Bruce Lee Statue to be Unveiled in Hong Kong
Bruce Lee?s ?fists of fury? are set to be immortalized in bronze.
The late kung-fu movie legend will receive his very own statue to mark his 65th birthday in November, a Hong Kong fan club said Saturday.
It will be the world?s first statue of Lee in a public place, said Wong Yiu-keung, chairman of the Bruce Lee Club.
?We should continue to remember him because he had not only contributed to our movie industry, but also raised outsiders? awareness of Hong Kong in general,? Wong said, according to the Associated Press.
Fans disappointed by Hong Kong?s lack of a permanent Bruce Lee memorial will be pleased by the two-metre-high bronze statue, Wong said.
The fan club has selected three designs of Lee in his classic poses. All feature a shirtless Lee, and two of the designs include his signature weapon, the nunchaku.
Fans can vote for their favourite design on the Internet, said Wong.
The winning design will be unveiled on what would have been Lee?s 65th birthday on November 27.
The statue, which will also celebrate Lee?s naming earlier this year as ?Chinese Film?s Bright Star of the Century,? will be erected at Hong Kong?s Avenue of Stars. The new harbourfront tourist attraction honours Hong Kong film stars including Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat.
The actor?s wife Linda Lee has been invited to attend the ceremony, according to the BBC.
Chinese sculptor Cao Chong?en, whose previous works include a statue of former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, will create the statue.
The Bruce Lee Club has long wanted a museum devoted to the martial arts icon, a goal hindered by shortage of funding and the lack of available venues. The statue will cost about $154,460, said Wong.
Lee was born in the United States to a famed Chinese opera singer. He moved to Hong Kong as a child, where most of his movies would eventually be filmed and produced.
Films starring Lee include ?Fists of Fury,? ?Enter the Dragon? and ?Game of Death.?
He died in 1973 at 32 from a cerebral edema.
Lee?s fame has been credited for sparking the first major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West.
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