50 years on, Bruce Lee's legacy squares up to modern life in Hong Kong

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.

But only in 2019 did Tam overcome her initial apprehension towards 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.”

Lee’s contributions to martial arts, film, and philosophy have inspired legions of global fans 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.

“How can you make it your career?”

The association holds classes, social events and arranges annual memorial ceremonies such as grave sweeping for Ip Man, under whom Bruce Lee studied at the age of 13. But of late, attendance at such 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 modernise 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 the pre-schoolers dressed in purple and white kung fu outfits 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.

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