*This article is an extract from my latest book “Legendary Masters of the Martial Arts”. It features one of the best-known stories of Bruce Lee, then discusses the known facts about the legend and its functions, questioning why it is so widely known.
The who book is available to purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/Legendary-Masters-Martial-Arts-Unraveling/dp/1594399646
Introduction
Bruce Lee was born on November twenty-seventh, 1940, in San Francisco, while his parents were on tour as opera performers. Lee’s family returned to Hong Kong where the youth lived, studied martial arts, and was cast in numerous films.
As a teen, Bruce Lee trained in Wing Chun under Grandmaster Yip Man. At this time, he was well-known as a neighborhood troublemaker who had frequent run-ins with rival Kung Fu schools and the law. With his college prospects looking bleak in Hong Kong, his family sent him to the USA to continue his studies in 1959.
In the USA he trained intermittently in boxing, Judo, Arnis, and various other styles, which all contributed to his development of Jeet Kune Do (The Way of the Intercepting Fist).
Although above average height, Bruce’s most notable feature was his frame, which was incredibly muscular with an extremely low percentage of body fat. In particular, the extreme size of some body parts, such as his Latissimus Dorsi muscles (lats’), have led to speculation from modern bodybuilders that he may have supplemented his gym regimen with steroid use.
Bruce Lee died on July twentieth, 1973, aged thirty-two, in Hong Kong. The official cause of death is stated as cerebral edema (swelling and bleeding of the brain) thought to have been triggered by a reaction to the painkiller Equagesic.
He is known as the founder of Jeet Kune Do, winner of multiple film awards, named by Time Magazine “One of the most influential figures of the Twentieth Century,” author of several books on martial arts, poet, and philosopher.
The Legend
Is this really what you want?’ Bruce asked, looking at the ornate letter of challenge in his hand.
“No, but it is what they want.”1 Wong Jack-Man, dressed in the black robes of a Northern Shaolin monk, nodded towards the senior members of the Chinatown martial arts association that had recruited him to champion their cause.
Like Bruce, Jack-Man was a young and highly skilled fighter from Hong Kong, but unlike his opponent, he was willing to uphold the ideals of the association for the glory of traditional martial arts and Chinese culture.
James Lee, a friend and mentor to Bruce and one of the few other progressive martial arts masters on the scene, closed the door of the dilapidated building and slid the bolt across the lock.
Although they had never met before, the rivalry between the two young and upcoming martial arts experts in San Francisco’s Chinatown was ready to reach a climax.
It had all begun with Lee’s performances at local martial arts exhibitions, where he would show the tremendous power of his one-inch-punches and two-finger pushups.
When Bruce started to claim publicly that most of what was being taught in Chinatown was “nonsense,” this got his critics fired up. Finally, he spoke publicly at an exhibition stating: “I would like to let everybody know that any time my Chinatown brothers want to try out my Wing Chun, they are welcome to come find me at my school in Oakland.”2
This had been the final straw for the old guard, who were already uneasy about Bruce’s openness to teach Chinese martial arts to the Westerners, many of whom treated them with disdain or viewed their martial arts practices as laughable.
The two squared off in the center of the makeshift arena. Jack-Man bowed with his hands raised at face height, the left clasped over the right in a formal show of respect. Bruce responded with the slightest of nods.
“No striking the eyes or throat. No kicking in the groin,” said Jack-Man.
“No. As far as I’m concerned you came here to challenge me, so it’s no-holds barred,” Bruce replied.3
Knowing he couldn’t back down in front of the gathered entourage and observers, the challenger agreed.
Bruce slid into his orthodox Wing Chun stance, a southern style of Kung Fu focused on fast, short-range strikes and close-range combat. He moved one foot forward, bending his back knee but keeping his shoulders square, providing a stance that supported his body like a wedge that could be driven forwards with ease, but would resist when pushed upon.
From this position Bruce could focus on controlling his opponent’s center line, a key principle of style that exposed his enemy’s vital targets to attack.
In response, Wong stepped wide and deep, falling into a classical stance of northern Shaolin; a style which emphases range of motion with high kicks and long strikes, better suited to the lanky frames of those from northern China.
