Artwork by Hans Poppe (hanspoppe.com)

Dear Master Lee,

Countless nights I’ve spent praying to wakeup with your strength and martial arts capabilities.  You had a screen presence like no other at the time.  For as a Chinese-Canadian growing up in urban Toronto, there was clearly a lack of Asian role models in the media.  Decades earlier, the only sightings on any screen, we were usually cast as obedient servants with accented English or crazed cooks wielding butcher knives.  Heck, we weren’t even given the (dis)honour of being cast as gangsters/mafia/street fighters yet.  But that was all changed, thanks solely to you, Master Lee.  You embodied not only your own mind, body and spirit, but that of entire generations of Asians both in Asia and overseas.  You gave us pride again.  You gave us hope and honour, virtues that our parents and grandparents tried so hard to bestow upon us.  But what they couldn’t do was bridge the gap between where we’re from and where we now live.  Master Lee, you awoken the sleeping dragons within all of us.  It was the year you passed away that I was born.  We watched your films, your passion, your energy and your charisma.  And it fueled our interest in our own past, our history and gave us courage to overcome our struggles.  For this, we honour you at Chino Locos with a custom linoleum print.  Thank you for helping us in our youth and for continually embodying the coolest role model our generation has ever known.  Our store and our vision for better – is in honour of You, Master Lee.  For our business philosophy is to be like water: to remain fluid, formless, shapeless, ever-changing with the times, all the while powerful, strong, and mighty.

Thank you, Master Lee.

~The team at Chino Locos

Commissioned artwork by Hans Poppe a young, up-and-coming artist from Toronto’s Kensington Market area.  This piece was titled “Chino Loco”  and is linocut on handmade brown paper.  Size 18″ x 24″.  Limited Editions of 100 prints available.  www.HansPoppe.com