Hong Kong to Erect Bruce Lee Statue

Hong Kong will mark kung-fu movie legend Bruce Lee's 65th birthday in November with a bronze statue, the Bruce Lee Club said Saturday 23rd July, 2005.

Wong Yiu-keung, chairman of the Hong Kong fan club, said it will be the first statue of Bruce Lee in a public place in the world. The 2-meter image will please fans disappointed that Hong Kong does not have any permanent memorial devoted to Lee, Wong said. "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."

The fan club has chosen three designs of Lee in his classic poses all featuring a bare-torsoed Lee, two including Lee's signature weapon the nunchaku and fans are invited to vote for their favorite design on the Internet, Wong stated.

The winning design, to be sculpted by Chinese sculptor Cao Chong'en whose works include a statue of former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping — will be erected at the city's Avenue of Stars, a new harborfront tourist attraction that honors Hong Kong film stars including Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat.

The statue, to be unveiled on Lee's 65th birthday on November 27, will also mark Lee's naming earlier this year as "Chinese Film's Bright Star of the Century."

Lee was born in the United States but moved to Hong Kong as a child. Most of his movies were filmed and produced in Hong Kong.
The Bruce Lee Club in Hong Kong has long wanted a Bruce Lee museum, but shortage of funding and the lack of available venues have been obstacles. The statue will cost about $154,460, Wong said.
Lee died in 1973 at 32.