting to participate in major blockbusters, his "sublimation" in short films surprised many people.
In the two short films "Nguồn lực giang hồ" and "Kiếm quy", he plays a specialist in caring for terminally ill cancer patients and a hidden master. Notably, the short film's script revolves around the dark forces hunting for the essence and blood of martial arts masters to achieve immortality - a fantasy motif that inadvertently reflects the conspiracy theories of "thay tim" that are surrounding him in real life.
Many analyses point out that Jet Li accepted to act in short films not for money or fame, but to borrow modern media tools to convey the viewpoint of facing life and death that he has pursued for many years.
However, that ideal has completely failed in the face of the harsh reality of the "instant" film genre. Under the rough light and sloppy camera angles of the short film script, the audience cannot feel the philosophies of liberation or love. The only thing that strikes their eyes is the tired demeanor, traces of age and the body with many diseases of the former "king of martial arts".
Jet Li's life in his twilight years is a bitter low note. He wanted to use art to reconcile with death and old age, but was drawn into sensational tricks and public gossip. The mismatch between the stature of a legend and the trivialness of the social media era is the biggest tragedy of Jet Li today.
