October 22, 2015 – To commemorate Bruce Lee’s 75th Birth Anniversary, The Singapore Mint presents two commemorative coins, Legend of the Dragon and Legend of JKD (Jeet Kune Do) to celebrate his distinct contributions to both the martial arts and pop culture.
Legend of the Dragon. Singapore / 2 Dollars / Silver .999 / 31.10 g / 40.70 mm / Mintage: 6,000.
The obverse design features Bruce Lee’s Chinese name, ‘Lee Jun fan’ in Chinese characters, specifically the word meaning ‘Dragon’, featured in prominent artistic calligraphic strokes. Bruce Lee was born in the hour of the Dragon, in the year of the Dragon, 1940. With his birth both in the hour and the year of the Dragon, a powerful symbol in Chinese astrology, it was believed to be a strong omen of the powerful life. Indeed, Lee led a powerful and inspirational life, reflected in his contributions not just in the filmography scene, but also in the martial arts scene.
The obverse design also features Bruce Lee from The Way of the Dragon, the film directed, produced and written by Lee.
Legend of JKD. Singapore / 2 Dollars / Silver .999 / 31.10 g / 40.70 mm / Mintage: 6,000.
Bruce Lee was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, abbreviated JKD – an eclectic and hybrid style fighting. Referred as “non-classical”, JKD is a form of Chinese Kung Fu, yet without form. This coin pays tributes to our founder of this martial art form.
Closely linked to Lee’s 75th birth anniversary is the legacy of JKD he left behind as well. The obverse of the design prominently captures Lees’ effortless stance; which is in itself the essence of Jeet Kune Do, delicately handcrafted by The Singapore Mint’s esteemed Master Engravers.
Accompanying the design also features Lees’ other iconic stances, where he popularized the nunchuku in many of his films.
Bruce Lee, before the age of 18.
Bruce Lee, also known as Lee Xiao Long, (born Lee Jun Fan) was a Hong Kong American martial artist, filmmaker, movie actor, and the creator of Jeet Kune Do. Born November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, Lee was brought up in Hong Kong, Kowloon, where he was introduced to Kung Fu by Master Yip Man at a young age of 13. Lee later pursued higher education in the United States, where he majored in Philosophy. His burgeoning interest in the philosophy of the martial arts, his practice of Kung Fu, coupled with his desire for self-improvement, led to his exploration of martial arts and thereby began the evolution of Jeet Kune Do.
Bruce Lee, advertising poster for the movie ‘The Game of Death’. Photograph: DRAMIAO – Ud2000.
A pop culture icon, Bruce Lee’s Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and changed the ways Asian were presented in American films. This sparked a surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West in the 1970s. His achievements in filmography are also marked by renowned movies such as The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, The Game of Death and Enter the Dragon.
For more information on this and other releases, please visit the website of The Singapore Mint.
Much information about Bruce Lee is assembled here.
Please find a detailed list of Bruce Lee’s films here.
And here you can watch the Top 10 Bruce Lee Moments.