The hardships behind Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee is a martial arts fighter, a martial arts film actor and the founder of Jeet Kune Do.

Original name: Li.

English name: Bruce Lee

Baby name: Xifeng

Nicknames: Ant, Tian Tian Zhuang, Lanzi, Niuwangtou, Tong, Dianjielong, Scarlet King, etc.

Via: Shunde, Guangdong, China

Birth:1940165438+1Wednesday, October 27th, 9: 15pm.

1973 died on July 20th (at the age of 32).

Zodiac: Dragon

Place of birth: San Francisco, USA (Jason Dixon Street Hospital, San Francisco)

Myopia: 600 degrees

Height: 5 ft 7 in (1.75438+0 m)

Weight: 140 lbs

Chest muscle: 4 1.5 (before chest expansion) 44.25 (after chest expansion)

Abdomen: 29.5 inches

Right forearm: 12.25 inch; Left forearm: 1 1.75 inch.

Right upper arm: 14.25 inch; Left upper arm: 13.75 inch.

Right thigh: 22.5 inches; Left thigh: 22.5 inches.

Right calf: 13 inch; Left calf: 12.88 inch.

He studied at La Salle College in Hong Kong.

196 1 Go to Washington State University in Seattle to study philosophy and psychology.

Watching movies at the age of 7,/kloc-practicing martial arts at the age of 0/3.

Introduction to Kung Fu: Wing Chun Boxing

Father: Father: Li Haiquan (Li Manchuan) (a famous ugly Cantonese opera)

Mother: He Jintang (Eurasian)

Master: IP Man (Wing Chun Master)

Sister: Grace, Fife

Brother: Peter (loyal detective)

Brother: Robert

Wife: Linda.

Son: Brandon Lee (died accidentally while filming)

Daughter: Li Xiangning (from the movie)

Bruce Lee has a brother, a brother and two sisters.

Bruce Lee, accompanied by his son Brandon Lee, rests in the lakeview cemetery in Seattle, USA.

Movies and TV series: Golden Gate Girl (1940), Fu Gui Floating Cloud (1948), Dream Beauty (1949), Xiluxiang (1950), Ling Xiao Gu Yan (1950), and Ling Xiao. Mother's tears (1953), father's fault (1953), myriad homes (1953), Xiao Chun in a dangerous building (1953), love (the first part) (1955). Orphan line = daughter of bad karma (1955), debt of children (1955), Xu Diannafu (1955), early knowledge that I never married (1956), thunderstorm (1955).

Dragon way

(1972), the dragon's entry (1973), the game of death (1978), the blind pursuit of killing, fighting the evil side, lovely girls, Bronte, Xia, etc.

The subject of a conversation or article.

As a person who loves movies, I have been familiar with the name Bruce Lee for a long time, but it is a shame that I have never been very clear about the ins and outs of this person. I always feel that a star who has been dead for 30 years may only exist in the memory of the previous generation, but in our generation, the brightness is extremely limited. I have been to some places over the years and found that Bruce Lee's status and influence are far beyond my imagination. Almost every movie place has his name, and anyone who knows China's movies will know him. Later, I finally bought some of his famous books and biographies, and I was dumbfounded at first sight. It turns out that he is not only handsome but also moves like thunder and lightning, far from being comparable to many kung fu stars today. It turns out that he is not only a kung fu movie star, but also a master of martial arts. He devoted his life to spreading and popularizing China martial arts. It turns out that he not only can act, but also has his own profound insights and practical input into movies. His later works can really be called "Bruce Lee's works"; It turns out that he knows not only movies and kung fu, but also philosophy, writes poetry and is good at fine arts ... Bruce Lee was born in Shunde, Guangdong, 1940,165438+1October 27th, San Francisco, USA. He is a dragon, and his baby's name is Xifeng, and his English name is Bruce Lee. His original Chinese name is Li (it is said that this means "revitalizing San Francisco"), and his surname.

It is said that when Bruce Lee was a baby, the Hollywood film Golden Gate Girl needed a China baby to appear and brought it to Bruce Lee. If this is true, it should be regarded as the first film of a movie superstar.

Bruce Lee's mother, He Jintang, is half German and has a handsome face. When Bruce Lee was three months old, the whole family returned to Hong Kong to live. Bruce Lee lived in Hongkong until he was eighteen.

