Be Water: The Story of Bruce Lee, An Original Cultural Pioneer

I watched an amazing documentary on Bruce Lee, the legendary martial artist and movie star. He was born in San Francisco, grew up in Hong Kong but then immigrated back to the USA as a young adult at 18 with $100 usd. He literally started from the bottom and exemplifies the Chinese saying: “savoring the sweet while remembering the bitter.”

Bruce was such a charismatic individual who despite being rejected by white Hollywood with him given side kick roles. He ended up going back to HK to restart, becoming big before he came back to the US to hit it big. He was a teacher, actor/ entertainer, philosopher and amazing martial artist. In America, he broke barriers by teaching Kung Fu to anyone, not just Chinese people. He taught a philosophy of self actualization: “don’t accept the stereotype image that is cast upon you by others. Find what is worthwhile in yourself and express it”

I’ve learned so much from him and he has been inspiring Asian Americans since I was a kid. This post is not about railing about what was a racist system in America and how Hollywood at that time was reflective of this.  It was the manifestation of the relatively closed and intolerant times back then. 

But my point is that Bruce Lee never gave up despite the racism and all the other open and hidden barriers in his way. His “goal was always to show the beauty of Chinese culture” and boy did he succeed. He was known as the “cool Chinese guy” and Asia guru by many Hollywood stars like Steve McQueen & James Coburn. 

He was flexible mentally, hence “be like water”, ambitious and very confident. Bruce was willing to move to Hong Kong to regroup when he was rejected in America. He realized that following the system didn’t work, so he decided to create something where he could showcase himself. He learned, built an audience of fans and planned his re-entry to Hollywood and America. He was resilient, persevered and just plain worked his damn ass off. There was a sense of inevitability to me. 

He died way too young at 32 years of age but left an amazing legacy. One that has only started being filled in Hollywood now by Asian leading men recently in blockbusters like “Crazy Rich Asians” & “Shang Chi”. This should be incredibly inspiring for all of us. He succeeded in making a cultural impact that still resonates to this day. He has been an icon for the last 50 years (I love my DJ Bruce Lee t-shirt!). 

I truly believe that Bruce Lee exemplifies the quote from the movie Gladiator: “What we do in life, echoes in eternity.”