The exterior of the former residence of kung fu star Bruce Lee in Hong Kong

Hong Kong (AFP) - The rundown house at 41 Cumberland Road in Hong Kong’s quiet Kowloon Tong district might escape the notice of passers-by if it weren’t for a sign signalling that it is a ‘’love hotel’’.

Rooms are offered for rent by the hour, with a discount rate of 205 Hong Kong dollars (25 US) buying amorous couples three hours in a tatty room off a narrow hallway decorated with a poster of a topless blonde.

It is a far cry from when the building was the home of kung fu icon Bruce Lee in the years before his untimely death in 1973 at the age of 32.

‘’The house has definitely been altered,’’ said Shannon Lee, the actor’s daughter, who recalled snickering when she learned about the home’s love hotel status in her mid-teens.

In glaring contrast to its current appearance, the now 40-year-old Lee remembers a Japanese-style pond out front, pets running around and plenty of exercise space for her father.

‘’I have very fond memories of it -- my father definitely valued his privacy and there was space for him to work out and the kids to run around.’’

The fact that guests walk in the footsteps of the kung fu star might have faded into the mists of time had it not been for fans who rallied behind a plan to turn the hotel into a Lee memorial.

Following a public uproar, billionaire owner Yu Pang-lin agreed to cancel plans to sell the property, which he says is worth 100 million Hong Kong dollars, and instead donate it to honour Lee’s legacy.

Yu has said the home should be renovated to include a museum, library, a cinema and martial arts area.

Others, including Bruce Lee Club chairman Wong Yiu-keung, want the original floor plan preserved so visitors can imagine how it looked when the actor lived there.

‘’It should be a memorial house. After all it’s his former residence,’’ Wong said.