Hong Kong
Bruce Lee Lives On, Even After His Untimely Death In 1973
Man, on this day exactly 37 years ago in Hong Kong, the most influential martial artist and martial arts movie star died at the young age of only 32.
The world knew him as Bruce Lee, aka Little Dragon. He was born in San Francisco in 1940, but he and his family moved (back) to Hong Kong while he was still very young.
And even though it’s been almost four decades since he passed on, Bruce Lee still lives on in so many ways, because he has been able to touch millions of people through his acting and teachings.
I for myself can honestly say that it was Bruce Lee on the big screen that got me hooked on martial arts (in my case Shotokan karate for starters).
This post is not intended to be about me or even to re-hash Bruce Lee’s biography, but what I would love to hear your stories and experience about getting started in martial arts, self-defense training and how Bruce Lee affected your life.
I will leave you with this video clip as a tribute to honor Bruce Lee’s life and accomplishments:
Move Over, Jackie Chan And Jet Li, Because Here Comes Donnie Yen!
When it comes to martial arts action movie superstars, Jackie Chan and Jet Li have unarguably become household names.
But there’s another performer out there who has been around for many years now and who has been finally getting the attention and, in my humble opinion, long deserved star status.
Well, actually, he is considered the top action movie star in Hong Kong.
He is better known as Donnie Yen.
Martial artist and former stuntman turned actor, director, action choreographer and movie producer, Donnie Yen was born in Guangzhou (Canton), in the Southern Chinese province of Guangdong, in 1963.
When he was 2, his family moved to Hong Kong and then nine years later to Boston, Massachusetts in the United States.
At a very young age he developed a strong interest in martial arts, with his mother being a Wushu and Tai Chi practitioner, who even had a school in Boston.
Donnie studied numerous martial arts from Taekwondo to Wushu and became a very proficient martial artist, who was even admitted to the prestigious Beijing Wushu Team.
In the early 1980s, he starting working in the Hong Kong movie industry as a stuntman and then eventually getting acting roles until his breakthrough in 1992 in Once Upon A Time In China II (together with Jet Li).
He went on to act, to direct, to produce and to leave his mark as a distinguished fight choreographer in a number of productions such as Legend of the Wolf, Ballistic Kiss, Highlander: The Endgame, Blade II, Hero (again with Jet Li) as well as Shanghai Knights (this time with Jackie Chan).
In 2008, he starred in the biggest box office success in Hong Kong and China, Ip Man.
The movie depicts the life of the revered Wing Chun master and teacher of Bruce Lee.
They just recently announced the release of the sequel, Ip Man 2, which will be end of April 2010.
Just to whet your appetite, here’s Donnie Yen in action:
How did you like his chain punches?
Wing Chun: Chi Sao, Also Known As Sticky Hands
As most of you know, before developing Jeet Kune Do (Way of the intercepting fist) Bruce Lee started his martial arts training in Hong Kong under the highly acclaimed kung fu instructor, Ip Man, in the style of Wing Chun, as described in “Introducing Wing Chun“.
One exercise that you practice to improve your sensitivity, reflexes and the way you absorb and send back offensive energy is known as Chi Sao or sticky hands.
When I was training in Wing Chun years ago, Chi Sao was referred to as ‘thinking without thinking’.
Perfecting Chi Sao will help you become a well-rounded fighter.
I will also tell you from my personal experience that for a beginner and even at an intermediate level it can be one of the most frustrating martial arts training experiences. When you think you got, you don’t!
Chi Sao does not replace sparring and fighting. It simply complements these disciplines and what I have noticed is that the best Wing Chun practitioners are all really good at Chi Sao.
There is a saying in Wing Chun, “Stay with what comes, follow as it retreats, thrust forward as the hand is freed.”
Hope you enjoy every second of the video. The lines are open for your comments 24/7.
The Bruce Lee Saga Continues
Bruce Lee, considered by many as one the most famous martial arts superstars of all time, left this world over 36 years ago.
The Bruce Lee saga continues till this day and will continue to be a topic for decades to come.
If everything goes according to plan, Bruce Lee fans and martial arts enthusiasts worldwide are in for a treat. I will tell you in a minute why that is.
Besides residing in the United States, Bruce Lee also had a Hong Kong residence during the last couple of his adult years up to his untimely passing in 1973.
It is located in Kowloon Tong and due to the vicinity to the former Hong Kong airport, Kai Tak, houses there were not allowed to be built any higher than 2-3 stories as far as I was told.
On one of my numerous business trips to the former British colony during the early Nineties, I actually had a Saturday off and so I jumped on the subway, aka MTR (Mass Transit Railway), to check it out.
After getting off the train and leaving the MTR station, I asked a local policeman how to get there and it was actually pretty easy to find at 41 Cumberland Road.
Honestly, I was expecting some really impressive mansion or whatever, but the house I remembered was very subdued. Probably just the way the former owner wanted it for privacy reasons. And who could blame him?!