Bruce exploded forwards with a series of lightning-fast vertical punches aimed at Jack-Man’s face, knowing that the elements of surprise and aggression were crucial components that could be used to one’s advantage when facing a strong enemy.
Despite Jack-Man’s reactions, which were sharp as a knife, one of the strikes made it through and clipped his face just under the eye. The Northern Shaolin master immediately countered with a swinging strike of his own that narrowly missed Bruce’s face and landed on his clavicle with a heavy thud. An explosion of pain coursed through Bruce’s chest and neck.
Enraged by the near miss, Bruce decided he had to finish the fight there and then, and retaliated with a furious barrage of straight-line chain punches and low kicks, forcing Jack-Man to retreat and take a defensive position.
Less than a minute passed, while Lee forced his opponent into a state of retreat, backing up around the makeshift arena. In his haste to defend and wait for an opening, Jack-Man lost his footing and fell to the ground.
Lee pounced on him, seizing the moment of advantage and delivered a dozen hard Wing Chun punches into Jack-Man’s back and head, while he fought to cover up and protect himself.
“Have you had enough?” Bruce shouted down at his opponent, who refused to answer. Lee pounded some more. “Have you had enough?!”4 Finally, with no way to defend himself and at the mercy of the Wing Chun fighter, Jack-Man had no choice but to admit defeat.
Bruce backed off and the stunned crowd quickly dispersed. Those that had favored Jack-Man muttered and groaned amongst themselves in defeat as they made their way home.
Sometime later, Bruce’s wife Linda found her husband sitting outside on the steps at the back of the warehouse. He was gazing off into the distance, despondent about what was a decisive victory.
When Linda inquired as to his state, Bruce explained. He told her how he was disappointed with himself for letting the fight drag on so long, and that it should have been over in seconds. Instead, he’d gotten to the point of being unusually exhausted and injured from the victory.
Bruce glanced down to his knuckles that had swollen to nearly twice their size and wondered why his system was so reliant on hand strikes? Why it required him to stay in close range, chest forwards, where it was hard to generate power rather than using twisting motions, like boxers and even Karate masters. Why did his style, which seemed so crisp and efficient in training, suddenly feel so ineffective and slow?
Sitting with his wife, tired and contemplative, Lee made the decision there and then that he needed to adapt. To come up with his own methodology, his own practice, taking the best from all worlds to create not just a new style of martial arts, but a new approach to martial arts itself. This would eventually become the ‘Way of the Intercepting Fist,’ ‘Jeet Kune Do.’
The Facts
While the tale of the duel between Lee and Jack-Man has been told countless times in various formats and platforms, this iteration seems to prevail most of all.
Most likely this particular legend rose to popularity due to its wide distribution in Linda Lee’s books, which were immensely popular in the years following Bruce’s death, and the dramatic interpretation of events which could have sprung from one of his movies. In particular, this is supported by the underpinning argument about race and the teaching of Chinese martial arts to Westerners, which creates a hero of Lee and villain of Jack-Man.
This claim was originally made by Linda Lee, who said “Three other Chinese accompanied Wong Jack-Man, who handed Bruce an ornate scroll which appeared to have been an ultimatum from the San Francisco martial arts community. Presumably, if Bruce lost the challenge, he was either to close down his institute or stop teaching Caucasians.”5
This story was then cemented in the public psyche over the coming years through many retellings, many of which heightened the drama to ridiculous proportions. Most notable was the 1993 film, “Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story,” where the hero had to face “a real killer”6 before a panel of old Chinese Kung Fu masters to earn the right to teach whomever he desired. This scene took place in what appears to be a secret underground Kung Fu battle arena that was allegedly somewhere in downtown San Francisco (rather than Bruce Lee’s own school at 4157 Broadway, which is now a Toyota dealership).7
Throughout the fight, Bruce performs nothing even slightly reminiscent of Wing Chun and instead appears to act as a culmination of his persona in later films. Although it should be noted that they at least went to the effort of changing the name of the character based on Jack-Man (probably in the hope of avoiding a defamation lawsuit).
