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The Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung, announced the details of the upcoming "Bruce Lee: Kung Fu •Art •Life" exhibition at a press conference today (June 26).
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), and jointly organised by the Bruce Lee Foundation and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, this long-awaited exhibition is one of the highlight programmes of "Vibrant Hong Kong" under the territory-wide "Hong Kong: Our Home" Campaign launched this year and is set to become the talk of the town. The exhibition will open on July 20 and will run for five years at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Speaking at the press conference, Mrs Fung said that Bruce Lee was an internationally renowned martial arts movie star who raised interest in Chinese kung fu around the world through his movies, making a profound impact on different aspects of popular culture such as movies, TV shows and comics. Drawing on the past and serving as a pioneer, Lee had an enormous influence on martial arts culture and the movie industry. Mrs Fung said that Lee, who grew up in Hong Kong and earned his fame here before becoming known throughout the world, is the pride of Hong Kong. Almost four decades after his death, Lee's influence continues to cross the boundaries of region, race and even age.
Having received tremendous support from local and overseas collectors and various institutions, the exhibition has gathered more than 600 precious relics and memorabilia items related to Bruce Lee on loan for display. They include more than 400 relics from the Bruce Lee Foundation, the largest number of artefacts that the Foundation has ever lent out. In addition, the Hong Kong Film Archive under the LCSD has provided more than 100 items selected from its collection for display in the exhibition. Through these collections, the exhibition will be able to review the life story of the legendary Bruce Lee, from the perspectives of his profile, his movies, his martial arts and his development as a cultural phenomenon.
The LCSD specially arranged for the exhibition to open on July 20 this year to mark the 40th anniversary of Lee's death. Occupying a total area of 850 square metres, the exhibition gallery will house several sets of reconstructions, which have been created with ideas inspired by prominent scenes in Lee's five classic kung fu movies as well as his gym and his study. The exhibits, placed suitably in the reconstructed scenes, will enhance visitors' experiences in viewing the exhibition. The exhibition will also include a collector series in which the theme will be changed regularly to show the precious collections of different collectors with an aim of introducing the cultural significance and the influence of Bruce Lee through the collectors' eyes. The first exhibition in the collector series will feature more than 100 products related to the TV series "The Green Hornet", provided by internationally acclaimed US collector Perry Lee. Through this collection, visitors will be able to learn more about the first image of Bruce Lee branded by a US enterprise.
Mrs Fung noted that the LCSD has been able to produce this fabulous and meaningful exhibition with the support of creative professionals in different sectors and organisations. The organisations include Fortune Star Media Limited, which has sponsored the licensed rights of eight movies starring Bruce Lee and related materials for use in the exhibition as well as in the education and promotional activities. The Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers has produced a 75-minute documentary entitled "The Brilliant Life of Bruce Lee", which will be shown during the exhibition period. Rich in content, this painstakingly produced documentary will give an overview of the life of Bruce Lee, enabling the public to get a thorough understanding of this legendary figure.
Throughout his life, Bruce Lee had close ties with the movies. He used the movies as a means to convey his philosophical thoughts about martial arts, and his life itself was as fascinating as a movie plot. The title – "Bruce Lee: Kung Fu •Art •Life" – fully reflects the three major elements of the exhibition, as well as the achievements and influences in his life and his philosophy about kung fu and the art of film. It is for this reason that the Hong Kong Heritage Museum invited Silver Cheung, a film art director, to be the exhibition's art director and to incorporate film elements and concepts into the exhibition design.
Famous sculptor Chu Tat-shing was invited to create a brand-new statue of Bruce Lee. The statue, 3.5 metres high, will show the strong side-kicking image of Lee. The animation artist Shannon Ma is creating a 3D hologram animation that will vividly show Lee's nunchakus as well as his quick and forceful kicks.
In addition to thanking the aforementioned individuals and organisations, Mrs Fung also expressed her gratitude to Bruce Lee's family and friends; the Bruce Lee Foundation in the US; Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do (Hong Kong); local and overseas collectors; the schools where Lee studied in Hong Kong, namely Tak Sun School, La Salle College and St Francis Xavier's College; researchers of Bruce Lee; and all his fans and supporters. They all have made the exhibition possible.
