Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee in the film Enter the Dragon.

Bruce Jun Fan Lee - (November 27, 1940 - July 20, 1973) was a Chinese American martial artist and actor widely regarded as the most influential, well-known and celebrated martial artist of the 20th century. Lee's films, especially his performance in the Hollywood-produced Enter the Dragon, elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level. His pioneering efforts paved the way for future martial artists and martial arts actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Chuck Norris.

Lee's movies sparked the first major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in Hong Kong, China, and the rest of the world. Lee became an iconic figure particularly to Chinese; as he portrayed Chinese national pride and Chinese nationalism in his movies."Bruce Lee King of Kung-Fu", Dennis, Felix & Atyeo, Don, Straight Arrow Books, U.S. (1974) First Printing, ISBN 0-87932-088-5

Many see Lee as a model blueprint for acquiring a strong and efficient body as well as developing a mastery of martial arts and hand to hand combat skills. Lee began the process of creating his own fighting system known as Jeet Kune Do. Bruce Lee's evaluation of traditional martial arts doctrines is nowadays seen as the first step into the modern style of mixed martial arts.

Contents

Early life

Bruce Lee was an American Born Chinese (ABC) born at the Chinese HospitalChinese Hospital [link] - Radiology 845 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94133. in San Francisco in 1940 to his Chinese father Lee Hoi-Chuen (李海泉) and Chinese-GermanYang, Jeff, et all. Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture. Boston/New York: Meridian/Houghton Mifflin, 1997. mother Grace Lee (何金棠), where Bruce's parents were on a one-year U.S. tour with the Cantonese Opera Company. Bruce's maternal grandmother was Chinese and his maternal grandfather was German.

Names

Screenshot from Thunderstorm, one of a few movies Lee Siu Lung starred in as a teenager.

Bruce's Cantonese given name, Jun Fan (振藩; Mandarin Pinyin: Zhènfán), literally means "invigorate San Francisco" (三藩市)."The Bruce Lee Story", Lee, Linda & Bleecker, Tom, OHRA PUBLICATIONS INC., U.S. (1989) First Printing, ISBN 0-89750-121-7 At birth, he was given the English name "Bruce" by Dr. Mary Glover. Mrs. Lee had not initially planned on an American name but deemed it appropriate and concurred with Dr. Glover."Bruce Lee The Untold Story", Lee, Grace & Unique Pub. Editors, CFW Enterprise UNIQUE PUBLICATIONS, U.S. (1980) First Printing, ISBN 0865680094 Interestingly the name "Bruce" was never used within his family until he enrolled in La Salle College, a Hong Kong high school, at 12 years of age, and then again at another Catholic boys' school, St Francis Xavier's College, Kowloon, where he represented their boxing team in inter-school events.

In addition, Lee initially had a birth name Li Yuen Kam(李炫金); Mandarin Pinyin: Lǐ Xuànjīn) given by his mother, as at the time Lee's father was away on a Chinese opera tour. After several months, when Lee's father returned, the name was abandoned because of a conflict with the name of Lee's grandfather. Lee was then renamed Jun Fan. Finally, Lee was also given a feminine name, Sai Fung (細鳳, literally "small phoenix"), used throughout his early childhood in keeping with a Chinese custom traditionally thought to hide the child from evil spirits.

Bruce Lee's screen name was Lee Siu Lung in Cantonese and Li Xiao Long in Mandarin (李小龍; Cantonese pengyam: Ley⁵ Siw² Long⁴; Mandarin Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng) which literally means "Lee Little Dragon." These were first used by director 袁步雲 of the 1950 Cantonese movie 細路祥 in which Lee performed. It is possible that that the name "little dragon" was chosen based on his childhood name "small phoenix". In Chinese tradition, the Chinese dragon and phoenix come in pairs to represent the male and female genders, respectively. However, it is more likely that he was called Little Dragon because he was born in the Year of the Dragon in the Hour of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac.

