Footsteps of the Dragon:

Bruce Lee's Hong Kong

Words: Stuart Barker

It's 45 years since Hong Kong's most famous son died under mysterious circumstances and left behind an unrivalled legacy in the world of martial arts and action movies.

      Bruce Lee was the most iconic and influential martial artist of the 20^th Century and the first Chinese actor to be accepted by Western audiences, thanks to his seminal 1973 blockbuster 'Enter the Dragon', which was shot entirely on location in Hong Kong.

      Little is left of the Hong Kong that Lee knew and fans making the pilgrimage to the lair of the dragon are invariably disappointed by the city's scant memorials to it's number one son. A statue on the Avenue of Stars on Kowloon waterfront (which has been temporarily relocated due to construction works) and a temporary museum exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum are the closest that most fans get to their kung fu hero. But there is more to see, and you can still walk in the footsteps of the dragon if you only know where to look - though for how much longer is anyone's guess.

      Hong Kong is a city that doesn't concern itself much with the past - it's far too busy looking to the future, which is why there are so few places left to visit that are connected with Lee. Most have been flattened, built upon, or amalgamated into glittering new projects. Neither are there many permanent tributes to the man who made Hong Kong, it's martial arts, and its cinema, famous throughout the world. Many Lee fans, travelling to the city to pay homage to their hero are both surprised, and appalled, at the lack of tributes to the first Chinese actor to conquer western audiences. After all, Memphis milks the Elvis Presley phenomenon and Liverpool has built an entire tourism industry around the Beatles, so why is Bruce Lee all but ignored in his own city?

      It seems that Hong Kong is simply too busy moving ahead to take time to look back, too focused on capitalising on its status as one of the world's great financial cities, to pay tribute to the man who single-handedly brought Hong Kong to the attention of a global audience. But there are still some sights worth making a pilgrimage to, however much they may have changed in the 45 years since Lee knew them. Whether it's shooting locations from his seminal movies or important places associated with his private life, Hong Kong still has some hidden gems to offer Bruce Lee fans as long as you know where to look. These are some of the most significant locations associated with the Bruce Lee legend. See them now, because Hong Kong refuses to stand still and it's only a matter of time before these sites, like so many others connected with Lee, disappear forever.

Bruce as we remember him best, in the 1973 Warner Bros movie, 'Enter the Dragon'

Han's Island Jetty from 'Enter the Dragon'

Tai Tam Bay

The stone jetty that was used as a location in Enter the Dragon is one of the few that remains untouched since the film was made in 1973. It served as the entry point for Han's Island and is where Lee and co-stars John Saxon and Jim Kelly stepped off the junk to take part in the martial arts tournament that forms the climax of the film. In 1973, the tennis courts which bordered the jetty area were used as the tournament grounds but have now been built over with the massive Pacific View apartment blocks.

How to get there: The jetty can be reached by foot down a gated pathway just a few yards down the Tai Tam road from the entrance to the American Club. The easiest way to get there is to walk (about 15 minutes) or take a taxi from Stanley, which can be accessed by buses 6A, 6X or 260 from Central.

Top: Jim Kelly, John Saxon and Bruce Lee in a scene from 'Enter the Dragon'
Bottom: The same location in Tai Tam Bay today

Cemetery Location from 'Enter the Dragon'

Muslim Cemetery, Hau Tak Lane, Happy Valley

In Enter the Dragon, Lee’s character visits the graves of his mother and sister to ask their forgiveness for what he is about to do after he agrees to bring down the evil Han. The location (the very top level of the terraced Muslim Cemetery near Happy Valley Race Course) remains unchanged. If you’re visiting, please be respectful of the graves and cemetery and stick to the pathways.

How to get there: Take a bus, tram or taxi to Happy valley Race Course or the Muslimm Cemetery and walk up the steep steps to the top level. Walk along the path, heading for the trees at the far side and you’ll find the gravestone of Sheik Akbeh about half way along on your left, next to a tree. This is the gravestone Bruce is looking at in the movie.

The cemetery used in 'Enter the Dragon' is actually the Muslim Cemetery in Happy Valley

Lee's Childhood Home

218 Nathan Road, Kowloon

Although he was born in America while his father was on tour with the Cantonese Opera, Bruce Lee was brought back to the family home at 218 Nathan Road in 1941 and spent his childhood here. The family home was on the second floor but the address is now shop space so there's little left to see apart from the general location itself. Lee would have known the back streets intimately and there are still some areas close by which have not changed much since the 1950's when he took part in organised fights on the rooftops.

How to get there: Take the MTR to Jordan. Exit onto Nathan Road and walk to your left until you reach number 218.

Bruce's childhood home once stood here but nothing stands still for long in Hong Kong

Pointing a Way to the Moon…..

Tsing Shan Monastery (also knows as Castle Peak Monastery), Tuen Mun

This is one of the best preserved shooting locations left from Enter the Dragon and also one of the most iconic. It was here that, near the beginning of the movie, Lee’s character taught young Lau not to concentrate on his finger “pointing a way to the moon” lest he should “miss all the heavenly glory.” It’s one of Lee’s most repeated quotes. Several other scenes were also filmed here, including Lee’s talk with the Shaolin Abbot (“I do not hit. IT hits all by itself”). The two locations are just metres apart and in both there are in-situ, life size, cardboard cut-outs of Lee, Lau, and the Aboot. The location is very quiet so you can really absorb the atmosphere and take time to reflect on what happened here.