Young Bruce Lee is already very handsome, and his father's relationship with the entertainment circle has made him a well-known child star. His first Hong Kong film was Floating Clouds with Wealth. At that time, he was six years old and studied in the primary school of La Salle College. Bruce Lee usually takes part in filming during school holidays, and sometimes after school. In order not to delay his studies, the director arranged his play in the evening as much as possible. Bruce Lee showed a strong professionalism in the film industry. According to family memories, if he wanted to make a movie, Bruce Lee would go to bed after dinner. When it was time to go to the studio, his mother woke up as soon as she called, dressed her hands and feet neatly, and happily followed her father out. She is never late for filming. However, as a student, he is a stubborn teenager. He doesn't attend class and doesn't study after class. After dropping out of school many times, he barely finished junior high school. At that time, Bruce Lee always played some problem children or problem of juvenile in movies. His behavior was casual and cynical, and his expressions and actions had already had a unique performance style in Bruce Lee's later period. /kloc-Before going to the United States at the age of 0/8, Bruce Lee starred in 22 Cantonese movies in Hong Kong. His previous stage names were Li Long and Xiao Li Haiquan. Critics have called it "Lonely Sea", one of Bruce Lee's early film masterpieces. Bruce Lee didn't act in kung fu films in his early days. On the contrary, he acted in many literary films. This is the second young master Zhou Chong in Thunderstorm.

At the age of eighteen, Bruce Lee entered St. Fangji College to attend high school. During this period, Bruce Lee was a standard fashionable young man, and one of his hobbies was making girlfriends. Another hobby is motorcycle, and another hobby is dancing. Bruce Lee is the champion of Hong Kong Chen Wenjing Open 1958. Of course, his greatest hobby is martial arts. Speaking of Bruce Lee's martial arts practice, it is not because he is a natural "peerless martial arts wizard", but precisely because he was weak from childhood and needed exercise and rest. As a result, Bruce Lee, whose height is only1.73m, his myopia is as high as1000th, and his legs are one inch apart, embarked on the road of martial arts. His first master was his father Li Haiquan, who is said to be the master of Tai Ji Chuan. Bruce Lee began to teach him practice when he was seven years old. When Tai Ji Chuan was thirteen years old, Bruce Lee worshipped his first real master: Ye Wen, a wing chun master. Ip Man is insightful about the connotation of Wing Chun: "Wing Chun is soft and quick, but not energetic ..." Under the guidance of IP Man, Bruce Lee systematically studied Wing Chun, set up a stake at home and practiced against it every day. In addition, he also practiced Hongquan, Baihe Boxing, Tan Leg, Shaolin Boxing and other boxing techniques, and also learned western boxing techniques. When attending the western boxing training class, he bought a documentary about the boxing match of world champion Louis with his pocket money, from which he learned the footwork, posture, boxing and training methods of the champion. Shao Hansheng is another master of Bruce Lee. He said in an interview: "I made a deal with Bruce Lee. I taught him martial arts and he taught me to dance. It takes three to four weeks for the average person to learn my basic footwork, but it only took Bruce Lee three nights to learn it thoroughly. But later, he didn't teach me to dance (laughs) ... "At that time, Bruce Lee had grown into a strong young man and had won the Hong Kong Inter-school Boxing Championship. Outside the stadium, he often fights with his classmates and even senior classmates. According to the old man James J.S.Wong, as a classmate of Bruce Lee, he also took Bruce Lee's fist. Many years later, he laughed at himself on TV programs and said, "Now I know that losing is inevitable. Who can beat Bruce Lee? " According to the test, adult Bruce Lee's boxing power is more than twice his own weight, which few people in the world can match. Even when he was young, punching must be unstoppable. In fact, because Bruce Lee has too many fighting records, he will be prosecuted by the police at any time, which is another reason why his family wants him to leave Hong Kong as soon as possible. 1959 in may, Bruce Lee came to the United States to settle down and made a living by teaching people to dance.