Education and family

At age 14, Bruce Lee entered La Salle College, a high school, under the wing of Brother Henry. Then, he attended St Francis Xavier's College from 1957-1959.

In 1959, Bruce got into a fight with a feared Triad gang member's son, his father became concerned about young Bruce's safety and as a result, he and his wife decided to send Bruce to the United States to live with an old friend of his father's. All he had was $100 in his pocket and the title of 1958 Crown Colony Cha Cha Champion of Hong Kong. After living in San Francisco, he moved to Seattle to work for Ruby Chow, another friend of his father's. In 1959, Lee completed his high school education in Seattle and received his diploma from Edison Technical School. He enrolled at the University of Washington as a philosophy major. It was at the University of Washington that he met his future wife Linda Emery, whom he would marry in 1964.

Bruce and Linda had two children together, Brandon Lee (born 1965) and Shannon Lee (born 1969). Brandon, an actor like his father, died on a movie set while filming The Crow on March 31, 1993.

Early acting career

A few credits short of graduation from the University of Washington as a philosophy major, Lee headed to San Francisco and then Hollywood.

In 1964 at a demonstration in Long Beach, California, the soon-to-be-famous Bruce Lee met karate black belt champion Chuck Norris. Lee would later introduce Norris to portray one of Lee's opponents in Return of the Dragon, also known as Way of the Dragon, in a famous Colosseum fight scene regarded by many as one of the best martial arts fights ever filmed.

Lee went on to star as Kato in the TV series The Green Hornet, which ran from 1966 to 1967 and afterward opened up his own Jeet Kune Do school. Later Lee would use filmmaking to demonstrate his martial arts fighting techniques and theories.

He had created the character idea for the role of Kwai-Chang-Caine for the TV Series Kung Fu, but the role eventually went to David Carradine instead.

Martial arts training and development

Tai Chi Chuan

Young Bruce learned the fundamentals of Wu style Tai Chi Chuan from his father, Lee Hoi Cheun. Lee's Wing Chun Sifu, Yip Man, was also a colleague and friend of Hong Kong Wu family teacher Wu Ta-chi. He always held that the principles of Tai Chi Chuan influenced his view of martial arts all through his life as an actor and a martial artist. While it is obvious that the style studied by his father was the Wu style, Lee was seen on at least one occasion demonstrating the 108 Basic Movements of the Yang form.

Hung Gar

In between the learning of Tai Chi and Wing Chun, Lee also learned bits and pieces of the Kung fu style Hung Gar from a friend of his father. While we do not know how much he learned of this particular martial art, there are photographs of Bruce demonstrating animal stances and forms found within its teachings.

Wing Chun

Bruce Lee began his formal martial arts training at the age of 14 in Wing Chun under Hong Kong Wing Chun master Yip Man. Bruce was introduced to Sifu Yip Man by William Cheung, who was then a live-in student of Yip Man, in early 1954. Like most martial arts schools at that time, Sifu Yip Man's classes were often taught by the highest ranking students. One of the highest ranking students under Yip Man at the time of Lee's training was Wong Shun-leung, who is understood to have had the largest influence. Lee would leave before learning the entire Wing Chun curriculum, but Wing Chun formed a base for his later explorations of martial arts and development of Jeet Kune Do.

Bruce Lee's first formal, organized bout came as a teenager at his high school in Hong Kong. He was to fight a young British boxer, a reigning two-time boxing champion. Bruce knocked his opponent out with repeated strikes, using the Wing Chun technique jik chung chuy.

Jun Fan Gung Fu

It would not be until his arrival in the United States, however, that Lee began the process of creating his own system, which he would later teach at the martial arts schools he opened first in Seattle starting with judo practitioner Jesse Glover as his first student who later became his first assistant instructor, and the first person authorized by Lee to teach aspects of Bruce Lee's Gung Fu. After moving to Oakland and Los Angeles, California Lee opened his martial arts school named the Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute.

Jeet Kune Do

The Jeet Kune Do Emblem. The Chinese characters around the Taijitu symbol indicate: "Using no way as way" & "Having no limitation as limitation" The arrows represent the endless movement and change of the universe.

