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Three Ways of Looking at Bruce Lee (with Jeff Chang)

Sep 18, 2025
Jeff Chang, a historian and author of *Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America*, discusses Bruce Lee's remarkable journey from a child actor in Hong Kong to a cultural icon. Chang highlights Lee's impact on the action hero archetype and how he reshaped perceptions of Asian Americans in cinema. Meanwhile, Nassim Jamnia, a former neuroscientist and author, delves into the fascinating world of fungi, explaining their biological roles and urging speculative fiction to evolve beyond outdated tropes.
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ANECDOTE

Gaining Family Trust Took Time

  • Jeff Chang described building trust with Shannon Lee to access Bruce Lee's family papers after years of relationship work.
  • He credits Baldwin's documentary Be Water as pushing him forward to finish the book.
INSIGHT

Water, Mirror, Echo As Structural Frame

  • 'Be water, still be like a mirror, respond like an echo' framed Bruce Lee's life phases and public meaning.
  • Chang uses these three metaphors to organize Bruce's evolution and lasting cultural echo.
INSIGHT

Youth Culture Fueled Kung Fu's Global Spread

  • Hong Kong's 1950s youth culture, formed by migration and street survival, fueled a cinematic kung fu breakout.
  • Those films connected with U.S. inner-city audiences alongside blaxploitation, making kung fu culturally portable.
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