50th death anniversary ng martial arts legend na si Bruce Lee, ginugunita
In this photo taken on July 15, 2023 visitors take pictures with a statue of Bruce Lee outside the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Hong Kong, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the martial arts star’s death on July 20. The martial arts legend Bruce Lee, whose films spawned a kung fu craze around the world, was one of the first Asian men to achieve Hollywood superstardom, and his influence can still be felt in Hong Kong as fans held exhibitions and martial arts workshops this week to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. (Photo by May JAMES / AFP)
Naaalala pa ng Hong Kong businessman na si W. Wong ang araw noong 1972, nang una niyang marinig ang mga bata sa kanilang lugar na nagbubulungan tungkol kay Bruce Lee.
Si Lee na isang ganap na martial artist na ang mga pelikula ang pinagmulan ng “kung fu craze” sa buong mundo, ay isa sa unang lalaking Asyano na sumikat sa Hollywood bago siya namatay sa edad na 32.
Ang kaniyang impluwensiya ay ramdam pa rin sa Hong Kong, kung saan niya ginugol ang kaniyang kabataan at ang mga huling taon ng kaniyang buhay, dahil sa linggong ito ay nagsagawa ng exhibitions at martial art workshops ang kaniyang fans bilang paggunita sa ika-50 anibersaryo ng kamatayan ni Lee.
W. Wong, chairman of Hong Kong’s Bruce Lee Club, looks at a bust of his childhood hero at an exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the martial arts legend’s death (Photo by ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)
Sinabi ng 54-anyos na si Wong, na siyang pinuno ng pinakamalaking fan club sa siyudad na loyal kay Lee sa halos tatlong dekada na, “Every child needs some kind of role model, and I chose Bruce Lee. I had hoped my life would resemble the Bruce Lee I saw: handsome, strong, with great martial arts skills and a heroic image.”
Sa isang studio para sa Wing Chun, ang istilo ng martial arts na pinapraktis ni Lee bago niya naimbento ang sarili niyang Jeet Kune Do method, ang martial arts master ay binibigyan ng mataas na paggalang.
Ayon sa 69-anyos na studio owner na si Cheng Chi-ping, “My cohort began their training under the shadow of Lee’s cultural influence but we could never match his speed, strength or physique.”
In this photo taken on July 18, 2023 a tourist takes a photo with the wax figure of Bruce Lee at the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Hong Kong, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the martial arts star’s death on July 20. The martial arts legend Bruce Lee, whose films spawned a kung fu craze around the world, was one of the first Asian men to achieve Hollywood superstardom, and his influence can still be felt in Hong Kong as fans held exhibitions and martial arts workshops this week to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. (Photo by Bertha WANG / AFP)
Sinabi naman ng 45-anyos na si Mic Leung na nag-train sa kaparehong studio, at noong siya ay teenager pa, ay naging masugid na tagasuporta ng mga pelikula ng martial artist, “Lee’s appeal had not diminished for the next generation. When we talk about the ‘god of martial arts,’ we could only be talking about Bruce Lee. There is no one else.”
Mic Leung (R) teaches students Wing Chun, the martial art studied by Bruce Lee before he developed his own system (Photo by May JAMES / AFP)
Ipinanganak sa San Francisco noong 1940, ngunit lumaki si Lee sa Hong Kong at maagang dumanas ng kasikatan bilang isang child actor, sa suporta ng kaniyang ama, na isang tanyag na Cantonese opera singer.
Sa edad na 18, ipinagpatuloy niya ang kaniyang pag-aaral sa Estados Unidos at ng sumunod na dekada ay nagturo ng martial arts at nagkaroon ng minor parts sa Hollywood, bago nakuha ang papel ni Kato sa television series na “The Green Hornet.”
Ngunit nabigyan si Lee ng una niyang lead role sa martial arts film sa pelikulang “The Big Boss” nang bumalik siya sa Hong Kong, na naging daan upang siya ay maging “household name” sa Asya makaraan iyong ipalabas noong 1971.
Nasundan ito ng dalawa pang box office hits nang sumunod na taon, ang “Fist of Fury” at “The Way of the Dragon” na naging daan upang tumatak ang katauhan ni Lee bilang isang “relentless, lightning-fast fighter.”
Portraits of Bruce Lee line an art exhibition in Hong Kong marking the 50th anniversary of his death (Photo by ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)
Nagawang matapos ni Lee ang shooting ng ika-apat niyang pelikula na “Enter the Dragon,” at nangangalahati na sa shooting ng ika-lima niyang pelikula nang siya ay mamatay noong July 20, 1973 dahil sa pamamaga ng utak, na isang “adverse reaction” sa painkillers.
Sinabi ng film scholar na si Aaron Han Joon Magnan-Park, na nagturo ng mga pelikula ni Lee sa University of Hong Kong, na si Lee ay nagpamalas ng isang uri ng Chinese identity hanggang sa labas ng national borders, “I would call Bruce Lee a paragon of Sinophone soft power success with Hong Kong characteristics.”
In this photo taken on July 15, 2023 visitors watch a documentary at the Bruce Lee exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Hong Kong, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the martial arts star’s death on July 20. The martial arts legend Bruce Lee, whose films spawned a kung fu craze around the world, was one of the first Asian men to achieve Hollywood superstardom, and his influence can still be felt in Hong Kong as fans held exhibitions and martial arts workshops this week to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. (Photo by May JAMES / AFP)
Sa Hollywood, si Lee ay naging tila sampal sa racist stereotypes, na nagpapakitang ang mga lalaking Asyano ay higit pa sa mga alila at kontrabida.
Sinabi ni Magnan-Park, “The scenes where he bares his torso and flexes his muscles in what I called the “kung fu striptease,” were essential because they show how ripped bodies can belong to Asian heroes as well. He made Asian men sexy, and that is something I don’t think we talk about enough.”
Ayon sa fan club chairman na si Wong, “Despite Lee’s enduring fame, preserving his legacy in Hong Kong was no easy task. Government support was intermittent at best”
Noong 2004 ay matagumpay na naipetisyon ng fans ang pagtatayo ng isang bronze statue ni Lee sa sikat na waterfront ng Hong Kong, subalit ang kampanya na ayusin ang dati niyang mansion ay hindi nagkaroon ng bisa upang mapigil ang demolisyon nito noong 2019.
A visitor poses with a statue of Bruce Lee on Hong Kong’s waterfront promenade (Photo by May JAMES / AFP)
Sa isang government-run museum exhibit na gumugunita sa naging buhay ni Lee, sinabi ng isang babae na ang apelyido ay Yip, “I wanted to share ‘a symbol of the old Hong Kong’ with my two children.”
Si Wong, na nag-organisa ng isang mas maliit na exhibit sa Sham Shui Po district, ay umamin na nababawasan na ang interes ng mga kabataan ngayon ngunit ang pilosopiya ni Lee ay may potensiyal na maging “relevant” muli.
A Hong Kong mural pays tribute to Bruce Lee, whose films spawned a kung fu craze around the world (Photo by Bertha WANG / AFP)
Tinukoy niya kung paanong ginamit ng mga protesters sa Hong Kong 2019 democracy movement ang mantra ni Lee na “Be water, my friend” bilang paalala na gamitin ang ‘flexible tactics of resistance.’
Ayon kay Wong, “As long as everyone still remembers (Lee), once your interest is piqued, you will have a chance to rediscover him.’
