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Sensei Says | Hong Kong protests embrace Bruce Lee but reject Jackie Chan in tale of two martial arts heroes
- Bruce Lee becomes a symbol for young demonstrators and their ‘formless’ guerilla tactics in defiance of China’s unpopular extradition law
- But Jackie Chan, already vilified for his pro-Beijing stance, feigns ignorance of historic marches in his home city
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Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan may be Hong Kong’s two most famous martial arts sons, but the kung fu superstars are like chalk and cheese to the protesters taking part in historic marches against the city’s extradition bill.
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Enter The Dragon star Lee’s famous “Be water, my friend” saying has become a clarion call among the young protesters demanding Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor withdraw the unpopular legislation which would have allowed for the transfer of fugitive suspects to mainland China and other jurisdictions with which Hong Kong has no extradition deal.
Lee’s words have also inspired a new form of guerilla tactics that has outfoxed the police and given the government headaches, with protesters moving in unexpected waves, rolling from one spot to another.
Spontaneous road blockades and the circling of buildings have replaced the prolonged mass sit-ins of the 2014 Occupy movement, creating a “formless” protest.
“We are formless, we are shapeless, we can flow, we can crash, we are like water, we are Hongkongers!” read one protester’s sign channelling Lee’s philosophy.
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