Anyway, the house (that has been a romance hotel!) was sold again several months ago to a philanthropic Hong Kong businessman, who is in his Eighties and who would love to see the house become The Bruce Lee Museum.
I learnt just 10 days ago that Shannon Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee, was on her way over to the Big Kong for further talks on this issue.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they can work out a deal everybody is happy with real soon.
This would be awesome, don’t you think?
My Interview With Jackie Chan
“Nei ho. Nei ho ma?”
I am just warming up to greet Mr. Jackie Chan in Cantonese for our interview over lunch in his hometown, also known as Hong Kong, The City of Life.
And you already know from a recent post on October 27 that I have been quite fond of Hong Kong.
Let me re-phrase that: I just love the place!
I will try to be as concise as humanly possible:
Staying at The Royal Garden Hotel at TST (Tsim Sha Tsui) Kowloon means that I just have to walk over to the Star Ferry Terminal and hop on the ferry for a short ride over to Central on Hong Kong Island. This is very cool!
The people of Hong Kong dine on Dim Sum and because nothing conveys a sense of Chinese life more vividly than a visit to a crowded, lively Cantonese restaurant. That’s what it’s going to be. That’s what it has to be.
Let’s check out Frommer’s recommendation:
The Luk Yu Tea House, that first opened in 1933 and that is famous for its Dim Sum.
Their quaint ceiling fans, spittoons, and wooden booths evoke a 1930s ambience.
Everyday packed with regular customers, it’s hard to find an empty seat here, but I have no doubt that there’s always a table for Jackie Chan and a guest.
So I get there on time or better shortly before our scheduled interview and would you believe it, they simply don’t believe that I actually have a lunch appointment with Hong Kong’s favourite son.
Can we even call him that?
Now, why won’t they believe me? Hmm, let me think.
I get over it within not more than a micro-second, because I know that I am scheduled to meet Mr. Jackie Chan alias Chan Kong Sang which happens to mean “born in Hong Kong”.
And there he comes already and even though we haven’t met before in person he somehow knows that I am The Martial Arts Reporter. And no, not because I am wearing some funny flower in the button-hole of my blazer to get his attention.
It’s gotta be the positive energy, man.
I have been looking forward to this opportunity for some time now and my famous interviewee can sense it.
The initial welcome is very sincere and I must say, it feels like we have known each other ever since we were kids. Odd, isn’t it?
“Nei ho. Nei ho ma?”
And of course, Jackie is impressed with my absolutely accent-free pronunciation and he responds in absolutely accent-free Cantonese himself. Why am I not surprised?
He is throwing all this Cantonese at me that my head starts to spin, so I politely ask him if it would be alright to switch over to English.
That’s quite fine with him, he says.
He just thought that I actually spoke Cantonese and I just thought I would try to impress him with a couple of words. We get a good laugh over that one.
Now, in the meantime the word has spread that The Martial Arts Reporter is in house. Or is it because superstar Jackie Chan is in house? We’ll never know for sure.
Anyway, they have to close off the entrance to the restaurant to avoid the masses to swarm inside and create total chaos.
And believe me, it’s already pretty crowded in th Luk Yu Tea House.
The owners themselves show us to our booth and the waitress immediately brings us some Jasmine tea, which just happens to be one of my favorites. This is turning out to be an awesome day. Can you feel it?
We find ourselves in an energetic place where we can feast on spring rolls, steamed dumplings, and other delicacies served in bamboo steamers. And it all tastes great!
So, here I am sitting with Jackie Chan and I remind myself that I want to ask him just a handful of questions that go a bit deeper than just touch the surface. You know what I’m saying.
There is hardly a corner left in the world that hasn’t heard of Jackie Chan. The martial artist, actor, action choreographer, filmmaker, comedian, producer, screenwriter, philanthropist, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.
In his movies, he consistently sets the bar higher for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons and innovative stunts.
He has come a long way since his early days as a stunt performer in the Bruce Lee movies “Fist of Fury” and “Enter The Dragon”.
Jackie Chan has been able to carve out his own personal niche and has created a global fan base that is nothing short of mindboggling.
But I do not want to rehash the stuff that we all know about him in this unique encounter.
I would like to ask Jackie Chan in person and uncensored:
“What do you consider your greatest personal accomplishment and what are you most proud of so far?”
“If you had start all over and let’s remember that you started your movie career at a very young age, what would you do different, if at all?”
“What does your perfect day look like?”
“There are certainly many people who would love to meet you. Who would you like sit down with?”
“If you do have something like a so-called “bucket list”, can you share what’s on it?”
“You have probably heard of The Bigger The Why, The Easier The How, you make things look easy, even though you still work harder than most, what is your Why or Life’s Purpose?”
“If you would want to be asked just one question by an interviewer, what would that question be?”
I am pretty sure this is what my perfect interview on my perfect day with Jackie Chan would look like if I ever get the opportunity to sit down with him over Dim Sum.
Trust me, I am ready and I am looking forward to it!
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