Fifty years on, Bruce Lee's legacy squares up to modern life in Hong
Kong
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[July 18, 2023]
By Jessie Pang
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Fifty years after the death of Bruce Lee, who
galvanised the imaginations of generations of young people worldwide
with feats of kung fu immortalised on screen, it sometimes seems as if
his legacy of the martial art he practiced is fading in Hong Kong.
Born in San Francisco but brought up in the Asian financial hub which
would make him famous, Lee died of brain edema aged 32 on July 20, 1973,
just six days before the release of "Enter the Dragon", his most popular
film.
"He was exceptionally talented and it's a shame he passed away at such a
young age," said 60-year-old Dorothy Tam, whose hair is now graying, as
she punched a sandbag in a small martial arts school covered with bamboo
scaffolding in western Kowloon.
Captivated by the skill displayed in Lee's performance, Tam, who was
just 10 at the time, became a lifelong admirer.
(For photoessay, please click on )
But only in 2019 did Tam overcome her initial apprehension about Hong
Kong's male-dominated martial arts scene to start learning Wing Chun,
the southern Chinese style of the martial art in which Lee had trained.
"I discovered it's actually a martial art suitable for women as well,
emphasizing softness to overcome hardness," said Tam, as she stood
beside a bronze bust of Lee's teacher, the late grandmaster Ip Man.
She began learning with her godson, but her classmates come from all
walks of life, some working in information technology and others in
business consulting. Most train at night, some still in their office
wear.
"Martial arts are not solely about fighting," Tam added. "My instructor
often emphasises that self-defense is about avoiding conflict and
focusing on self-improvement."
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Lee's contributions to martial arts, film, and philosophy have inspired
legions of fans across the world, but the legacy that endured for half a
century is sometimes seen as a relic of the past in the former British
colony.
"BE WATER"
On his return from Hollywood in 1971, Lee made four Hong Kong films in
just two years, among them "Fist of Fury" and "Way of the Dragon".
He helped popularise kung fu through such blockbuster films and a hit
American television series, "The Green Hornet", but Wing Chun exponents
have struggled to win disciples. The swift pace of life in one of the
world's most expensive cities often conflicts with the time and effort
required to master the traditional martial art, while soaring rents make
it tough to set up schools.
"The rent is very expensive, and student tuition fees are not enough to
cover that," said Dennis Lee, chairman of the Ving Tsun Athletic
Association, where Tam practices.
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![](../images/071823PIX/ent_a.41.jpg)
Heung Yee Kuk Yuen Long District
Secondary School students attend a nunchaku performance event by the
sea, in a tribute to the late martial artist and actor Bruce Lee,
ahead of National Security Education Day, in Hong Kong, China April
14, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Jul/18/images/ads/current/bees_lda_HEROES_2023.png) "How can you make it your career?"
The association holds classes, social events and arranges annual
tomb-sweeping ceremonies for Ip Man, under whom Bruce Lee studied at
the age of 13. But of late, attendance at the rituals has been
dropping off.
Set up in 1967 by seven Hong Kong disciples of Lee's influential
teacher, the association functions out of a flat bought to serve as
its headquarters, staying mostly unchanged for six decades, with
original brown tiles still intact.
Dennis Lee, 52, a disciple of the teacher's son, was also drawn to
Wing Chun by the example of the actor, and eventually set up his own
school, though it has not been easy.
Kung fu is "an art, and art is lifelong", added Lee, who runs a
logistics firm on the side to supplement his income as he balances
the pace of modern life with the dedication required for mastery.
Even so, some enthusiasts, such as Iranian-Australian Nima King,
trained by another student of Ip Man, have sought to reshape the
teaching style.
The curriculum of his school, opened in 2008, is more modernised to
target an international clientele, including children.
"I like kung fu," said 3-1/2-year-old Sebby Peng, one of a group of
pre-schoolers wearing purple and white uniforms who sparred in a
brightly-lit studio.
Still, Bruce Lee, who developed his own martial arts form, "Jeet
Kune Do", has not entirely been eclipsed in the Chinese-ruled city.
One of his most famous maxims, "Be water, my friend," from an
interview in 1971, inspired 2019's pro-democracy movement.
It provided a template for months of wildcat protests citywide
against Beijing's tightening grip of Hong Kong, which returned to
Chinese rule in 1997.
Even though he has been dead for 50 years, Lee indirectly influenced
King's career, the instructor said.
"It's not just about the movies. We respect that spirit. And that's
why we've got to work hard to keep preserving it," he added. "That's
Bruce's legacy."
(Reporting by Jessie Pang, Tyrone Siu and Joyce Zhou; Editing by
James Pomfret and Clarence Fernandez)
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