Bruce Lee believed that martial arts styles were limited by their very nature. Instead, he emphasized what he called "the style of no style". This consisted of utilizing a non-formalized approach which Lee claimed was not indicative of traditional styles. Lee named his martial arts system Jun Fan Gung Fu, which consisted mostly of elements of Wing Chun, with elements of Western Boxing, Fencing. Eventually Jun Fan Gung Fu transformed itself to what he would come to describe as Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist.

Lee claimed that, after arriving in San Francisco, his theories about martial arts and his teaching of "secret" Chinese martial arts to non-Asian students gave him enemies in the martial arts community. A contest was scheduled between him and Wong Jack Man, a practitioner of Northern Shaolin Kung fu.

Bruce Lee's description of the fight was that Wong Jack Man challenged him to a duel over his decision to teach non-Chinese students. Bruce Lee accepted the challenge. Many who witnessed the fight believed Lee had won the duel, however Wong disputes this. Lee later took the view that the fight took "too long" because traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalistic to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting. Perhaps as a result of this fight, he decided to develop a system with an emphasis on "practicality, flexibilty, speed, and efficiency".

Beyond Jeet Kune Do

The match with Wong influenced Lee's philosophy on fighting. Lee believed that the fight had lasted too long and that he had failed to live up to his potential. At this point he decided to start different methods of training such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted.

Bruce Lee certified three instructors: Dan Inosanto, Taky Kimura, and James Yimm Lee (no relation to Bruce Lee). James Yimm Lee, a close friend of Bruce Lee, died without certifying additional students. Taky Kimura, to date, has certified one person in Jun Fan Gung Fu: his son and heir Andy Kimura. All other instructors are certified under Dan Inosanto. Prior to his death, Lee told his then only two living instructors Inosanto and Kimura (James Yimm Lee had died in 1972.) to dismantle his schools. Both Taky Kimura and Dan Inosanto were allowed to teach small classes thereafter without using the name Jeet Kune Do. Lee specifically said to Inosanto "Keep the numbers small and the quality high".

As a result of a lawsuit between the estate of Bruce Lee (also known as Concord Moon) and the Inosanto Academy, the name "Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do" was legally trademarked, and the rights were given solely to the Lee estate. "The name is made up of two parts: 'Jun Fan' (Bruce’s given Chinese name) and 'Jeet Kune Do' (the Way of the Intercepting Fist). The development of Bruce Lee’s art from 1961 until the end of his life was one smooth and indivisible path. In the beginning, he referred to his teachings simply as Jun Fan Gung Fu. Later he further refined his art as a unique Gung fu all its own – Jeet Kune Do" (from the Bruce Lee Foundation Web site).

Some martial arts instructors, in an effort to promote themselves or their martial arts schools, make dubious claims about learning from or teaching Bruce Lee. There are only a few living people who can trace their lineage directly to Bruce Lee.

1964

Bruce Lee's "One inch punch"

At the invitation of Ed Parker, Lee appeared in the 1964 [Long Beach International Karate Championship] and performed repetitions of two-finger pushups (using the thumb and the index finger) with feet at approximately a shoulder-width apart. In the same Long Beach event he also performed the "One inch punch". The description of which is as follows: Lee stood upright, his right foot forward with knees bent slightly, in front of a standing, stationary partner. Lee's right arm was partly extended and his right fist approximately an inch away from the partner's chest. Without retracting his right arm, Lee then forcibly delivered the punch to his partner while largely maintaining his posture, sending the partner backwards and falling into a chair placed behind the partner to prevent injury, though the force of the impact caused his partner to soon after fall onto the floor.

Physical fitness and nutrition

Lee flexing (1972), front

Bruce Lee felt that many martial artists of his day did not spend enough time on physical conditioning. Bruce did not resort to traditional bodybuilding techniques to build mass; he was more interested in speed and power.

