Bruce Lee's Philosophy and the 2019 Protests

Lee's saying, "Be water, my friend" inspired 2019 protesters

In North America it's July 20, the 50th anniversary of martial artist Bruce Lee's death at the age of 32.

Even five decades on Lee continues to hold a fascination for old and new fans.

Lee died 50 years ago today in Hong Kong

He inspired the 2019 protesters with his philosophy, "Be water, my friend".  Lee's full quote: "Be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes a cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend."

What he meant was to constantly transform and adapt to situations, and with the protesters' uniform of all black, they were unidentifiable, and they made decisions organically, decentralising the movement.

Lee's saying actually comes from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, who said: "Water is fluid, soft and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid and soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong."

Horrific attacks in the Yuen Long MTR station

In Hong Kong, it is the fourth anniversary of the July 21 attacks in Yuen Long. It was also the same day that protesters defaced the emblem of the People's Republic of China at the Liaison Office in Western.

Most people remember what happened in the Yuen Long MTR station and were traumatised watching the images of helpless people being attacked by men in white shirts with rods.  Those assaulted included lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, reporter turned politician Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam. 

Lam is in jail for his part in the Yuen Long attacks when he was a victim -- he was assaulted and had a wound that required 18 stitches on his mouth. Ho recorded someone hitting her with a rod, and she is in prison too.

Most Hongkongers did not trust the police ever again. They still don't and some are triggered seeing officers on the streets.

Ho became a politician after Yuen Long attacks

Tangentially journalist Bao Choy Yuk-ling worked on an RTHK documentary about the Yuen Long attacks, doing some investigative work on the vans that transported some of the attackers. 

For the award-winning documentary she was fired and then arrested for violating the Road Traffic Ordinance for falsely declaring her intention to find out the owners of the vans. 

She was found guilty of two charges and fined.

Last month she finally won her appeal against her sentence which was annulled by the Court of Final Appeal.

This was the one bright victory in the years since that fateful night. 

Meanwhile those who are languishing in jail are making the most of their time there.

Lam needed stitches after being attacked

It has been reported that a 21-year-old inmate earned the best-ever public exam result taken in prison in Hong Kong for the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination.

In addition eight of 18 young detainees who sat for the DSE exam achieved scores good enough to enter a university.

They are not only using their time behind bars to study hard, but it also shows Hong Kong jailing its best and brightest.