The 20 century was not a good one for the Chinese. After dominating much of the past
two millenniums in science and philosophy, they have spent the past 100 years being invaded
and lectured by the West.
But in 1959 a short, skinny 18-year –old kid traveled from Hong Kong to America and declared himself to be John Wayne. In America where the Chinese were still stereotyped as house servants and railroad workers. Bruce Lee landed his first U.S. show-biz role in The Green Hormel, a 1966-7 TV superhero drama.
Despite his readiness to embrace America culture, Lee could not get Hollywood to embrace him, so he returned to Hong Kong to make films. In them, Lee chose to represent the little guy who would fight for the Chinese against the invading Japanese or the small- town family against the city- living drug – dealers. There were usually about 100 of these enemies, but they mostly died as soon as he punched them in the face. The plots were uniform: people close to Lee are Killed; Lee are kills lots of people to retaliate; Lee turns himself in for punishment.
The films set box- office records in Asia, and s0 Hollywood finally gave him the American action movie he louged to make. But Lee died at the age of 32, a month before the release of his first U.S. film.