The weight training program that Lee used during a stay in Hong Kong in 1965 indicated bicep curls of eighty pounds and eight repetitionsLee, Linda. 1989. The Bruce Lee Story Ohara Publications, California. (p.70) for endurance. This translates to an estimated one repetition maximum of 110 pounds, Wathen, Dan. 1994. Load Assignment. In Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Human Kinetics, Illinois. (p.436) placing Lee in approximately the 100th percentile for the 121 to 140 pound weight class.Hatfield, Fredrick C., Ph. D. 1993. Fitness: The Complete Guide. International Sport Sciences Association, California. (p.119)

Lee believed that the abdominal muscles were one of the most important muscle groups for a martial artist, since virtually every movement requires some degree of abdominal work. Perhaps more importantly, the "abs" are like a shell, protecting the ribs and vital organs. Bruce Lee's washboard abs did not come from mere abdominal training; he was also a proponent of cardiovascular conditioning and would regularly run, jump rope, and ride a stationary bicycle. A typical exercise for Lee would be to run a distance of two to six miles in fifteen to forty-five minutes.

Another element in Bruce Lee's quest for abdominal definition was nutrition. According to Linda Lee, soon after he moved to the United States, Bruce started to take nutrition seriously and developed an interest in health foods and high-protein drinks. He ate lean meat sparingly and consumed large amounts of fruits and vegetables.

Bruce Lee's feats

Bruce Lee's two finger push ups

Bruce Lee's striking speed from 2 feet away was five hundredths of a second. (GloverBruce Lee The Divine Wind. [Facts Feats] ''The accuracy of this source has been disputed: see .)
Bruce did one-hand push ups using only 2 fingers.
Bruce was able to break a 150 lb bag with a sidekick. (Coburn)
Bruce would ride for 45 minutes (10 Miles) on a stationary bike, sweating profusely afterwards. (Uhera )
Bruce's last movie Enter the Dragon was made for US$850,000 in 1973 ($3.74 million in 2005 currency. BLSU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. [Inflation Calculator]). To date, Enter the Dragon has grossed over $100,000,000. (IMDB.comInternet Movie Database. [link])
Bruce was able to hold a 125-pound barbell at arms length in front of him (with elbows locked) for several seconds. (LittleJohn Little. [Warm Marble])

Quotes from Bruce Lee's friends

These are some quotes from Bruce Lee's students and people who trained with him about his feats of strength:

