Places you can visit in Hong Kong to relive Bruce Lee’s cinematic moments from ‘Enter the Dragon’

If one were to define a 'legend', taking a page from Bruce Lee's life would be considered apposite. The actor and martial arts master -- who leapt into kung fu TV shows and movies in the 1960s -- remains an icon of 20th-century motion pictures. November 27 was his 80th birthday, and to celebrate his birth week and year, here's tracing his footsteps through Hong Kong in eight memorable scenes from Enter the Dragon, a film in which he played an undercover British intelligence agent, and one that had some landmarks like Tsing Shan Monastery and Aberdeen Harbour in it. This gallery is an homage to both the man and the city. Scroll down. (Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board/Designed by Gargi Singh)

Victoria Harbour: Enter the Dragon opens with a stunning tribute to Hong Kong scenery, panning across Admiralty and Central, with glimpses of iconic buildings, such as Jardine House and Queen’s Building (where the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong stands now). The scene moves along the harbour front, before venturing across Victoria Harbour and deep into Kowloon. Experience it yourself with a visit to The Peak for similarly sweeping views, high tea at the Mandarin Oriental, and a Star Ferry ride across Victoria Harbour to the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, where you can pay tribute to Bruce Lee’s two-metre-tall bronze statue on the recently-renovated Avenue of the Stars. (Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

Ching Chung Koon Temple: The film’s first fight scene takes place at the Ching Chung Koon temple in Tuen Mun, where Bruce Lee faces off with a Shaolin fighter played by prolific martial arts choreographer and director Sammo Hung, a big name in Hong Kong action cinema. Dating back to 1949, the temple once served as a place of worship and community for refugees from China. Today, it’s a sanctuary of tranquility, where you can relax amid trees, flowers, ponds, rock gardens, gorgeous pavilions and waterfalls. (Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

Tsing Shan Monastery: After defeating Hung, Lee develops his fighting philosophy with his Shaolin master in Tsing Shan Monastery in Tuen Mun. Sitting at the foot of Castle Peak, Tsing Shan Monastery is one of Hong Kong's oldest temples, founded as early as 400 AD by Buddhist master Pui To, an Indian monk who is said to have crossed the sea in a wooden cup. Although the complex was rebuilt in the 20th century, you can still channel the deep spiritual atmosphere depicted in the film. (Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

Aberdeen Harbour: As the fighters meet to board a traditional Chinese junk boat to reach the island of the film’s main villain, Han, we get a front-row seat of Aberdeen Harbour. The scene showcases the area’s famous sampan fishing boats and humble houseboats. Fifty years on, the Southside waterfront remains a must-visit experience for anyone wanting to explore the traditional, slower-paced side of the city. The former fishing village is home to an array of fishing vessels and has a spacious harbour-front promenade and seafood market, and is a popular site of Hong Kong’s famed dragon boat races every June. (Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

Muslim Cemetery: In one of the film’s more intimate scenes, Lee visits his parents' graves in the Muslim Cemetery, which is part of the broader Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley. Founded in 1828, the gracefully terraced graveyard offers a quiet, calm place to wander above the buzzing city streets. It is also a historical destination of interest listed on the Commonwealth Grave’s Commission, as it contains six burials from the First World War and 19 from World War II. (Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

Tai Tam Bay: Bruce Lee’s arrival on Han’s island, where he participates in a martial arts tournament, was actually shot in Tai Tam Bay, on Hong Kong island’s south coast. Tai Tam Country Park is one of the best places to spend a day out in Hong Kong, thanks to its hiking trails, World War II sites, lush reservoir and scenic coastlines. (Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

Kai Tak: Hong Kong’s old Kai Tak Airport -- previously known as one of the most challenging urban landings in the world -- makes a brief appearance in Enter the Dragon as a plane flies overhead. Movie buffs visiting today will find a different scene. When the airport closed in 1998, the government repurposed the area. Today, it is home to Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Park, the most extensive rooftop garden in Hong Kong, spanning 23,000 square metres – not to mention one of the world’s foremost cruise facilities, the waterfront Kai Tak Runway Park, and sweeping views of Victoria Harbour. (Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

King Yin Lei: One of the most epic fight scenes in Enter the Dragon has to be Lee’s duel with Han in the 'Hall of Mirrors' of King Yin Lei, a historic mansion built in 1937. Serving as a rare example of Chinese Renaissance style, the complex on Stubbs Road in Mid-Levels, now a declared  monument, exudes a mystical allure, thanks to its neoclassical aesthetics, intricate details and grand architecture. (Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

Bruce Lee: Kung Fu-Art-Life: Looking for more ways to honour Bruce Lee’s legacy? When international travel resumes, visit the Bruce Lee: Kung Fu-Art-Life exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. The exhibition will end December 31, 2020, when it will undergo a major revamp and reopen in the second half of 2021. Held in collaboration with the Bruce Lee Foundation, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum has collected more than 600 invaluable pieces of Bruce Lee costumes, personal belongings and movie memorabilia for one of the most comprehensive celebrations of the film star and martial artist to date. (Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)