On 27 November, on what would have been the King of
Kung Fu’s 80th birthday, we remember Bruce Lee with a cinematic adventure
through Hong Kong
If one had to define a “legend,” taking a page from the life, philosophy and talent of Bruce Lee would be an excellent place to start. The actor and martial arts master, who leapt into kung fu TV shows and movies in the 1960s, remains an icon of 20th-century motion pictures.
It’s been almost 50 years since his death, yet his meteoric rise as one of the first and few Asian men to conquer Hollywood led to a lasting legacy. “Lee changed cinema and martial arts, paving the way for a new genre of kung fu movies and a whole class of actors and fighters after him,” said Abe Santos,asenior instructor at Jun Fan Gung Fu Academy in Seattle. Santos trained under Taky Kimura – Lee’s highest-ranking student, closest friend, biographer, and pallbearer at his funeral.
Born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong, Lee began studying martial arts as a teenager, fuelled by a relentless work ethic. Following the footsteps of his father, Lee Moon-shuen (known professionally as Hoi-chuen), who acted in Cantonese opera and films, he started his acting career with films like 1950’s Hong Kong drama The Kid and the 1960’s movieThe Orphan, eventually appearing in fleeting American television series, such as The Green Hornet.
But it was his Hong Kong-produced films that propelled him to stardom, namely 1971’s The Big Boss, 1972’s Fist of Fury, and 1973’s monumental Enter the Dragon, the star’s last completed film. The latter was not only the first martial arts movie co-produced by a Hollywood studio but also one of the most profitable films of all time.
Lee helped write the script, performed his own stunts, and choreographed the fight scenes, revolutionising kung fu movies. “He got rid of the gimmicks, such as the flying trapezes and the unrealistic fighting scenes, and showed the world what martial arts was about: a philosophy, a way of life,” saidSantos.
In Enter the Dragon, Lee played an undercover British intelligence agent who infiltrates the island fortress of Han, the movie’s villain. With Hong Kong landmarks such as Tsing Shan Monastery and Aberdeen Harbour clearly identifiable, the film serves as “homage to both the man and the city,” Santos said. “When you think of Bruce Lee, you can’t but think of Hong Kong, too. He’s part of the city’s identity, just like his movies.”
On 27 November, on what would have been Lee’s 80th birthday, we honour his legacy by tracing his footsteps through Hong Kong in eight memorable scenes from Enter the Dragon. While international journeysmay remain on hold, you can still reignite your passion for travelby re-watching the film and discovering a few of Hong Kong’s most famous – and lesser known – landmarks in the process. And when travel eventually resumes,get your kicks with this Enter the Dragon adventure through Hong Kong.
Victoria Harbour
Enter the Dragon opens with a stunning tribute to Hong Kong scenery, panning across Admiralty and Central, with glimpses of iconic buildings, such as Jardine House and Queen’s Building (where the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong stands now). The scene moves along the harbourfront, before venturing across Victoria Harbour and deep into Kowloon.
Experience
it yourself with a visit to The Peak for
similarly sweeping views, high tea at the Mandarin Oriental, and
a Star Ferry ride
across Victoria Harbour to the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, where you can pay
tribute to Bruce Lee’s two-metre-tall bronze statue on the recently renovated Avenue of the Stars.
Ching Chung Koon
Temple
The film’s first fight scene takes place at the Ching Chung Koontemple in Tuen Mun, where Bruce Lee faces off with a Shaolin fighter, played by prolific martial arts choreographer and director Sammo Hung, a big name in Hong Kong action cinema. Dating back to 1949, the temple once served as a place of worship and community for refugees from China. Today, it’s a sanctuary of tranquillity, where you can relax amid trees, flowers, ponds, rock gardens, gorgeous pavilions and waterfalls.
Tsing
Shan Monastery
After defeating Hung, Lee develops his fighting philosophy with his Shaolin master in Tsing Shan Monastery in Tuen Mun. Sitting at the foot of Castle Peak, Tsing Shan Monastery is one of Hong Kong's oldest temples, founded as early as the 400s AD by Buddhist master Pui To, an Indian monk who is said to have crossed the sea in a wooden cup. Although the complex was rebuilt in the 20th century, you can still channel the deep spiritual atmosphere depicted in the film.
Aberdeen Harbour
As the fighters meet to board a traditional Chinese junk boat to reach the island of the film’s main villain, Han, we get a front-row seat of Aberdeen Harbour. The scene showcases the area’s famous sampan fishing boats and humble houseboats.
Fifty years on, the Southside waterfront remains a must-visit experience for anyone wanting to explore the traditional, slower-paced side of the city. The former fishing village is home to an array of fishing vessels and has a spacious harbour-front promenade and seafood market, and is a popular site of Hong Kong’s famed dragon boat races every June.
Muslim Cemetery
In one of the film’s more intimate scenes, Lee visits his parents' graves in the Muslim Cemetery, which is part of the broader Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley. Founded in 1828, the gracefully terraced graveyard offers a quiet, calm place to wander above the buzzing city streets. It is also a historical destination of interest listed on the Commonwealth Grave’s Commission, as it contains six burials from the First World War and 19 from World War II.
Tai Tam Bay
Bruce Lee’s arrival on Han’s island, where he participates in a martial arts tournament, was actually shot in Tai Tam Bay, on Hong Kong island’s south coast. Tai Tam Country Park is one of the best places to spend a day out in Hong Kong, thanks to its hiking trails, World War II sites, lush reservoir and scenic coastlines.
Kai Tak
Hong Kong’s old Kai Tak Airport – previously known as one of the most challenging urban landings in the world – makes a brief appearance in Enter the Dragon as a plane flies overhead. Movie buffs visiting today will find a very different scene. When the airport closed in 1998, the government repurposed the area. Today, it is home to Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Park, the most extensive rooftop garden in Hong Kong, spanning 23,000 square metres – not to mention one of the world’s foremost cruise facilities, the waterfront Kai Tak Runway Park, and sweeping views of Victoria Harbour.
King Yin Lei
One of the most epic
fight scenes in Enter the Dragon has
to be Lee’s duel with Han in the “Hall of Mirrors” of
King Yin Lei, a historic mansion built in 1937. Serving as a rare example of Chinese
Renaissance style, the complex on Stubbs Road in Mid-Levels, now a
declared monument, exudes a mystical
allure, thanks to its neoclassical aesthetics, intricate details and grand architecture.
Bruce Lee: Kung
Fu ‧ Art ‧ Life
Looking for more ways to honour Bruce Lee’s legacy? When international travel resumes, visit the Bruce Lee: Kung Fu ‧ Art ‧ Life exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. The exhibition will end on 31 December 2020, when it will undergo a major revamp and reopen in second half of 2021. Held in collaboration with the Bruce Lee Foundation, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum has collected more than 600 invaluable pieces of Bruce Lee costumes, personal belongings and movie memorabilia for one of the most comprehensive celebrations of the film star and martial artist to date.
Images can be accessed
via https://hktb.filecamp.com/s/BruceLee/fo.
No comments:
Post a Comment