Bruce Lee Death Anniversary: Fans Pay Tribute To The Late Kung Fu Legend On His 50th Anniversary

On Thursday, the 50th anniversary of the untimely passing of the late kung fu legend Bruce Lee, admirers from Hong Kong and all over the world gathered at the foot of a statue to pay tribute. A steady stream of admirers stood in front of the life-size bronze monument with Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour in the background as they took selfies, bowed, and placed flowers on the ground.

Others displayed techniques from Lee's brand, 'Jeet Kune Do,' and threw 'nunchucks,' a linked double truncheon weapon which is popularised in multiple movies by Lee. People from Hong Kong, Asia, and the Chinese mainland all travelled there for the occasion.

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"I have loved Bruce Lee since I was very young," said South Korean Bruce Shin, who imitated Lee with a brush cut and large-framed sunglasses. "His body and figure was so mysterious. I wanted to be like him and did weight training for 50 years," Shin continued with high pitched yelps and unleashing rapid fire punches.

A brain swelling took Lee's life on July 20, 1973, at the age of 32, just days before the release of his worldwide hit film 'Enter the Dragon.' Lee was born in San Francisco but raised in Hong Kong.

Lee has inspired countless people all across the world with his contributions to martial arts and popular culture. However, some people in the formerly British colony saw his legacy as a relic of the past.

The Wing Chun style of Kung Fu, which Lee learned from his previous mentor Ip Man, is still taught at a number of schools, but gaining new students in the fast-paced, skyscraper-filled metropolis has proven challenging.

"Be water, my friend," one of Lee's most well-known quotes from an interview in 1971, served as an inspiration for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong in 2019.

It served as a model for months of impromptu, city-wide protests against Beijing's growing control over the international financial centre, which China regained in 1997. "Could you have ever imagined that after half a century, one person could be remembered all around the world?" said Wong Yiu-keung, the head of the local Bruce Lee Club.

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Japan's Sophie Uekawa claimed that Lee was beyond any particular location. "He's Chinese but he's cosmopolitan, he's not bounded by a border. He is a human being under the sky ... We have to tell the new generation about him and we have to carry on his spirit".