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HONG KONG: Fans of the late kung fu movie star, Bruce Lee, had protested when their action heroes’ former home, a mansion in Hong Kong, was put up for sale.
However, the plan has since been abandoned and the owner says he will even consider converting the house into a museum, to belatedly celebrate the achievements of Lee, who is arguably Hong Kong’s brightest son.
According to the South China Morning Post, billionaire philanthropist tycoon Yu Panglin had called for bids to Lee's two-storey, 5,699-square-foot town house situated in an upscale leafy Kowloon suburb.
Yu who had originally bought the house for HK$850,000 (US$109,000) in the 1960s said in the report, "I will consider the views of the community and different parties. I may consider donating the property if the majority thinks we should preserve it."
He also added he had turned down many offers from bidders, including a HK$105 million (US$13.5 million) offer for the place which was until a few years ago a seedy “love hotel”.
Yu had reportedly wanted part of the proceeds from the sale to go to the Sichuan earthquake victims.
US-born Lee died a mysterious death at the tender age of 32 in 1973 after a brief but bright career as the high-kicking hero of Hong Kong movies like "Big Boss" and "Fist of Fury", which remain hugely popular across the world.
Highly revered by martial arts exponents and movie buffs internationally, Lee had made popular the kung-fu cinematic genre and had a hand in ushering in the golden age of Hong Kong film in the 1960s.
Fans of the late star are evidently thrilled that a museum could potentially be erected in Lee’s honour.
“That would be fantastic news because fans and the community wouldn't have the money to buy out this property," Michael Tien, a member of Hong Kong's Bruce Lee fanclub, was quoted as saying.
The government has also said that it will consider converting Lee’s home into a museum, drawing on the inspiration from other memorial sites of global stars, this includes the Beatles Story in Liverpool and Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in Tennessee.
- CNA/os
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