Hello and thank you for downloading witness from the BBC World Service with me Ashley Byrne.

Today we're taking you back to July 1973 and the death of a man who changed the perception of Chinese culture in the Western world and helped to popularise the ancient

tradition of martial arts.

It's July the 20th 1973 and the world is in shock at the sudden death of the young actor and martial artist Bruce Lee.

He died at a house in Kowloon Tong in Hong Kong after complaining of headaches and taking a painkiller.

He was just 32 years old.

Lee was a superstar who had young fans all over the world mesmerized by his acrobatic kicks

and unbelievable agility and strength. He was also one of the few famous people of the day who

managed to bridge the divide between Western and Eastern cultures.

And Pierce guest is the man who taught karate, Judo and Chinese boxing to James Garner, Steve McQueen,

Lee Marvin and James Coburn,

the newest Mandarin superstar.

His name is Bruce Lee.

Dan Inasanto is an actor, stuntman, and one of only three Bruce Lee certified martial arts

instructors in the world. He became a close friend and even appeared in Lee's final

and unfinished film Game of Death.

I met Bruce Lee at the first international karate championships in 1964.

People might say he was a little bit cocky.

He was in his early 20s, very sure of himself way advanced beyond his years.

You see, actually, I do not teach Kalaite because I do not believe in styles anymore. I mean, I do not believe in styles anymore. I mean I do not believe that there is such thing as like

Chinese way of fighting or the Japanese way of fighting or whatever way of fighting because basically we have only two hands and two feet.

Bruce Lee's personal philosophy of Jek Kundo or the way of the intercepting fist was fascinating to the young Dan in a Santo.

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