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Robert Lee (left) said Bruce would have wanted to see his home city continue to evolve and not be dragged down by political differences. Photos: SCMP

Bruce Lee would have told people to chill and put aside their political differences, brother says on legend's 75th birthday

Kung fu legend would tell Hongkongers to chill and put aside their differences, his brother says

Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee would have told divided Hongkongers to put aside their conflicts and focus on moving forward if he was still alive today, says his younger brother.

Speaking to the on the eve of the kung fu legend's 75th birthday, Robert Lee said Bruce would have wanted to see his home city continue to evolve and not be dragged down by political differences.

"Knowing my brother's personality, he would probably make a joke out of all this," Robert, 66, said on the phone from Los Angeles.

"He would tell people to chill and not be stiff, live their lives and not try to stop [things from happening]." He then quoted one of the screen icon's most famous quotes - "Walk on".

READ MORE: List of Fury: 75 things you didn’t know about Bruce Lee

Last weekend Robert joined fans in Hong Kong to celebrate Bruce's birthday in advance.

The legacy of the star of and who put Hong Kong and kung fu on the world map deserved more attention from the city's authorities, said Robert.

He hoped the actor's former home in Kowloon Tong, where he spent his last years with his family until his death in 1973, could be preserved as a shrine for fans from all over the world.

"It is Bruce's 75th birthday and I would really like to see his old residence turned into a museum," Robert said. "Bruce's residence in Hong Kong is of great importance to people of the city. But unfortunately, after a long, difficult endeavour, it was not able to turn into a museum, no matter how much fans from around the world tried."

READ MORE: Bruce Lee turns 75: Hong Kong’s most famous son, and a legacy that won’t die

The Bruce Lee exhibition currently running at the Heritage Museum in Sha Tin has been a hit with tourists, according to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, and shows the enduring popularity of the star.

When the owner of the two-storey HK$100 million mansion at 41 Cumberland Road, mainland tycoon and philanthropist Yu Panglin, shelved plans to sell the site in 2008 it was hoped it could be turned into a museum.

But the Town Planning Board turned down Yu's proposal, which had called for the government to relax land usage and increase the floor size.

The fate of the 5,699 sq ft property remains unclear as Yu died in May and pledged to donate his entire HK$9.3 billion fortune to charity. Yu's family is still working on the rights to the mansion.

"I hope this subject can be brought up again," said Robert, but political debates had consumed too much of the city's energy. "Hong Kong people are too divided when more attention should be put on the needs, culture and history of the city."

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: 'Politics? That's one fight Bruce would have hated'
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