In September, he moved to Seattle, enrolled in Edison Technical School, attended classes during the day and worked as a waiter in Chinatown restaurant at night in exchange for room and board, and began his work-study program. At this moment, Bruce Lee suddenly became a diligent and enterprising student. Although he continued to practice kung fu in his spare time, he stopped fighting. 196 1 year, graduated from Bruce Lee Middle School, and was admitted to Washington State University with honors in May, majoring in philosophy. Bruce Lee loves philosophy and is good at thinking. Philosophy permeates his career and life and is reflected in many of his speeches:

-Empty your glass, then fill it.

Take impossibility as the law and infinity as the limit.

If knowledge follows the traditional pattern, you can only live in the shadow of tradition, knowing only the old way, but not yourself.

It is also a sign of courage to regard something as worthless; When something is regarded as absolute success or taken for granted, it is also a sign of courage; But if you can't do anything about it, then you are shrinking. The same is true for the enemy. As long as you motivate yourself with confidence, even if you fail, you will still win spiritually.

Someone told me that genius can create its own opportunities. In fact, a person's deep expectation can not only create his own opportunities, but even create his own genius.

-knowing is not enough, you must use it; It is not enough to have hope, but to do it.

I will never say that I am number one in the world, but I will never admit that I am number two. Bruce Lee also wrote many poems. The following song is called Who am I, which he gave to his friend Jhoon Rhee (Korean-American martial artist, "the father of American Taekwondo"). Unfortunately, I can't find the original English, so I can't get a glimpse of it. After all, poems translated from foreign languages are quite awkward.

Paragraph 1:

Who am I?

This is an old question.

Everyone asks themselves this question,

Time and time again, this time or that time.

Although he looked in the mirror,

You can recognize your face.

Although he knows his name,

Your age and life.

But he is still very eager to know,

Who am I?

I am a giant in the crowd,

Overlooking the heroes of the world,

Or a mediocre person who feels closed?

I am a successful and confident gentleman.

A natural leader will answer every call,

Or be careful in front of strangers,

The weak who are always afraid?

Behind the forced smile,

Is a trembling heart,

Like a little boy lost in a dark forest.

Paragraph 2:

Many of us are eager for success,

But afraid of failure.

Despite our ability,

Turn the ideal into reality.

Only those who cultivate natural intuition,

To build your own point of view,

Fruitful, admirable and colorful.

I believe you can achieve your goal,

Confidence will be rewarded in the end.

Endeavour, in the process,

You'll find yourself,

It's like looking at yourself in the mirror. During his college years, Bruce Lee persisted in practicing Kung Fu, striving to gradually improve his Kung Fu, even reaching a higher level. In addition to being proficient in all kinds of boxing, he is also good at various instruments such as long sticks, short sticks and nunchakus, learning qigong and hard work. In this process, he set out from actual combat, absorbed the advantages and specialties of western martial arts such as boxing, karate, taekwondo and Thai boxing, and summed up years of experience to create a boxing method, among which "Li", "Cunquan" and "Hook" were his unique skills.

1In April, 962, Bruce Lee, 2 1 year-old, opened the Guo Art Museum in Seattle Chinatown to teach China Kung Fu. At first, few people were interested in it. Later, he took several students who studied martial arts to give demonstrations at several universities in Seattle. Things are finally getting better. On one occasion, Bruce Lee became famous by beating a Japanese black belt three-stage martial artist in just 1 1 second. On another occasion, in Chinatown, Florida, four gangsters with knives were subdued with their bare hands, and the Chinese girl was heroically saved. The news appeared in newspapers and had a wide influence. More and more students are attracted to practice and teach, and Bruce Lee is immersed in studying martial arts theory and training methods. He left seven martial arts notes and several manuscripts in his life: Jeet Kune Do, Research on Jeet Kune Do, Kung Fu Record, Two-stage Stick Technique, Illustration of Bruce Lee Boxing (English version) and Bruce Lee Martial Arts Techniques (English version). This is the basis of China Boxing published by 1963. He injected fighting skills into China's basic boxing and showed his profound martial arts attainments. There is a 19-year-old female medical student named Da Lian Emily. They fell in love quickly ... 1965, their son Brandon Lee was born in February 1, and their father Li Haiquan died seven days later. Later, Bruce Lee got another daughter, named the Li Xiangning family of three, which was very enjoyable ... Of course, he taught his children to learn China Kung Fu ... 1964 Bruce Lee defeated Rolex, who won three national karate competitions, and was invited to perform blindfolded volleys, inch punches and other stunts at the advanced opening ceremony of international karate in Long Beach, California, which caused a sensation.