It is most likely true that Lee did not buy into the racial exclusion that was no doubt an issue of the times (he was married to a Caucasian woman and was mixed race himself, as it is generally accepted that his maternal grandmother was European8.) However, it is a stretch to infer from this that all other schools of Chinese martial arts in the San Francisco area were exclusively of Chinese ethnicity.
Although this Chinese-exclusive culture of martial arts teaching likely did happen in years prior, a number of western students studied in Chinatown by the 1960s, even including some well-known martial artists such as Ed Parker.
As one scholar notes there is substantial evidence that the old code of keeping Chinese martial arts secretive was “well into its final throes by the time of the Bruce Lee–Wong Jack-Man showdown.”9
Meanwhile, Jack-Man himself has vehemently denied this as a reason for their conflict for over fifty years and continued to do so up until his death in 2017, stating: “What (Linda) wrote is absolutely not true. What provoked the fight was Bruce Lee’s arrogance and his insulting treatment of other martial artists. He trashed the teachers in Chinatown, calling them “old tigers with no teeth” and lectured them about his Wing Chun system being far superior to their traditional Chinese martial arts.”10
While the duel was likely not a battle over whom to teach and whom not to teach, it is reasonable to consider that Jack-Man was seen as representing the traditional masters and styles of Chinatown, while Bruce was the voice of change.11
Regarding the physical aspects of the fight, in a 1967 interview in Blackbelt Magazine Bruce stated:
“I’d gotten into a fight in San Francisco (a reference, no doubt, to the Bay Area rather than the city) with a Kung Fu cat, and after a brief encounter the son-of-a-bitch started to run. I chased him and, like a fool, kept punching him behind his head and back. Soon my fists began to swell from hitting his hard head. Right then I realized Wing Chun was not too practical and began to alter my way of fighting.”12
While he does not name Wong specifically in this interview, it seems from both its timing, similarities to Linda Lee’s descriptions and the other documented bouts that he had, that Bruce was referring to the same event.
However, it is worth speculating whether this version of events would be a significant enough catalyst to make Bruce completely drop a style of martial arts he had been learning for more than a decade already. Especially if he had defeated a renowned martial artist, who many considered to be the more likely victor,13 with a decisive victory.
While there are a limited number of confirmed firsthand accounts of the fight, they tend to fall into one of two camps, the first of which tells a story reminiscent of Bruce and Linda’s, and the second of which is far less one-sided.
Jack-Man claims the fight “lasted at least twenty minutes, maybe twenty-five.”14 This length might also explain why Bruce was noted in all accounts (including his own) to be considerably winded.
William Chen, a Tai Chi instructor who witnessed the event, supports this by saying the fight lasted approximately twenty minutes and certainly did not finish with Jack-Man “brought to the floor and pounded into a state of demoralization.” He also states that he “remembers the fighters joining on several occasions, but he could not see very clearly what was happening at those moments.”15
Jack-Man’s own descriptions offer a different perspective on the match than that of Lee and his wife, stating that Lee was extremely angry from the outset. David Chin (the mutual friend that helped organize the meeting explains that “It was not a friendly atmosphere,” and that, “The challenge was real.”16
This version is further emphasized by Jack-Man’s claims that Lee was intent on causing him serious bodily harm. Particularly when starting the fight by pretending to shake his hand, then jabbing fingertip strikes at his eyes.
Jack-Man says, “He continued to swear, yell and utter terrifying sounds as he repeatedly tried to attack my eyes, throat, and groin in between throwing straight punches at my chest.”17
The physical aspects of a scene more in keeping with these descriptions were later also depicted in the 2016 film, “Birth of the Dragon”. Although the film took some artistic liberties in dramatization of the movie’s pivotal scene, instead portrayed the duel in a far less one-sided manner. In reference to the duel’s depiction, Jack-Man himself said he enjoyed the part when he headlocked Bruce, “which actually happened three times during our fight in 1964.”18
Also, in the weeks following the bout, rumors started to crop up about the outcome, even though the pair had agreed not to publicly disclose information about the fight.
