Photo: Prizm Group
Cover Photo: Prizm Group

The late martial arts legend’s now-demolished mansion will soon be available to visit in the virtual world

Bruce Lee’s now-demolished house in Hong Kong is being recreated in the metaverse in recognition of the 50th anniversary of his death next year. 

A 1:1 VR replica of the 5,340 sq ft, two-storey townhouse—known as Crane’s Nest and located at 41 Cumberland Road in Kowloon Tong—is in construction as part of an exhibition titled Revival of the Memory: Bruce Lee’s Home In the Metaverse, and is set to be complete in 2023.

The martial arts legend and his family lived at Crane’s Nest in the early 1970s. Years after the Lee family moved out, the house notoriously operated as an hourly hotel. It was demolished in 2019, much to the disappointment of Lee’s fans.

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Photo: Prizm Group
Above Crane’s Nest recreated in the virtual world. Photo: Prizm Group
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Photo: Bruce Lee Club
Above The real-life house was demolished in 2019. Photo: Bruce Lee Club

Life-like details of the home, such as mosaic tiles, a sprawling garden, and its entry gate, are painstakingly recreated. Visitors will also be able to “drive” the virtual equivalent of Lee’s car.

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Photo: Prizm Group
Above A virtual reimagining of the entryway. Photo: Prizm Group
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Photo: Bruce Lee Club
Above The gate when Lee was in residence. Photo: Bruce Lee Club

Revival of the Memory: Bruce Lee’s Home In the Metaverse is a collaboration between the Bruce Lee Club, the kung fu star’s fan club, and digital marketing firm Prizm Group. Bruce Lee Club is working with three students from the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education’s Sha Tin campus to create the designs.

The venture also offered an in-person exhibition that took place in Hong Kong earlier this month, featuring jewellery designed by the screen icon, as well as his famous “be water” philosophy he had written by hand. 

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Photo: Bruce Lee Club
Above The Hong Kong icon is pictured near his then-home. Photo: Bruce Lee Club
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Photo: Bruce Lee Club
Above Lee and his family at home in Kowloon Tong. Photo: Bruce Lee Club

“We think this is a very meaningful demonstration of what Web3 technology can bring us nowadays,” says Jeffrey Hau, Prizm Group’s founder and director, of the virtual recreation of Lee’s home. “NFT and Web3 technology are very practical when preserving cultural and historical heritage for the next generation.”

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