How to get there: It’s a very steep 20-30-minute climb from the light rail stop on Tsing Wun Road so this location is only for the reasonably fit.

The Tsing Shan Monastery in Tuen Mun provided the backdrop for one of Bruce's most famous scenes

The Dragon's Lair

41 Cumberland Road, Kowloon

This was the property where Lee lived when he was a major star and also where he was living at the time of his death in 1973. It may not look much by Hollywood standards but it's one of the few two-storey private residences in Hong Kong and was a much more handsome property when Lee lived there. His carefully tended Japanese-style garden has since been concreted over and the premises had been turned into a rather seedy rent-by-the-hour 'love hotel.' There was much talk about restoring the house and turning it into a Bruce Lee museum but when the owner (billionaire philanthropist Yu Pang-lin) demanded permission to add another three storeys to the house as his condition for donating it, the Hong Kong Government refused and the plans foundered. Pang-Lin died in 2015 and left his fortune to charity so it seems the Lee mansion may yet be saved, but whether it will be a museum or given over to an unrelated charitable trust remains to be seen.

How to get there: Take the MTR to Prince Edward and walk along Prince Edward Road West then turn left onto Embankment Road. Follow this until you see Cumberland Road on your left. Lee's former house is clearly marked by a number 41 on the wall.

Bruce's mansion in Kowloon Tong as it used to look and (below) as it looks today

Bruce's Favourite Restaurant

Osaka, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

You can still eat a meal in Bruce Lee's favourite restaurant. The Osaka is a Japanese restaurant in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon which opened in 1972, just the year before Bruce Lee died. It now has Chinese owners

Opening hours are 12-3pm and 6pm-11pm (Monday to Sunday). Reservations can be made on +8522-376-3323.

How to get there: The restaurant is at 14 Ashley Road in Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. Take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui station or take the Star Ferry from Hong Kong Island and walk.

The Osaka Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui was Bruce's favourite

Departure for Han's Island: 'Enter the Dragon' shooting location

Aberdeen Harbour

Although the harbour - and Aberdeen itself - has changed much since the filming of Enter the Dragon in 1973 it's still possible to hire a sampan and take a tour of the harbour so you can follow in the wake of Lee's character in the movie. This is where Lee (and co-stars John Saxon and Jim Kelly) set off on a junk to get to Han's Island for the martial arts tournament. At the time of filming, thousands of people lived on boats in the harbour. Most have now been relocated to high-rise buildings but a few live-in boats still remain to give the flavour of what Lee's character saw.

How to get there: Take a number 70 bus from Central, get off anywhere in Aberdeen, and make your way to the waterfront. The best way to see the harbour is to take a ride in a Sampan which will cost about $HK50 (around £5) for a 30-minute trip.

Aberdeen Harbour, as seen in 'Enter the Dragon', has now been largely cleared of all the junks and sampans

Bruce Lee Statue

Avenue of Stars (currently in the Garden of Stars), Kowloon Waterfront

This is the only permanent memorial to Bruce Lee in all of Hong Kong and the centrepiece of Kowloon's Avenue of Stars which is the Asian version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Lee’s statue, along with several others, has been temporarily moved a short distance away to the Garden of Stars, just across Salisbury Road, while building work is completed. The statue was sculpted by Cao Chong-en and is a stunning rendition of Lee in full combat pose. The Avenue also has a star dedicated to Lee and, close by, another to his business partner and co-producer of his films, Raymond Chow.

How to get there: Take the Star Ferry and simply walk a few hundred yards to your right along the waterfront to the Avenue of Stars or take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui and follow the signs. The Garden of Stars is clearly signposted, should construction work still be underway on the Avenue.

This magnificent statue of Bruce Lee is the only permanent tribute to him in Hong Kong

Bruce Lee Exhibition

Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin

The 'Bruce Lee: Kung Fu, Art, Life' exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum will run until July 20, 2020 and if you only have time to visit one of these attractions, this is the one. It houses an astonishing collection of Lee memorabilia, all displayed in sets designed to look like the backdrops of his movies. You can see Lee's personal training and exercise equipment, some of his favourite items of clothing, and many of his hand-written letters, musings, poetry and storyboard sketches for fight sequences that are now the stuff of legend. There are real gems in the collection like Han's vicious-looking claw from Enter the Dragon and the iconic yellow-and-black jumpsuit from 'Game of Death.' This is the most comprehensive collection of Bruce Lee memorabilia ever put on display and is not to be missed.

How to get there: Take the MTR to Che Kung Temple station and cross the footbridge over the Shing Mun River. The museum is clearly signed. It's open from 10am to 6pm on weekdays and 10am to 7pm on weekends and public holidays. Closed on Tuesdays. Admission costs HK$10 (about £1). Visit www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk for more details.

The Bruce Lee Exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum has been extended until 2020