Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee


Christian Estrada                                      March

22, 1996 Literature-07                              

Biography Report


 Introduction


     Bruce Lee was born in the Chinese year of the dragon, in the hour of the

dragon on November 27, 1940.  From the beginning, it was obvious he was a

remarkable and unique child with tremendous energy.  His mother named him Lee

Jun Fan, which meant "return again."  She felt he would return to the United

States where he was born while his parents were on tour with the Cantonese opera.

A nurse suggested he be called Bruce as an American name for him.


 Childhood


     Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco at the Jackson Street Hospital in

Chinatown.  When he and his family returned to Hong Kong in 1941, he was called

Sai Fon, which meant "small phoenix", a feminine name.  Bruce had an older

brother who died as a baby.  The Chinese blamed this on evil spirits or demons

who take the lives of male babies to destroy the family's name.  So they dressed

Bruce in little girls clothing and called him Sai Fon.

     When they returned to Hong Kong, the Lee household consisted of Mr. Lee,

his wife Grace Lee, Bruce's two sisters, Agnes and Phoebe, his older brother

Peter, and later to be joined his little brother Robert.

     Bruce grew up in a very crowded house.  He lived in a two bedroom flat.

Upon the death of Mr. Lee's brother, he, as in Chinese custom, had to taken in

his whole brother's Family and had to be the provider.  This meant nearly 20

people lived in the flat.

     It was through his father's connection that Bruce ultimately became a

child film star.  His own acting ability was clear from the beginning.  Bruce

posed as a great natural actor and possessed a great natural ability for acting.

His father used to take him backstage.  As a young boy, Bruce always hung around

the set where his father was working on film.

     Few people have started a major film career as early as Bruce did.  He

was barely three months old when he was given the part in a Chinese movie made

in San Francisco.  Another movie called "The Beginning of a Boy" he made in Hong

Kong when he was six.

     Bruce's favorite saying from when he was just starting Kung Fu up to

when he died was, "As long as I can remember, I feel I have had this great

creative and spiritual force within me that is greater than faith, greater than

ambition, greater than confidence, greater than determination, greater than

vision.  It is all combined.  My brain becomes magnetized with this dominating

force, which I hold in my hand."  Bruce had learned this from Master Sifu Yip

Man.


 Influences


     Shortly after Bruce entered La Salle College of China (middle school to

us), he came home one day and told his mother he was being bullied around after

school.  He wanted to be trained in the martial arts.  His father practiced Tai

Chi Chuan, which is a series of exercises and moves carried out in slow motion.

Bruce had joined his father once or twice doing Tai Chi, but the slowness of the

movements did not appeal to him.  His teacher became Master Sifu Yip Man, a

master at Wing Chun system of Kung Fu.

     Yip Man showed Bruce a way to find direction in life, he interested his

young student in the philosophical teachings of Buddha, Confucius, Lao-Tze, the

founders of Taoism, and other great spiritual Leaders.  As a result, Bruce's

mind became a sponge of the wisdom of such teachers, specifically, but not

exclusively, the deep teachings of the Yin-Yang principle.  Yin-Yang is

generally represented by the double fish symbol, the foundation of which stayed

with Bruce and guided him through his adult life.


 Hardships


     When Bruce Lee was eighteen years old, his family fearedThis is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Electronic References. Please register below now!


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