When Bruce Lee returned to the land of his birth (America) from Hong Kong at the age of eighteen, he brought with him a vision of introducing the then little-known cultural art of Chinese gung fu to America.
Lee had at one time actually envisioned establishing chains of gung fu institutes all across America. However, as his knowledge expanded with age, and with his philosophic and martial experiences, he no longer felt the need to extol the virtues of tradition, however venerated.
This is not to suggest that Lee ever abandoned his Chinese heritage and philosophy; he simply over time came to look for the common root of humanity , as opposed to nationality, to justify his belief system and actions. Even so, it is interesting to note that when he began to take control over the philosophy content of his films in 1972, the lessons he revealed were gleaned from the Eastern traditions.