What a pity we could not preserve the former home of city's most famous son for posterity
LAM WOON-KWONG
PUBLISHED : Friday, 20 November, 2015, 12:02am
UPDATED : Friday, 20 November, 2015, 12:02am
Lee's true interest lay in the martial arts. His favourite was wing chun, arguably the most practical style of Chinese kung fu. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Travelling in a Kyoto taxi the weekend before last, the Japanese driver asked where we came from. When we said we were from Hong Kong, he remarked, "Ah, Bruce Lee! We like him." Polls have indeed shown consistently that Lee remains the top iconic figure from Hong Kong, more than four decades after his death.
Bruce Lee once said: "The key to immortality is to live a life worth remembering." He achieved that in every sense of his words. Though California was his birthplace as well as his burial ground, he was seen as a true son of Hong Kong. That is an accurate description: he was brought up here under his father, Lee Hoi-chuen, a famous Cantonese opera actor who had travelled widely and performed among Chinese communities all over the world. His mother, Grace Ho, was also a remarkable lady: not just for her beauty but more for her Western education and inclusive values, which were rare among women in the pre-war days of Hong Kong. That was possible because she was the niece of Sir Robert Hotung, a Eurasian and the top community leader of his time.
The unique family background gave Lee the early opportunity to be exposed to the world of cinema, where he proved to be well-suited even when he was a teenager. It also gave him the mindset that the world would be his stage, and that his future need not be tied to this tiny island.
Lee's true interest lay in the martial arts. His favourite was wing chun, arguably the most practical style of Chinese kung fu. He had luck at St Francis Xavier's College, where he was mentored passionately by Brother Edward Muss, who also happened to be the coach of the school's boxing team to which Lee's youthful energy was then directed. He fused the two disciplines effectively, laying the ground for his own unique style of martial arts, the jeet kune do, which he developed when he stayed in the US.
In many ways, Lee's strengths epitomised Hong Kong's: rooted in traditional Chinese culture and way of life, he also came to appreciate Western values and acquired diverse skills with an open mind. He was admired by people all over the world; in developing countries, where he was seen as an icon fighting against injustice; as well as in former battlefields like Mostar in Bosnia, where the locals dedicated a statue of him to bring Muslim and Christian youths together again after the civil war, since Lee was a beloved hero to both sides.
It is saddening that we have not been able to preserve his former residence here as part of his legacy. Imagine how proud we could be and how many more tourist days would have been spent here had we turned it into a landmark for reminiscing on this remarkable martial and performing artist of the world.
Lam Woon-kwong is convenor of the Executive Council
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1880598/bruce-lee-global-hero-who-epitomised-hong-kongs-strengths-its-just