Jack-Man soon issued a public statement in a local newspaper in response, challenging Bruce’s version of events and calling for a public rematch, to which the usually outspoken Bruce Lee did not respond.
Finally, it should be considered that perspectives massively impact our objective opinions, therefore the realistic outcomes of the fight can be considered part of the mystery. However, they likely fall somewhere between the two camps’ tales.
Meanwhile, the spectacle of the actual fight has obviously been far eclipsed by the legend, and regardless of the outcome, one way or another it helped to create a path for what would later become Jeet Kune Do and Bruce’s iconic philosophies.
The Functions
Creating a Cultural Icon
It should be noted that this duel has become one of the most frequently referenced periods of Bruce Lee’s life. It has been shown dozens of times in film, retold in hundreds of books and magazines, and been recycled countless times orally. This has elevated it to a piece of pop-culture iconography that has influenced countless works of cinema, television, and storytelling throughout the latter twentieth century.
Although the legend told by various parties differs massively (and both versions of events have featured in various renditions), one theme is consistent throughout. Whether the fight was one-sided or not, it seems clear that Bruce’s view of traditional martial arts being antiquated or unrealistic was founded by such fights like this one and the surrounding discussions.
Popularizing Discussion on Martial Arts in the West
The ongoing debate surrounding the effectiveness of different styles and systems of martial arts has long been a topic of discussion in the East. For example, debates surrounding the dominance of Northern and Southern Chinese styles of Kung Fu have been going on for at least five-hundred years.19
However, until the rise of figures like Lee, who thought to question the efficacy of traditional systems (inspired by events like his fight with Jack-Man), this was a relatively unquestioned concept in the West, where Eastern styles of martial arts were still relatively new and considered in high regard by the general public.
In this case, the Bruce Lee/Wong Jack-Man duel certainly helped to bring the discussion forward into the twenty-first century, possibly even popularizing the style-versus-style debate among Western audiences for one of the first times.
Teaching Jeet Kune Do Philosophies
Finally, the legend of Bruce Lee’s bout with Jack-Man can be seen as a modern-day parable for others, serving as the catalytic moment for the development of Lee’s philosophy that states: “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.”20
This is particularly relevant for modern-day martial artists, who have access to a wide range of sources and can identify what is likely to work in their own training and what is not.
This philosophy further underpins what later became the ethos of modern mixed martial arts. Some consider Lee as the ‘godfather’ of MMA for this reason. Personally, I feel that this is a natural evolution of martial arts, and things are now evolving further with striking and wrestling making a comeback against the once-dominant system of BJJ. However, without the tinder of Lee’s huge name, appealing legend, and duel to have sparked it off, we may certainly be years behind where martial arts are today.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f4ddb71-3915-4b81-b73a-52a55b640f76_936x817.jpeg)
References
1 Lee, L. (1975). The Life and Tragic Death of Bruce Lee. Star Books. P37.
2 Russo, C., & Lee, S. (2019). Striking Distance: Bruce Lee & the Dawn of Martial Arts in America. University of Nebraska Press. P133.
3 Ibid.
4 Lee, L. (1975). The Life and Tragic Death of Bruce Lee. Star Books. P37.
5 Dorgan, M. (1980, July). Bruce Lee’s Toughest Fight. Official Karate. P1.
6 Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. (1995.). Retrieved May 20, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= AU9fdSjbeRo. (0.20s)
7 Bruce Lee. LocalWiki. (2013, March 11). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://localwiki.org/oakland/Bruce_Lee
8 Chin, J. W. (2017). Striking Distance: Bruce Lee & the Dawn of Martial aArts in America. Sport in Society, 21(3), 574–576. doi:10.1080/17430437.2017.1379187. P576
9 Russo & Lee. (2019). Striking Distance. P147.
10 Dorgan, M. (2017). Shaolin Master Wong Jack Man’s Last Interview. Hunyuan Martial Arts Academy of San Jose. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.taichisanjose.com/wong-jack-man-interview. P1.
11Russo & Lee. (2019). Striking Distance. P139.
Read more, with stories of Musashi, Helio Gracie, Mas Oyama, Yan Yongchun, Bodhidharma, Choi Hong-Hi and others here: