There aren’t many delegates to the Chinese government’s top political advisory body that leave hordes of journalists feeling starstruck, but it’s not every day that an international movie star enters Chinese politics. Comedian, director, actor and martial artist Stephen Chow came to Guangzhou Tuesday to mark the beginning of his five-year tenure on the Guangdong provincial committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Nandu Daily reports.

Suited and booted and with his hair a distinguished grey, Chow told reporters: “I feel there are a lot of things I need to learn…it doesn’t matter how old I am. There are still a lot of gaps in my knowledge.”

Highlights of the conference will include a proposal to merge Shenzhen, Dongguan and Huizhou into a supercity and a suggestion to make the school years shorter. Although the conference is an important event in the Chinese political calendar, many of these ideas never come to fruition, such as last year’s call for caning to be introduced for petty criminals.

Chow at the conference, image courtesy of Sina Weibo

Some delegates asked to have their photo taken with Chow, which may not be the height of professionalism and sobriety. But it is an improvement on last year’s episode of sleeping on the job.

The delegates are selected from 34 groups in different fields including politics, commerce and industry, academia, youth and women’s representatives, sports, education, the arts, science, social studies, healthcare, agriculture, social welfare, religion, minorities and special invited delegates. Chow was invited a year ago as part of a special field of Hong Kong and Macau delegates, Want China Times reported at the time.

Other figures from showbiz to enter Chinese politics include director Zhang Yimou and actress Gong Li, who were appointees on the national level of the CCPCC, according to Hollywood Reporter. Although not known as a man to wear his politics on his sleeve, Chow surprised many in 2012 when he called a press conference to endorse the candidacy of Henry Tang Ying-yen in Hong Kong’s Chief Executive elections. However, whatever his political convictions are, they’re unlikely to be as controversial as those of fellow martial artist Jackie Chan.