Bruce LeePrint Page 
The statue commemorates Bruce Lee who was a Chinese Amercian martial artist, martial arts instructor and action film actor. He was the son of the Cantonese opera star Lee Hoi-Chuen.
The statue was unveiled by the Kogarah Council to mark the one year anniversary of its Friendship City Agreement with the City of Shunde. Shunde is the ancestral home of the California-born Lee, who died in 1973.
Lee was the founder of a martial art style called Jeet Kune Do. He is widely considered by commentators, critics, media and other martial artists to be one of the most influential martial artists of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century. He has been credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films.
In the fall of 1972, Bruce began filming “The Game of Death,” a story he once again envisioned. The filming was interrupted by the culmination of a deal with Warner Bros. to make the first ever Hong Kong-American co-production. The deal was facilitated mainly by Bruce’s personal relationship with Warner Bros. president, Ted Ashley and by Bruce’s successes in Hong Kong. It was an exciting moment and a turning point in Hong Kong’s film industry. “The Game of Death” was put on hold to make way for the filming of “Enter the Dragon.”
“Enter the Dragon” was due to premier at Hollywood’s Chinese theater in August of 1973. Unfortunately, Bruce would not live to see the opening of his film, nor would he experience the accumulated success of more than thirty years of all his films’ popularity.
On July 20, 1973, Bruce had a minor headache. He was offered a prescription painkiller called Equagesic. After taking the pill, he went to lie down and lapsed into a coma. He was unable to be revived. Extensive forensic pathology was done to determine the cause of his death, which was not immediately apparent. A nine-day coroner’s inquest was held with testimony given by renowned pathologists flown in from around the world. The determination was that Bruce had a hypersensitive reaction to an ingredient in the pain medication that caused a swelling of the fluid on the brain, resulting in a coma and death.
Location
| Address: | Belgrave Street, Kogarah Town Square, Kogarah, 2217 |
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| State: | NSW |
| Area: | Foreign |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.965087 Long: 151.133426 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Arts |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 27-November-1940 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 20-July-1973 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Friday 4th March, 2011 |
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Presented to the city of Kogarah, N.S.W. Australia
(Inscription in Chinese)
Bruce Lee, King of Kung Fu
By the People`s Government of Shunde District, Guandong, P. R. China
March 2011
Bruce Lee
(27/11/1940 - 20/07/1973)
Originally named Lee Jun Fan,
he was born in San Francisco, raised in Hong Kong,
and buried in Seattle.
His ancestral hometown is in Shunde, China.
Lee is the founder of the martial art, Jeet Kune Do.
He is honoured as a great martial artist, Kung Fu star
and icon of the 20th Century.
(inscription in Chinese)