Chuck Norris
* "Lee, pound for pound, might well have been one of the strongest men in the world, and certainly one of the quickest."
Doug Palmer
* "Bruce was like the Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali in his prime, somebody who stood above everyone else. It's not that the other martial artists weren't good. It's just that this guy was great."
Herb Jackson
* "The biggest problem in designing equipment for Bruce was that he'd go through it so damn fast. I had to reinforce his wooden dummy with automobile parts so he could train on it without breaking it. I had started to build him a mobile dummy that could actually attack and retreat to better simulate "live" combat, sadly Bruce died before the machine was built. It would have been strung up by big high-tension cables that I was going to connect between two posts, one on either side of his backyard. The reason for the machine was simply because no one could stand up to his full force punches and kicks, Bruce's strength and skill had evolved to a point where he had to fight machines."
* "He never trained in a gym, he thought he could concentrate better at home, so he worked out on his patio. He had a small weight set, something like a standard 100 lb cast-iron set. In addition, he had a 310 lb Olympic barbell set, a bench press and some dumbbells, both solid and adjustable."
* "Bruce used to beat all other comers at this type of wrist wrestling and even joked that he wanted to be world champion at it."
James Coburn
* "Bruce and I were training out on my patio one day, we were using this giant bag for side kicks, I guess it weighed about 150 lb. Bruce looked at it and just went Bang, it shot up out into the lawn about 15 ft in the air, it then busted in the middle. It was filled with little bits and pieces of rag, we were picking up bits of rag for months."
Jesse Glover
* "When he could do push ups on his thumbs and push ups with 250 lb on his back, he moved on to other exercises."
* "The power that Lee was capable of instantly generating was absolutely frightening to his fellow martial artists, especially his sparring partners, and his speed was equally intimidating. We timed him with an electric timer once, and Bruce's quickest movements were around five hundredths of a second, his slowest were around eight hundredths. This was punching from a relaxed position with his hands down at his sides from a distance between 18-24 inches. Not only was he amazingly quick, but he could read you too. He could pick up on small subtle things that you were getting ready to do and then he'd just shut you down."
* "Bruce was gravitating more and more toward weight training as he would use the weighted wall pulleys and do series upon series with them. He'd also grab one of the old rusty barbells that littered the floor at the YMCA and would roll it up and down his forearms, which is no small feat when you consider that the barbell weighed 70 lb."
Jim Kelly
* "Bruce, well I can basically say this. I have been around a lot of great martial arts fighters. Worked out with them. Fought them in tournaments. In my opinion Bruce Lee was the greatest martial artist who ever lived. To me thats my opinion. I think Bruce Lee is the greatest martial artist ever. I don't think anybody is in his class."
Joe Lewis
* "Bruce was incredibly strong for his size. He could take a 75 lb barbell and from a standing position with the barbell held flush against his chest, he could slowly stick his arms out, lock them and hold the barbell there for 20 seconds, that's pretty damn tough for a guy who at the time only weighed 138 lb. I know 200 lb weight lifters who can't do that."
* " I never stood in front of another human who was as quick as him. He not only had the quickness but he had the inner confidence to muster the conviction to do so. I've seen others who had the speed but lack conviction or vice versa. He was like Ali, he had both. I stood before both of these men, so I know."
* "If Bruce Lee wasn´t the greatest martial artist of all time, then certainly he is the number one candidate." ([Source])
Leo Fong
* "Yes, I was on the receiving end of his side kick. It was like getting hit with a truck."
Mito Uhera
* "Bruce always felt that if your stomach wasn't developed, then you had no business doing any hard sparring."
James Rage
* "I think its important for people to realize that he was not only one of history's greatest martial artists, but also one of the finest athletes period. His devotion to physical exercise and healthy lifestyle was mind-boggling."

Death by \"misadventure\"

Bruce Lee's death was officially attributed to cerebral edema.

On July 20, 1973, Lee was in Hong Kong, due to have dinner with former James Bond star George Lazenby, with whom he intended to make a film. According to Lee's wife Linda, Bruce met producer Raymond Chow at 2 P.M. at home to discuss the making of the movie Game of Death. They worked until 4 P.M. and then drove together to the home of Betty Ting Pei, a Taiwanese actress (claimed by some to be Lee's mistress) who was to have a leading role in the film. The three went over the script at her home, and then Chow left to attend a dinner meeting.

A short time later, Lee complained of a headache, and Ting Pei gave him an analgesic. At around 7:30 P.M., he lay down for a nap. After Lee didn't turn up for the dinner, Chow came to the apartment but could not wake Lee up. A doctor was summoned, who spent ten minutes attempting to revive him before sending him by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. However, Lee was dead by the time he reached the hospital. There was no visible external injury; however, his brain had swollen considerably, from 1,400 to 1,575 grams (13%). Lee was thirty-two years old. On October 15, 2005, Chow stated in an interview that Lee was allergic to Equagesic. When the doctors announced Bruce Lee's death officially, it was pronounced Death by Misadventure.

However, the exact details of Lee's death are controversial. Bruce Lee's iconic status and unusual death at a young age led many people to develop many theories about Lee's death, such as a murder involving Triads, gangsters, ninjas, and so on — none of these has ever been proven.

Another conspiracy theory states that Lee faked his death, and will return when he has perfected his martial arts

Filmography

Lee starred in a leading role in a total of five major films, two of which (Enter the Dragon, Game of Death) premiered after his death.

