Spirit Of Actor Bruce Lee Alive And Well In Hong Kong
How does an action star whose last movie premiered two decades ago compete in a world where Arnie, Sly, Bruce and Wesley are kings?
Easy, when that star is martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
Twenty-two years after his death of a brain aneurysm at age 32, Lee’s legend kicks on, kept alive by fans who range from heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson to a former doctor for the Mongolian Olympic team who trekked 3,700 miles with two friends to visit Lee’s grave in Seattle.
But nowhere, perhaps, is Lee’s memory cherished more than in Hong Kong, where the lithe, muscular actor first found fame and where he’s still known affectionately as Lee Siu-lung -“Little Dragon Lee.”
Lee fans turned out in force for a six-day exhibition that coincided with the anniversary of his death on July 20, 1973. Organized by the 400-strong Bruce Lee Club, the display featured Lee memorabilia and a Kato look-alike, the kung-fu chopping chauffeur Lee played in the 1960s TV show, “The Green Hornet,” which still airs on television in Hong Kong.
Photos and posters showed Lee in the pose that made him famous - arms thrust forward, legs spread and that menacing, piercing gaze which often heralded a bone-crunching attack and an “aaaaaaaaaHHHHH!” yell.
Lee’s films were made without the computer wizardry and complex special effects that have skyrocketed budgets and featured in recent offerings from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and their ilk.
Yet Lee’s last complete film, “Enter the Dragon,” grossed more than $100 million, and remains a favorite for armchair action-film addicts.
All 24 stores of KPS, Hong Kong’s largest video rental chain, stock Bruce Lee’s movies, which continue to be popular, from generation to generation, according to spokesman Ken Yip.
Why?
“He spread the Chinese spirit everywhere. He made us feel proud of ourselves,” says Mok Kwong-yim, 39, a civil servant desperate to be photographed with the Kato clone.
Lawrence Cheng, the Bruce Lee Club’s secretary, recalls how as a kid he wore baggy pants and vests like his hero and studied his films - “fascinated at how Lee could kick five times in a row.”