There happened to be a film and television production company planning to shoot a Kung Fu series, so they immediately contacted Bruce Lee for an audition. Bruce Lee was twenty-four years old this year. Although in the audition, he smiled and admitted that he had been tossed by the baby for three nights without sleeping, but he was still full of energy and distinguished in the camera. This valuable audition is very long. Curious Americans asked Bruce Lee to demonstrate the footwork of China's plays and explain the difference between Wu Sheng and Xiao Sheng's walking posture. They also pulled an American old man as a target at the scene and asked Bruce Lee to demonstrate martial arts moves. Bruce Lee, of course, is just a bluff. As can be seen from the lens, Bruce Lee's fist has been withdrawn before the old man could react. In this audition, Bruce Lee expressed his analysis of China Wushu:

"Kung Fu originated in China, which is the origin of karate and Aikido. It is a more complete martial arts system, smoother and more coherent than other martial arts, not just one stroke and a half. Just like water, water is the softest substance in the world, but it has the ability to penetrate hard rocks. Water has no definite shape, so you can neither catch it nor hit it. Everyone who studies kung fu wants to have the flexibility and flexibility like water. You can make changes according to your opponent's situation. Karate punches like a hard iron bar, while China punches like a chain attached to an iron ball, combining rigidity with softness. Kung fu can be practiced by one person or two people. When practicing alone, it will imitate some animals, such as cranes, monkeys, or mantis. ..... "The TV series failed to start shooting, but the audition won him the role of Kato in The Green Hornet. 1June, 966, Bruce Lee first appeared on the American screen.

"The Green Hornet" is a half-hour series with 30 episodes, which was finally stranded due to unsatisfactory ratings. However, Bruce Lee, as a supporting actor, is far superior to the protagonist with excellent martial arts, and almost all the audience remembered his name. Therefore, he has the opportunity to continue to participate in other TV programs. 1In August, 967, Bruce Lee named his martial arts Kuhn Dao (JKD).

In a TV series in which he participated, Bruce Lee introduced Jeet Kune Do at a large length: "It's volley boxing. If you want to attack me, you must approach me. Approaching me gave me a chance to intercept. In this case, I will kick your nearest target with the longest weapon, now, in the knee. Jeet Kune Do is more lethal than western boxing. Many years later, critics said, "Jeet Kune Do is a kind of boxing that can accommodate hundreds of rivers and draw resources from eastern and western boxing, and it has three levels, one is thought, the other is kung fu knowledge, and the third is skill. The former is what Bruce Lee said when he founded Jeet Kune Do, while the latter two are "infinity is limited". These two aphorisms, which guide Jeet Kune Do practitioners, not only show the achievements of the integration of eastern and western cultures, but also reflect the spirit of Hong Kong people in the 1970s. It can be said that it is the product of the times and culture. ..... ""In Bruce Lee's eyes, this kind of boxing that knocks down opponents quickly is not only a kind of martial arts, but also a kind of outlook on life or life. People should be kind, but don't stick to form. Just like a cup of water into a teapot becomes a teapot, and a cup becomes a cup, so the nature of water is very important. Everyone drinks when the water is clear, and everyone refuses when the water is turbid. "Jeet Kune Do pioneered by Bruce Lee was a mixed blessing in China martial arts at that time. Some people think that Bruce Lee's new approach is gratifying; Others, especially wing chun school, think that wing chun disciple Bruce Lee deceives his teacher and destroys his ancestors. Facts have proved that Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do not only has a theoretical background, but also has great practical value. His Jeet Kune Do class is very famous in America. Teaching costs $275 an hour, and it's crowded. It has opened four National Wushu Museums in Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles. In fact, Bruce Lee was not satisfied with teaching his disciples. His goal is Hollywood, hoping to promote China Kung Fu through movies. But the Hollywood film industry has always been relatively cold to him. Finally, Bruce Lee was disappointed with the United States and returned to Hong Kong for development. The fuse was that Hollywood planned to shoot the TV series Kung Fu, and Bruce Lee lost the battle for the leading role. It hit him hard.

