Bruce+Lee

Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee was often referred to as the “one of the most influential martial artists of the twentieth century”. He was an iconic figure to those of Asian descent and Americans alike by helping to establish the core of what is now Asian-American action films. He set the standards for those of the next generation to follow.

Table of Contents -Early Years -Introduction and Training of Gung Fu -Life in America -Filming and Cinematography -End of a Legacy -Analysis

Early Years

Lee Jun Fan, or as many knew him to be, Bruce Lee, was born on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, California while his parents were on tour with the Chinese Opera. Bruce Lee was born in the hour of the dragon, 6:00am-8:00am, in the year of the dragon. The sign of the dragon in the Chinese Zodiac and Chinese Astrology is said to be the most powerful of the Chinese Zodiac Signs symbolizing strength, ambition, and dominance. His parents were Lee Hoi-Chuen of Chinese descent and his mother Grace Ho of Chinese and German descent. His name “Bruce”, given to him by his mother, translates to “strong one” in Gaelic. After the tour with the Chinese Opera was over, the family went back home to Hong Kong, China where Bruce spent his next 18 years.

Introduction and Training of Gung Fu

Bruce Lee was introduced to Gung Fu or more commonly called “Kung Fu” at a young age. He started his training at the age of 13 under the eye of his teacher, Master Yip Man. He didn’t start out learning Gung Fu because he wanted to protect others, rather, he learned Gung Fu so that he could pulverize those in rival street gangs. He was a troublesome child when he was younger, often getting himself into fights with others. He used his skills to beat down those who looked down upon him and those who did not respect him. Slowly though, he was able to figure out the philosophical side of Gung Fu and controlled his “street fighting” to a minimum. It was not long after though that he started experimenting with his own styles to create Jeet Kun Do.

Life in America

Bruce Lee moved San Francisco, CA in 1948 to start his new life in America and later moved to live with a family friend in Seattle, WA where he worked in the friend’s restaurant. He was admitted to the University of Washington and attended there majoring in philosophy for the next 3 years. While attending school at the University of Washington, he met his wife, Linda Emery. After 3 years at the University of Washington, he opened up his first school of Gung Fu naming it “Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute”. In order to draw others to his schools, he performed his martial arts skills to students at various public schools. These demonstrations are where he was able to show his famous “One Inch Punch”. Bruce didn’t stay in Seattle for long though, he later left the school in Seattle in the hands of one of his trusted assisting instructors, Taky Kimura, and opened up a second branch in Oakland. He taught many students both Chinese and those of different races, influencing the way Americans viewed the Chinese Culture and Gung Fu.

Filming and Cinematography

Seeing as Bruce Lee was born into a family with his father being an actor for the Chinese Opera, Bruce spent a lot of his time near actors and actresses. Bruce Lee had appeared in over 20 films by the time he was 18. While he lived in the United States, he played many various small parts, but his most notable role was playing “Kato” in the show, “The Green Hornet”. As with many others, Americans were thrilled by this new star and his acting, speed and moves, but not even this was enough for Bruce Lee. Dissatisfied with the hostility American producers presented to minorities and the little progress he made, he and his family moved back to Hong Kong where he signed a contract with producer Raymond Chow and the company Golden Harvest. While working for the company Golden Harvest, Bruce Lee starred in 2 successful Chinese movies, “Fists of Fury” and “Way of the Dragon” both breaking all-time box office records in China. He also teamed up with the Warner Bros. ™ to produce the film “Enter the Dragon” in 1973. “Enter the Dragon” was one of the very first successful Asian-American movies to appear in the United States. America loved this new action-hero star and to this day, the movie has brought in over $200 million.

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End of a Legacy

Bruce Lee was never able to see what he had accomplished in the United States. He died shortly after the release of his movie, “Enter the Dragon”, and the making of his new movie, “Game of Death”. The official cause of death was said to be “acute cerebral edema” or “swelling of the brain”. He was only 32 at the time of his death.

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Bruce Lee: The Legend ====Many remember him from his days as a superstar, his battle-cry and the infamous "One Inch Punch" but not many realize what sort of impact he had on the United States. Bruce Lee was an inspiration, an icon and a hero not only to the people of his homeland, China, but also to America. Bruce Lee contributed greatly to the growth of the United States. He broke through racial barriers that had been established due to the ignorance of the people of that time. Bruce Lee introduced the Chinese Culture into America showing that the U.S. wasn’t the only nation that had talented individuals. He was also able to show that the success of a person doesn’t come from their race, their ethnicity nor their background but rather their efforts. ==== One of the main reasons why he was such an influential person was due to the fact that he was one of the first Asians to be acknowledged as a movie star in America. Before debuting as an American star, he had made several popular films in China. He was well known by the Chinese population, but Americans were not as accepting of his films. Critics called the films “boring” or “unrealistic”. Not many knew of the man named Bruce Lee, nor did they care about who that man was until his signing with the Warner Brothers. The movie he had made alongside the Warner Brothers was one of the first ever Chinese-American Co-op movies. The movie, “Enter the Dragon”, became an instant hit with crowds flocking to theatres to see this new hero named Bruce Lee. Sadly though, Bruce didn’t live long enough to see what kind of impact he had made in the filming industry. He died only 2 weeks after his final shooting of the film. Not only did he break down the racial barriers in the filming business, he also did the same for the art of Gung Fu (or as many call it “Kung Fu”). The ancient Chinese art of Gung Fu was never meant for “Westerners” to learn. Bruce broke this tradition of not teaching foreigners when he opened up his first Gung Fu School in Seattle named Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. Although much of the Chinese population at that time despised Bruce for doing this, Bruce thought that the art of Gung Fu should be taught to all who desired that knowledge, not just kept for a certain group of people. He also thought that by opening thse schools, he would be able to spread and pass on a part of who he was. He wanted more people to know about the Chinese, their traditions and way of life. He knew that keeping his identity and sticking with his traditions was important, but he also didn’t want to be totally segregated from the rest of the population. All he wanted was respect from others and so he thought that by teaching the ways of Gung Fu to others, those others would be more informed about the Chinese culture and its background. Thanks to the teachings of Bruce Lee, Gung Fu became more and more popular throughout the west. The only type of martial arts anyone had ever heard about before was Karate. There was no such thing as Gung Fu in the American Dictionary before Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee created the foundations for Gung Fu in America. All of these great accomplishments were backed up by his determination, his persistence and his desire to become more that what he already was. He followed his saying “If you always put a limit on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” He never let anyone or anything stand in his way. He proved that it didn’t matter what your race was, what your ethnicity was nor what your background was like, as long as you worked hard enough, results would eventually find their way to you. Bruce Lee came from a great family line. His mother’s side of the family was one of the wealthiest families in China, yet he gave that up and moved to America with nothing but $100 in his pockets. He slowly worked his way up in America, finding jobs and attending college. He showed to everyone that if he, a Chinese man who started with nothing could turn into a man with something, there was no excuse as to why others couldn’t do the same. As you can see, Bruce Lee was an iconic figure in the history of America. He took apart the racial barriers that had been set up by the people of America and turned his life into a successful one. He taught others the ways of his culture and slowly but surely, he attained respect from all people around the nation earning him a spot as one of the most influential people in American History.

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