Mrs Fung noted that to tie in with the five-year exhibition, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum will organise a series of education and extension programmes with different themes and to be carried out in phases. The first phase of activities, under the theme "The Bruce Lee that Hong Kong Knew", will include lectures, sharing sessions and interactive demonstrations to explore the life, career and achievements of Bruce Lee from different perspectives. The first programme, to be introduced in July, is a gallery talk by Lee's daughter Shannon Lee, who will share the story of the exhibits with participants. The collector Perry Lee will also give a talk to share his experience of collecting Bruce Lee memorabilia.
To promote the "Bruce Lee: Kung Fu •Art •Life" exhibition, new interactive media will be employed along with social media, a dedicated exhibition website and smartphone apps. The LCSD will launch in mid-July a brand new Facebook fan page entitled "Visit HK Museums" (www.facebook.com/VisitHKMuseums) to provide an interactive way for the public to gather more information about the exhibition. The Facebook fan page will include a public engagement campaign, directional day tour and exhibition promotional videos, highlights of must-see exhibits, interviews, quotes and the making of materials for the exhibition.
Also speaking at the press conference, the Deputy Commissioner for Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, said that the Tourism Commission would publicise the exhibition to overseas visitors through the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). A promotional trailer is currently being produced by the HKTB in collaboration with the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers for broadcasting via different channels during the exhibition period, including at overseas travel trade shows in which the HKTB will participate, at the HKTB's visitor centres and at large-scale activities organised by the HKTB, as well as on the TV channels of local hotels. The HKTB will, through its overseas offices, connect with relevant organisations to encourage kung fu and Bruce Lee fans around the world to come to Hong Kong to visit the exhibition. The Tourism Commission will also liaise with the tourism industry through the HKTB and the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong to explore the feasibility of including the Bruce Lee exhibition and tourist attractions near the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in the itineraries for inbound tours.
The "Bruce Lee: Kung Fu •Art •Life" exhibition is being classified as a permanent exhibition of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. Visitors will only need to pay the museum's standard admission fees for visiting the exhibition without additional charges. To ensure effective crowd control, visitors will be required to present a special admission slip for admission to the exhibition. Standard admission to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is $10 with a half-price concession available for full-time students, people with disabilities and senior citizens aged 60 or above. Admission is free on Wednesdays. The exhibition will be closed on Tuesdays.
The exhibition will have special viewing sessions to avoid overcrowding during the early stage of its opening. There will be five viewing sessions on weekdays and six per day on weekends and public holidays, with each session lasting about one hour and 30 minutes. Each session will accommodate about 400 visitors.
To assist the public in visiting the exhibition during the summer holidays, the museum will introduce online reservation of tickets for the first two months (from mid-July to mid-September) after the exhibition opens. Visitors can, via email, reserve tickets for a time slot that fits their schedule and go to the museum before the commencement of the time slot booked to purchase their reserved tickets and collect the special exhibition admission slip. Visitors will also be able to reserve or purchase tickets at the museum. The first of the two phases of online reservation (i.e. for the first month of the exhibition) will start at 10am on July 4. Visitors will be able to reserve tickets covering the period from July 20 to August 19 through the Hong Kong Heritage Museum's website at hk.heritage.museum. The second phase of ticket reservation, covering the exhibition period from August 20 to September 20, will start at 10am on August 1. Interested parties will only be allowed to make reservations for a maximum of three viewing sessions and four tickets for each session during each phase of online reservation while the quota is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more details about the exhibition and the arrangements for online reservation, please visit the Hong Kong Heritage Museum's website or call 2180 8188.
The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is located at 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin. It is open from 10am to 6pm on weekdays, and from 10am to 7pm on Saturday, Sundays and public holidays. It is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays). Paid car parking is available at the museum. Those who prefer to use public transport may take the MTR Ma On Shan Line and get off at Che Kung Temple Station, which is within three minutes' walk of the museum.
Ends/Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:06
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