People visit the Bruce Lee Museum in the small town of Xiacun in Guangzhou. Provided to China Daily

In Guangzhou, in the small town of Xiacun, a statue of the kung fu icon is nearly ready. It will grace the gateway of a theme park. The town claims to be the birthplace of Lee's father, and part time home of the martial arts master. Michelle Fei reports.

"My surname is Lee," answered the 7-year-old boy with his wide eyes blinked, a bright smile slowly blooming on his face. He was walking along a narrowed quartzite road named "Little Dragon Valley".

The alley barely wider than the width of a man's body lies in the small town of Xiacun in Guangzhou, Southern China. Many villagers there bear the surname of Lee. It's widely believed to be the hometown of the father of martial arts icon, Bruce Lee and a place where Bruce Lee spent part of his childhood.

Dilapidated ancient houses with black roof tiles crowd in on both sides of the alley, reducing the sky above to a thin, irregular shaft. The 70th anniversary of China's kung fu master and international martial art movie star is being observed in a low-key atmosphere.

"Here you are," the boy said cheerfully, pointing to a gray-walled bungalow a few steps ahead. He ran back and rejoined his friends. A wooden sign nailed to the wall read, "Bruce Lee Ancestor's House".

The door keeper, a member of the town council, rushed to unlock the door, saying "we usually keep it closed. We don't have many visitors here."

A girl imitates the posture of the kung fu star at the Bruce Lee Museum in the small town of Xiacun in Guangzhou. Provided to China Daily

Inside the bungalow, an altar was set in the middle. Surrounding walls were covered by old photos of Bruce Lee and his family. In a small-bedroom to the left stands a dusty wooden dummy, purportedly one that was used for training by the martial arts master. There is a quiet, even sleepy atmosphere.

Ten minutes' drive from the house is the 2800-acre Bruce Lee theme park. Bruce Lee Paradise sits cheerlessly off the tourist mainstream. It's beautiful in its solitude. Thousands of green trees cover almost the entire area, leaving only enough room for serene looking lakes where rare white herons glide.

A 12-meter-high bronze statue of Lee is under construction, next to the park gate. It's due for completion in late November. Four characters are still to be carved underneath poised figure of the master: "The king of kung fu".

"We are very much looking forward to the big day of its completion," says Chen Xian, administration manager of Foshan Shunde Bruce Lee Paradise Corporate Limited. "At that time we will introduce the statue and the park to the world."

The administrator also told China Daily that the park is slowly becoming better known among outsiders. The statue has brought media from near and far.

To the right of the statue stands the Bruce Lee Museum, arrayed with Lee's martial arts weapons, costumes, photographs, news clippings and other memorabilia. A solitary couple walk through the setting, the woman stopping to comment, saying she is there to kill time more than to salute Bruce Lee.

"As a normal villager of the town, I respect Bruce Lee as a famous movie star but I'm not that crazy about him since I'm not a kung fu fan in the first place," said the middle-aged woman.

"What I do appreciate is the business opportunities that Lee has brought to his home town," said the woman, citing the small businesses offering clothes with the brand name "Little Dragon" (Xiao Long), food shops with logos resembling the late actor.

"He is like the son of the town, we know him so well that he is too familiar to be admired," added the woman.

Lee remains a strong influence among kung fu fans in and out of the city. Some locals have opened martial arts clubs. Others come to study martial arts in the town.

"Among all the martial arts movie stars, such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li, Bruce Lee absolutely ranks number one," said Wang Hong-xin, deputy general manager of the Guangdong Bison Wushu Club and head coach of Nunchaku Association. He quit his job and moved to what he considers his idol's home town several years ago, aiming to take advantage of the "dense martial arts culture" there.

Wang himself is a well-known Nunchaku master. He won the title of "Nunchaku King" at a national martial art competition in 2006 and was given the nickname "the Modern Bruce Lee".

Being compared with his idol is flattering to Wang. "His contribution to martial arts and to China is incomparable," said Wang. "I learnt from him that the spirit of kung fu is to make your enemy surrender under your temperament rather than just your fist."

Nowadays, martial arts businesses are booming in the town Xiacun and the nearby city Foshan. Young boys of the town and foreigners flock to Xiacun in hopes of following in their hero's footsteps, in the spirit of the horizontal scroll, standing out in the sunset above the gate at the Lee home, "kung fu virtue lasts forever".

(HK Edition 08/12/2010 page2)