Bruce Lee talks to a monk in a scene of the movie Enter the Dragon at Tsing Shan Monastery, which is one of the 10 locations on the Bruce Lee's Memorial Path the government is building. Provided to China Daily

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of actor Bruce Lee, but plans to mark the occasion have been stillborn.

The government and the owner of Lee's former residence have failed to come to an agreement on plans to turn the residence into a museum to commemorate the late kung fu legend.

The administration has hit a roadblock because the current owner of the property, real estate and hotel tycoon Yu Pang-lin, insists on building a three-storey basement car-park, in violation of Town Planning Board guidelines. Yu has agreed to donate the mansion to the city as a tribute to the martial arts master.

Lee's younger brother Robert Lee said he doesn't believe Yu is sincerely committed to the project because of the number of conditions he has attached to the donation. As a result, Robert Lee doesn't believe the impasse will be resolved in the near future. "If the government gives the green light for Yu, they have to say yes to all other owners," he said.

Speaking on a radio show Friday, Commissioner for Tourism Philip Yung noted that Lee is held in high esteem in Hong Kong and among tourists who come from around the world.

Chairman of the Bruce Lee Club W Wong said he hopes Yu, as a famed philanthropist, will reach a compromise with the city and go ahead with the donation of the house to the city to build a Bruce Lee museum with the intention of revitalizing it as a long-term, sustainable tourist attraction.

"The government needs to negotiate with Yu to get the project up and running as soon as possible," Wong said.

The government has come under frequent criticism for not doing enough to commemorate the legacy of one of Hong Kong's most famous names.

"The officials were not enthusiastic to be involved in any promotion relating to Bruce Lee but I am happy to see that their attitude is changing," Robert Lee commented.

He was referring to an exhibition organized by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to display over 100 of Lee's showpieces and install iconic movie sets at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

The Bruce Lee Club has offered to work with the administration to build Bruce Lee's Memorial Path to promote Bruce Lee culture as well as to boost tourism. The first phase of the path consists of 10 locations in Kowloon and New Territories where Lee's former residence, schools and movie sets are located.

The itinerary is along Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Yau Ma Tei and Kowloon Tong. Tsing Shan Monastery in Tuen Mun will also be included because two scenes in Enter the Dragon were shot there.

Wong said further details such as budget have yet to be hammered out. About half of the points are subject to negotiations with different owners but he hopes the path can be completed by 2012.

Born in San Francisco, Lee spent his childhood and adolescence in Hong Kong from 1940-1959 before attending the University of Washington. He returned to Hong Kong in 1971, where he lived in the glow of international stardom and glamour before his death in 1973 at the age of 32.

Bruce Lee was an influential martial artist, actor and teacher whom Time magazine listed as one of the "100 Most Important People of the (20th) Century."

China Daily

(HK Edition 11/27/2010 page1)