‘Singapore’s Bruce Lee’ lands in jail after viral Geylang nunchuck act goes sideways
SINGAPORE, Feb 2 — A street performer who briefly became a cult hit online for channelling Bruce Lee in the back lanes of Geylang has now received a far less glamorous spotlight — a jail sentence.
According to Shin Min Daily News, 59-year-old Chinese national Li Hongwei (transliteration) was jailed for six months and two weeks and fined S$2,000 (RM6,200) after admitting to a charge under the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act (GEWA).
Two other charges — involving a kunai with five spearheads and a knuckle sleeve — were taken into consideration.
Li shot to momentary fame last September after a video surfaced showing him dressed in a bright yellow jumpsuit and twirling nunchucks while balancing on two bollards in Geylang.
In the clip, someone off-camera can be heard calling him “Singapore’s Bruce Lee”, with a small crowd cheering as he wrapped up his performance.
That applause did not last long. The viral video triggered a police search, and officers eventually tracked Li down on October 12 along Geylang Lorong 18, where he was arrested.
The nunchucks — which Singapore law classifies as a controlled weapon — were seized along with the kunai and the knuckle sleeve.
Li, who told the court he had worked as a stage manager and was a martial arts instructor in China, insisted he had been unaware of Singapore’s strict weapons laws.
He said the items were props for his performances and that he had been in the country for only a month before his arrest.
He also described himself as the sole breadwinner for his elderly parents, sick wife and unemployed son.
The prosecution argued that, regardless of his intentions, Li had no permit to possess the nunchucks, and that the other items were potentially lethal weapons.
While acknowledging that Li’s antics had not caused harm or alarm, prosecutors sought the custodial term handed down by the court.
A food-stall worker close to the lane between Geylang Lorong 18 and 20, where the incident took place, told Shin Min he had seen Li performing several times: “He was always alone, and there would be a crowd watching him perform.”
Under the GEWA, possessing a prohibited weapon can draw up to three years’ jail and a fine of up to S$40,000. Section 453(1)(a) of the Penal Code provides for up to two years’ jail, a fine, or both for carrying an offensive weapon.
