Into a heritage metaverse

'An unrestricted form'

As technology continues to advance, the option of accessing virtual renditions of real-world locations is becoming more feasible, enabling users to immerse themselves in real-life simulations that are difficult or impossible to visit in real life.

Just walk along To Fuk Road and Rutland Quadrant in Kowloon Tong before turning into Cumberland Road and keep walking until you reach No 41. After opening the dark yellow gate, you will find a cobblestone path that winds through the lawn of the courtyard to a two-story townhouse. The courtyard is flanked by greenery on both sides of the house, alongside which is parked a vintage red Mercedes. This is the original site of Bruce Lee's Crane's Nest, which was demolished in 2019.

The rebuilt heritage preservation project now extends into the virtual world through the metaverse. Visitors are able to step inside again with a VR headset and remote-control handle. People can even own it in the near future as an NFT.

To commemorate the 49th anniversary of the martial arts superstar's death, the Bruce Lee Club has partnered with local digital marketing company Prizm Group to re-create the actor's former home in Kowloon Tong through VR technology, hoping to reclaim memories and cultural preservation by leveraging Web3 and blockchain technology.

Using advanced 3D imaging technologies, three students from the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Sha Tin), with the assistance of two professors from the School of Design of Hong Kong Polytechnic University and computer graphics artist Shannon Ma Fu-keung, accurately digitalized the site, preserving the building's historical value in its entirety in the metaverse for future generations to visit and have an immersive experience in the virtual mansion and garden.

"It's remarkable to achieve the successful restoration of Lee's home in a virtual world with advanced technology," says Bruce Lee Club Chairman Wong Yiu-keung. He hopes that such a virtual preservation project will pass on the superstar's spirit from generation to generation in an unrestricted form.

Bruce Lee spent his final years in the Crane's Nest with his family before his sudden death on July 20, 1973, at the age of 32. The mansion was initially transformed into a hotel, and was once planned to be converted into a memorial hall. The special administrative region government had discussed with the owner the possibility of turning the two-story house into a museum in 2008, but no agreement was reached. Despite a decadelong campaign by fans of the late kung fu legend to preserve the building, it was torn down in September 2019.

"We did a lot of research into the preservation project and, by putting it in the metaverse, we managed to digitalize some hard copies and make them 'live' longer", says Prizm Director Jeffrey Hau.

"Bruce Lee was an icon, a bridge between East and West, and a role model for millions of people. Preserving his old home in the metaverse is a symbol of reviving the prime time of Hong Kong culture," he says.

Hau believes it's a great demonstration of what technology can achieve, making it possible to revive more disappearing buildings, events and attractions in the metaverse, and let young people understand their background, where they came from and cultivate the culture.

He hopes the project will reintroduce Bruce Lee to the younger generation, revive traditional culture, pass on the superstar's spirit, and serve as a showcase for other cultural preservation and branding projects.

Prizm provides mainly digital marketing support for the project via channels such as websites, social media and blockchains.