An early death is a curse.. certainly for the family of the departed. But in an odd and perverse kind of a way, it can be a blessing, particularly for celebrities, because death freezes the ageing process. This was reiterated to me in Hong Kong which is commemorating the 40th death anniversary of its iconic film star and martial arts expert Bruce Lee.

On July 20, 40 years ago, Lee died at the age of 32, from a fatal allergic reaction to some medication. We are a group of seven Indian journalists invited by the Hong Kong Tourism Board to showcase the city to Indian tourists, and mark the launch of Durjoy Dutta’s novel Hold my Hand, based in Hong Kong, at the annual book fair. Expectedly, our tour begins with visits to the places which are celebrating the legacy of Hong Kong’s most celebrated son.

On Lee’s 40th death anniversary there are heated public discussions on why the Hong Kong government has not yet established a permanent museum to celebrate one of its most famous stars. On Saturday a five-year exhibition was kicked off with much fanfare at the Heritage Museum. But on this occasion citizens are asking why the government could not resolve the dispute with the present owner of Bruce Lee’s house, and turn it into a Lee museum.

After Lee’s death the house was turned into a hotel – Love Hotel – that was rented by the hour, before it was bought by a rich businessman.

Anyway, returning to the into on early deaths, youngsters in my group want to know why we are chasing Bruce Lee. “Take us to meet Jackie Chan”, says an editor, male of course, of entertainment programming for an Indian television channel.

“But he is so old”, says Vivian, our tour guide, turning up her pretty nose. “We are going to see the statue of Bruce Lee on Hong Kong’s famous waterfront,” she adds, wondering why this Indian group was not all excited to do this pilgrimage, which included visiting the schools Lee studied in. The exhibition, we were told, would be very crowded and was not included in our itinerary.

Arriving at the waterfront, as the summer sun turns mellow and a cool breeze wafts through the region, we find the huge area a virtual mela. There are hundreds of hundreds of locals and tourists thronging the Avenue of Stars, where there are handprints of other famous Hong Kong stars. But Lee is the clear winner.

Lee was born in 1940 in San Francisco where his mother and father, the latter a opera singer on a 3-month tour of the US, were visiting. After the tour, they returned home to Hong Kong, and Lee became a child actor displaying kung fu but at 18 he was sent to the US to study as his parents were not impressed by his academic performance. He started acting in Hollywood films but disappointed at failing to make a mark there, he returned home to Hong Kong.

With his first film the Big Boss becoming a hit, the Bruce Lee magic began in Asia and swept the world. But he is specially revered and admired in Asia as a cult figure because he was seen to demonstrate to the world that an Asian man could be a big star in Hollywood. And, as Francis, a Hong Konger who had turned up on Sunday to pay his homage to Lee at the Avenue of Stars put it: “He proved to the world, as no other man had done before him, that Asian men are not only talented but also strong and sexy”.

The US-based Bruce Lee Foundation has lent hundreds of items for display at the Bruce Lee exhibition in his home town. The 600 items on display include the famous yellow track suit the actor wore in the film Game of Death, his poems written in English, and several family pictures. But the people of Hong Kong are using the occasion to push their government to finally settle the dispute with the owner of Lee’s former home and establish a permanent museum for their hero.

Rasheeda.bhagat@thehindu.co.in

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