Martial artist and movie star Bruce Lee's sculpture in the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong

Released # Chinese and English title of original release U.S. title Note
1971 1 《唐山大兄》 The Big Boss Fists of Fury Plays "Cheng Chao-an". Fights against a drug lord in Thailand.
1972 2 《精武門》 Fist of Fury The Chinese Connection Plays the character "Chen Jian". Fights against Japanese tyrants in Shanghai.
1972 3 《猛龍過江》 Way of the Dragon Return of the Dragon Plays "Tang Long". Fights crime in Rome, Italy. Released after 'Enter the Dragon' in the U.S.; hence the title.
1973 4 《龍爭虎鬥》 Enter the Dragon same Plays Shaolin martial arts master "Mr. Lee". Sent to fight in a tournament, and to spy on a rogue monk turned drug lord.
1979 5 《死亡遊戲》 Game of Death same Plays Martial arts master "Billy Lo". Bruce Lee appears in the last third of the movie, due to it being pieced together after his death.

Released	#	Chinese and English title of original release	U.S. title	Note
1971	1	《唐山大兄》 The Big Boss	Fists of Fury	Plays "Cheng Chao-an". Fights against a drug lord in Thailand.
1972	2	《精武門》 Fist of Fury	The Chinese Connection	Plays the character "Chen Jian". Fights against Japanese tyrants in Shanghai.
1972	3	《猛龍過江》 Way of the Dragon	Return of the Dragon	Plays "Tang Long". Fights crime in Rome, Italy. Released after 'Enter the Dragon' in the U.S.; hence the title.
1973	4	《龍爭虎鬥》 Enter the Dragon	same	Plays Shaolin martial arts master "Mr. Lee". Sent to fight in a tournament, and to spy on a rogue monk turned drug lord.
1979	5	《死亡遊戲》 Game of Death	same	Plays Martial arts master "Billy Lo". Bruce Lee appears in the last third of the movie, due to it being pieced together after his death.

Note: The English titles for the first two films were swapped by the U.S. distributor. The title The Chinese Connection (a play on the then-recently-released The French Connection) was originally intended for The Big Boss due to the drugs theme of the story.

Yuen Lo (Later to become action super star Jackie Chan), was a member of the Seven Little Fortunes he was a stunt double for the villain Mr. Suzuki in Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury. For that film, Chan made a record fall of 15 feet without the aid of safety equipment. Also, during filming of Enter the Dragon, Chan was one of the henchmen disposed of in the underground lair and Chan was hit in the face by Bruce Lee's double escrima sticks.

Yuen Wah, also a member of the Seven Little Fortunes, and later to become a well known actor in his own right (notably starring in 2005's Kung Fu Hustle), was Lee's stunt double in Lee's last few films.

Philosophy

Although Bruce Lee is best known as a martial artist and actor, Lee majored in philosophy at the University of Washington. Lee's books on martial arts and fighting philosophy are well-known both for their philosophical assertions both inside and outside of martial arts circles. His philosophy often mirrored his fighting beliefs, though he was quick to claim that his martial arts were solely a metaphor for such teachings. His influences include Taoism and Buddhism.

The following are some of Bruce Lee's quotes that reflect his fighting philosophy.

"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying."
"Be formless... shapeless like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, and it can crash. Be water, my friend..."
"Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it."
"The more relaxed the muscles are, the more energy can flow through the body. Using muscular tensions to try to 'do' the punch or attempting to use brute force to knock someone over will only work to opposite effect."
"Mere technical knowledge is only the beginning of Kung Fu. To master it, one must enter into the spirit of it."
"There are lots of guys around the world that are lazy. They have big fat guts. They talk about chi power and things they can do, but don't believe it."
"I'm not a master. I'm a student-master, meaning that I have the knowledge of a master and the expertise of a master, but I'm still learning. So I'm a student-master. I don't believe in the word 'master.' I consider the master as such when they close the casket."
"Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there."
"Jeet Kune Do: it's just a name; don't fuss over it. There's no such thing as a style if you understand the roots of combat."
"Unfortunately, now in boxing people are only allowed to punch. In Judo, people are only allowed to throw. I do not despise these kinds of martial arts. What I mean is, we now find rigid forms which create differences among clans, and the world of martial art is shattered as a result."
"I think the high state of martial art, in application, must have no absolute form. And, to tackle pattern A with pattern B may not be absolutely correct."
"True observation begins when one is devoid of set patterns."
"The other weakness is, when clans are formed, the people of a clan will hold their kind of martial art as the only truth and do not dare to reform or improve it. Thus they are confined in their own tiny little world. Their students become machines which imitate martial art forms."
"Some people are tall; some are short. Some are stout; some are slim. There are various different kinds of people. If all of them learn the same martial art form, then who does it fit?"
"Ultimately, martial art means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy for me to put on a show and be cocky so I can show you some really fancy movement. But to express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself, and to express myself honestly enough; that my friend is very hard to do."
"Use no way as way; use no limitation as limitation."

