Shannon Lee backs plan to turn her father's home into a museum
Bruce Lee's daughter is willing to back a plan to turn the martial arts legend's former residence in Kowloon Tong into a museum.
Shannon Lee discussed the project with its owner, Yu Panglin, and government officials on a trip to Hong Kong during which she visited the house - her childhood home.
Lee told the Sunday Morning Post she supported the plan because of its charitable nature. 'The meeting with the officials went well,' Lee said. 'I'm just interested in seeing there'll be a place in Hong Kong where the legacy of Bruce Lee can live ... It's an idea that is way overdue.
'We discussed alternative ideas, to which they were receptive, but the problem seems to be the zoning and ordinances ... They also wanted my support and help in the management and fund-raising for the project, which I said I would be happy to assist in.'
Mr Yu has offered to donate and redevelop the property to include a museum, a cinema, a library and a martial arts centre occupying about 30,000 sq ft, and has said he is willing to share the cost of construction.
However, a change of the land use from residential to other purposes would be required.
Lee said Mr Yu's offer was 'noble' and that officials were open to having the Bruce Lee Foundation, a charity in the United States that she heads, manage the project. 'We have our own plans to build a museum' in Washington state, Lee said. 'To have these museums affiliated with one another so that they can share collections would be great. But [the Hong Kong museum] should have its own ideas behind it.'
A government spokesman said representatives from the Tourism Commission and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department met Lee on Friday and the government was studying the proposal.
Last week, Lee paid her first visit to Shunde , Guangdong, Bruce Lee's hometown in the Pearl River Delta, where a theme park commemorates the late star.
