More should be done to honour Bruce Lee
- The martial arts legend remains one of the best-known Chinese celebrities, yet the city where Lee lived, worked and died has long held his memory at something of a distance
A half-century since the death of Bruce Lee, it is good to see Hong Kong doing more to embrace the legacy of the martial arts legend. Lee was born in San Francisco, but at a young age moved to Hong Kong where he had an early brush with fame as a child actor. He later continued his studies in the US, where he taught martial arts and acted in minor roles before appearing as Kato on television’s The Green Hornet.
Lee later starred in films made in Hong Kong before achieving his dream of headlining his own Hollywood feature. Tragically, he died under mysterious circumstances in 1973 at the age of 32. It was days before Enter the Dragon would become a smash hit and before production on another of his films was finished.
Today, Lee remains one of the best-known Chinese celebrities in the world. A person of colour in a major role was a sight to behold for long-suffering minority communities.
He has also remained a global symbol for sentiments ranging from anti-colonialism to the fight against ethnic hatred. One example came after the brutal Balkan wars when Croatia erected a statue of Lee as a unifying image.
50 years after his death, Bruce Lee remains a star, a role model, an enigma
But while his films boosted the Hong Kong movie industry, the city where Lee lived, worked and died has long held his memory at something of a distance. A statue erected on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in 2005 was initiated by fans, not officials; his former Kowloon home was reportedly a rooms-by-the-hour hotel before it was demolished; and a permanent museum featuring Lee never got off the ground.
The ambiguity only deepened during civil unrest starting in 2019 as anti-government protesters embraced Lee’s “be water, my friend” approach.
The 50th anniversary of his passing on July 20 was a refreshing change, with events ranging from conferences and film screenings to memorabilia showings and exhibitions such as the Hong Kong Heritage Museum’s “Bruce Lee: a Timeless Classic”.
A 2022 survey found Lee among the three most prominent Asian-Americans of all time alongside living actors Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu. Visitors and residents alike remain fascinated by the city’s “little dragon”. Hong Kong should continue to go with the flow and look for ways to remember one of its greatest sons.
