The son of Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan, who has been detained on drug-related charges, was shown on Chinese television with boxes of cannabis as state-run media revealed details of the case Tuesday.

Beijing police last week detained Jaycee Chan, who like his father works as an actor, "on suspicion of accommodating suspected drug users", China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

Police seized more than 100 grams of cannabis from Chan's house, in a swoop which also saw a Taiwanese actor known as Kai Ko detained on drug charges.

China launches periodic crackdowns on illegal drug use, which in the past have involved arresting celebrities.

At least 10 locally-known stars have been detained on drug-related charges this year, state-run media have said.

Chan, 31, was shown on state TV late Monday with his face blanked out as a plain-clothed investigator pulled small boxes of drugs from a cabinet in his Beijing home.

"This is old stuff, it's one or two years old, it's cannabis," he told the investigator, who also found a small pipe.

Jackie Chan has a high profile in China, where he has been a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a discussion body that is part of the Communist-controlled machinery of state.

He has also been a government "anti-drug ambassador" since 2009.

A Taiwanese management company linked to both the star and his son, Mstones International, apologised for the younger Chan's behaviour on its website.

"In the name of our company, alongside our client Fang Zuming we apologise to the public," it said, using Jaycee Chan's Chinese name in a post which was later deleted.

Jaycee Chan has featured in several films but has not so far won the acclaim earned by his father, one of Asia's best known actors.

Since January, China has detained more than 7,800 suspects on drug charges, up 72 percent from the same period last year, Xinhua said.

Users of Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like social networking service, on Tuesday leapt to Chan's defence.

"He's still a male god," wrote one, while another asked "Who doesn't make mistakes?" (AFP)