Bruce Lee's broad appeal still holds

It's a reflection of Bruce Lee's transcendent appeal that he continues to inspire people on both sides of the Pacific Ocean even 46 years after his untimely death. The United States, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong were central to his powerful hybrid identity. In many ways, Bruce Lee is a man of the moment, a man for the paradoxical times we live in. As a fighter on and off the screen, he knew a thing or two about conflict: when to stand up, when to stand down, when to walk away.

In the 1960s he was a first-generation jetsetter, bridging the Pacific Ocean at a time when jets had just begun to edge out the older, slow propeller planes for long-haul travel. As a Chinese living in the US, and as an American living in Hong Kong, he epitomized the integrated "Chimerica" complex we live in today. A bicultural exemplar, he beat a path from Hollywood to Hong Kong and back, bringing American technique to Chinese films, and the practice and philosophy of Chinese martial arts to US screens, fight clubs and gyms.

He inspired Chinese, still uncertain of their place in an inequitable world, to be proud of themselves, but at the same time, he also inspired people of all races with his inclusive teaching and accessible presentation of traditional Chinese wisdom.