See for more quotes by Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee and popular culture

Main article: Bruce Lee and popular culture

There exists many references to Bruce Lee in popular culture, which are covered in a separate article.

Awards and honours

With his ancestral roots coming from Gwan'on in Seundak, Guangdong province of China (广东顺德均安, Guangdong Shunde Jun'An), a street in the village is named after him where his ancestral home is situated. The home is open for public access.
Bruce Lee was named TIME Magazine 's 100 Most Important People of the Century and as one of the greatest heroes & icons and among the influential martial artists of the 20th century.
The 1993 film is a slightly fictionalized biographical film about Bruce Lee.
On July 21, 2003, to his 30th year of death, "Things Asian" published an article: Lee´s Legend remains strong 30 years after his death and in the process he establish his place in martial arts as "the greatest martial artist of all-time". ([Source])
In 2004, UFC president Dana White credited Bruce Lee as the "father of mixed martial arts"Wickert, Marc. 2004. Dana White and the future of UFC. kucklepit.com. See [Wikiquotes] for the text..
In September 2004, a [a BBC story] stated that the Bosnian city of Mostar was to honor Lee with a statue on the Spanish Square, as a symbol of solidarity. After many years of war and religious splits, Lee's figure is to commend his work: to successfully bridge culture gaps in the world. The statue, placed in the city park, was unveiled on November 26, 2005 (One day before the unveiling of the statue in Hong Kong, below).
In 2005, Lee was remembered in Hong Kong with a bronze statue to mark his sixty-fifth birthday. The bronze statue, unveiled on November 27, 2005, honored Lee as Chinese film's bright star of the century. [link]
Lee has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category Motion Picture, at 6933 Hollywood Blvd [link]

Martial arts lineage

Lineage in Wing Chun / Jeet Kune Do
Sifu in Wing Chun	Yip Man (葉問)
Other instructors	Sihing Wong Shun-leung (黃惇樑)
Notable Sparring partner	Toe Dai Hawkins Cheung Note: He was Bruce Lee's friend at the time.
Bruce Lee (李小龍) Creator of Jeet Kune Do
Known students in Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do	Jesse Glover Steve Golden Dan Inosanto Taky Kimura Jerry Poteet Ted Wong James Yimm Lee Numerous others...
Famous students taught Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar James Coburn Joe Lewis Roman Polanski Lee Marvin Steve McQueen Chuck Norris Numerous others...

Books authored

Books about Bruce Lee and/or JKD

Absorb What Is Useful - written by Dan Inosanto mostly about JKD training practices.
Bruce Lee Between Wing Chun and JKD - written by Jesse Glover
- a book about Bruce Lee's philosophy
- a biography by Bruce Thomas
Striking Thoughts - thoughts and quotes of Bruce Lee
The Tao of Bruce Lee - written by Davis Miller mostly about Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee documentaries

- Documentary by John Little based on his book by the same name.
- Includes interviews with Bruce Lee's students, and cast and crew members.
Bruce Lee: The Immortal Dragon - Documentary from the Biography Channel
Jeet Kune Do - Documentary by Wah Chan. More about JKD but contains much Bruce Lee footage.

References

External links

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