Bruce Lee exhibition hits Hong Kong
By Hiufu Wong, CNN • Updated 3rd July 2013
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A kung fu legend, a cha cha champion, a record-breaking filmmaker and a poet.
Not one of the world's most random dinner party assemblies, but a single man who became an icon.
Bruce Lee was all of those things and a new exhibition in Hong Kong, where Lee spent his childhood and became a martial arts film star, is being launched to celebrate the man and commemorate the 40th anniversary of his death.
"Bruce Lee: Kung Fu. Art. Life" will open in the Hong Kong Heritage Museum on July 20, exactly 40 years after his death. It will run for five years.
Lee died on July 20, 1973, at 32, after suffering a reaction to pain medication, according to the Bruce Lee Foundation.
The exhibition gathers more than 600 items related to Lee from collectors and various institutions, including more than 400 from the Bruce Lee Foundation -- the largest number of artifacts the foundation has ever lent out.
Bruce Lee in "The Way of the Dragon," with Chuck Norris.
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Among the exhibits are his iconic yellow tracksuit, footage from Lee's eight classic films (including "The Big Boss," "Fists of Fury," "The Way of the Dragon," "Enter the Dragon" and "Game of Death"), the first American magazine cover featuring Lee and the notebook he kept featuring 108 different cha cha dance steps.
Lee won Hong Kong's Cha Cha Championship in 1958.
The exhibition will recreate scenes from Lee's movies, his gym and his study, and will also house a special collector series showcasing various items from around the world.
The first collection features more than 100 items from U.S. collector Perry Lee, related to the TV series "The Green Hornet," in which Lee starred as Kato.
Silver Cheung, a local film art director, will be the art director for the exhibition.
The Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers has produced a 75-minute documentary, "The Brilliant Life of Bruce Lee," which will be screened in the museum.
Sculptor Chu Tat-shing has created a new 3.5-meter side-kicking statue of Lee and animation artist Shannon Ma will present a 3D hologram animation of Lee's nunchaku moves and kicks.
Hong Kong's statue of Bruce Lee is a tourist favorite.
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The exhibition will run alongside other Bruce Lee programs organized by the museum, the first of which is themed, "The Bruce Lee that Hong Kong knew."
Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's daughter, will start the program with a gallery talk.
Reservations, online or at the door, are required. Online reservations are available from July 4 on the Hong Kong Heritage Museum's website.
Bruce Lee: Kung Fu. Art. Life, July 20, 2013-2018; Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin, Hong Kong; +852 2180 8188; HK$10 ($1.30) including ticket to the documentary; free admission on Wednesday; open Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m.-6p.m. (weekdays) and 10 a.m.-7p.m. (weekend and public holidays)
