Thirty years after his mysterious death, Bruce Lee (Li Xiaolong) is more popular than ever. He may be one of the most famous Chinese ever and the man Hong Kong's film industry can thank for its global reach.
Lee was born in 1940 in the US. The family moved to Hong Kong a year later.
He had a carefree childhood. His father was a successful actor and his mother's family was very wealthy.
He decided to study martial arts to defend himself when some boys at school teased him for being a rich kid.
He returned to the US in 1959. His years there are well-documented: philosophy studies at the University of Washington; marriage to a Seattle girl; and development of his own martial arts style "jeet kune do" (Jie Quan Dao), "way of the intercepting fist."
After some frustrating parts in a TV series, Lee started looking at Asia, in 1971. Producer Raymond Chow (Zou Wenhuai), who was setting up a movie studio, Golden Harvest, discovered him.
Lee's first three movies for Chow made him a superstar within two years. Each of them broke Hong Kong box-office records and they were the first Asian films with an impact on foreign markets.
The themes were basically the same: Lee innocently strolls into town, sees fellow Chinese being humiliated, and can restrain himself no longer, and beats the foreign oppressors.
Lee used his Chinese and immigrant experiences to present a version of Chinese masculinity that could take on the world. He had been acting and fighting on screen all his life. However, Lee died just before his next two big hits, "Enter the Dragon" and "The Game of Death", were released.
In an effort to keep the Lee legend alive, Golden Harvest began grooming the next generation of action stars. Jackie Chan (Cheng Long) was the most famous.
"Everyone was looking for a Bruce Lee replacement, but we'd never find one," says Raymond Chow. "You could find someone who was a good fighter or a better actor, or even more handsome, but that's not Bruce Lee. You'll never match his dedication, his loyalty to his profession, his charisma. Bruce had a lot more than just kung-fu."
(21st Century July 18, 2003)
