Martial arts legend Bruce Lee remembered 50 years after death
Fans of late martial arts legend Bruce Lee have gathered in Hong Kong to commemorate their idol’s death half a century ago, remembering his legacy and his life philosophy on persistence.
Lee, who was born in San Francisco but raised in the Asian financial hub, was famous for his martial arts talent and his fight against racist portrayals of Asians on big and small screens in the 1960s and 70s. He died at the height of his fame due to an allergic reaction to painkillers when he was 32.
AP is reporting that the 50th anniversary of Lee’s death drew fans to exhibitions in Hong Kong on his life and career.
They also laid flowers at his statue at the Avenue of Stars, a tourist attraction modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the Kowloon shore of Victoria Harbor.
A government-run museum organized a camp for students to learn about Lee’s legacy by introducing them to Jeet Kune Do, the martial arts style that Lee invented and practiced. The museum also screened his films.
Many of Lee’s supporters said his philosophy inspired them since they were young, even though many only learned about him and his works after his death.
Lee began his career as a child actor in the 1940s and started learning Chinese kung fu when he was 13.
He moved back to the U.S. in 1959 and studied philosophy at the University of Washington.