1970 Bruce Lee was accidentally injured and his back was seriously damaged. He has been in bed for four months, and he still needs to take painkillers after recovery. During this period, many film studios in Hong Kong came to us, hoping to invite him back to Hong Kong to film, including Shaw, the largest studio in Hong Kong at that time. Shaw's salary was 1 10,000 US dollars, equivalent to 60,000 Hong Kong dollars at that time, which was twice as high as that of the most popular actor at that time. Jiahe Company paid 1.5 million dollars, or 90,000 Hong Kong dollars.

The reason why Jiahe wanted to find Bruce Lee at all costs was because Zou Wenhuai, the boss, had a good eye for heroes. He saw Bruce Lee's kung fu demonstration on TV, which was very wonderful. Many years later, he relished in the interview: "He kicked an inch thick wooden board sideways and broke four pieces with one kick. The strength and time were impeccable ..." Zou Wenhuai also recalled that when discussing cooperation with Bruce Lee, Bruce Lee mentioned a kung fu film that was being broadcasted at that time and asked: "Is this the best action film in Hong Kong at present?" Zou Wenhuai replied, "Yes." So Bruce Lee said sincerely and confidently, "It would be better if I performed." Bruce Lee 1970 returned to Hongkong. Not counting the short transit in the past, Bruce Lee has been away from Hongkong 12 years. Mr. Huang Zhanzhong, who worked with him, said in his memory: "... at that time, I thought that Bruce Lee's future film development in Hong Kong would be very good, so I asked him to write a book called Bruce Lee, interviewed him, printed about 5,000 copies, and accompanied some photos. It was sold out in less than two days, and his film was a sensation before it was released. At that time, the Hong Kong audience admired him very much. When Bruce Lee first came back, he was very enthusiastic, talkative, humorous, always telling jokes and easy-going, so we spent about two or three hours interviewing him, and he also patiently accepted our interview. ……"

Zou Wenhuai and Bruce Lee signed two film contracts. The first film is "Big Brother in Tangshan", written by Hong Kong Kung Fu director Luo Wei in collaboration with the famous novelist Ni Kuang. It was a low-budget film, which was only shot in a small village in Thailand. The scenery is extremely simple and the plot is relatively simple. But Bruce Lee's amazing performance trumps everything else. He changed the complicated and fancy moves in previous kung fu movies, and he was quick, accurate and ruthless, and almost always got the enemy within two moves. His quick and sharp fists and high-pitched screams have both the beauty of personality and strength, which makes people stunned. In the film, there is a scene in which Bruce Lee fights with six gangsters alone, which shows the unstoppable power of Li: three turn and kick, each at a different angle, and one leg can be kicked halfway before deciding the level of attack, which is as fast as lightning, and the other side can't stand it at all.

1970 Bruce Lee was accidentally injured and his back was seriously damaged. He has been in bed for four months, and he still needs to take painkillers after recovery. During this period, many film studios in Hong Kong came to us, hoping to invite him back to Hong Kong to film, including Shaw, the largest studio in Hong Kong at that time. Shaw's salary was 1 10,000 US dollars, equivalent to 60,000 Hong Kong dollars at that time, which was twice as high as that of the most popular actor at that time. Jiahe Company paid 1.5 million dollars, or 90,000 Hong Kong dollars.

"Tangshan Big Brother" was released in Hong Kong for less than three weeks, and the box office has reached HK$ 3.5 million. At the same time, it broke the box office records of all Chinese films in Southeast Asia and set off a new upsurge of kung fu films. "Tangshan Big Brother" also subverted the Hong Kong film market at that time, making Jiahe Company, which is still in its infancy, step into the ranks of strong competitors in one fell swoop. Zou Wenhuai and Bruce Lee are both satisfied with their success in the first battle and continue to work together to make the next film. Bruce Lee respects and trusts Zou Wenhuai very much, and does whatever Zou Wenhuai says. Zou Wenhuai also allowed Bruce Lee to have more opinions on film production and ordered an increase in the budget. Determined to make great achievements in Hong Kong, Bruce Lee moved Linda and her family to Hong Kong and settled down in a two-story villa in Kowloon Tong. This villa has eleven rooms and a Japanese-style garden, which was a very advanced residence in Hong Kong at that time.