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A Great Man is born
Bruce Lee is born in Chinatown, San Francisco, which is the oldest in North America and the largest Chinese Community outside of Asia. He was born in Chinese Hospital which at the time primarily catered to elderly and poor immigrants from China. His parents from Hong Kong and he is ancestrally from the Guangdong Province which is historically relevant because of its strategic location on the South China Sea. His Mom was half-Caucasian. Observe the racial and cultural integration of two nations! -
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Bruce Lee's Legacy
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Return to the Homeland
The Family moves back to Kowloon, Hong Kong about a year later which coincidentally was under Japanese occupation at the time, during WWII. -
First film at five!
Birth of Mankind (film); Bruce Lee’s first film at 5, though it is a minor role. Features in a couple of more films as a child. -
Return to USA
Bruce returns to America for higher education, because we all know America is the best place for that. (First arrived in San Francisco, and then eventually moved to Seattle where he finished high school and also began working as waiter for Ruby Chow. Ruby Chow was a restaurant owner and built the first Chinese American Restaurant in Seattle; success story of immigrant who was able to establish herself. Her parents had emigrated from China to build railroads. Ties in with our lecture on migration -
High School Diploma
Lee receives his High School Diploma from Edison Technical College in Seattle. -
Bruce Lee goes to College
Bruce Lee enrolls in University of Washington. Study Drama and mainly philosophy, primarily because of his interest in Kung Fu. Where he starts dating his girlfriend Linda Emery. (not the real date) -
First Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute
Lee opens the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute (Jun Fan is his Chinese given name and “Gung Fu” is Cantonese for “Kung Fu which is Mandarin”. He had already been teaching Kung Fu. This is the first of several institutes. He got to know his students and would eat lunch with his students while teaching them about Chinese culture. This is another instance of the exchange and intermingling of cultures within the Pacific. -
Lee gets hitched!
Lee marries Emery, who also happens to be one of his students. They had initially intended to elope. Emery’s family initially tries to dissuade her from marrying Lee because their life as an interracial couple would be difficult, as if that’s a good reason not to marry someone. (not the real date) -
To teach Kung Fu or not to teach Kung FU
Pressure from Chinese Martial Arts community in San Francisco for Lee not to teach martial arts to non-Chinese people. This is another example of the tensions that can arise when different cultures come together. Wong Jack was to fight against Lee, and Lee would have to stop teaching the non-Chinese community if he loses. Lee is victorious and these events are the precursor to Jeet Kune Do, a martial arts philosophy by Bruce Lee that is featured in several movies, cartoons and video games. -
A son is born
Brandon Lee also becomes a martial arts film actor like his dad. -
Small beginnings
Gets call about the Green Hornet. Lee plays sidekick role, Kato and gains some notoriety within the US and in Hong Kong. This opens the door for a successful career in film and as a private martial arts instructor. He thought celebrity co-stars such as Chuck Norris and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. -
A daughter is born
Shannon Lee is born. She also acts in some films and most notably in the biopic about her father. She is currently president of Bruce Lee Foundation. She also has a daughter who is Bruce Lee’s only grandchild. I thought this was interesting because she is the one will continue Lee's ancestral line, not her brother.Check out the multiculturalism in this picture! -
A great man falls
Bruce Lee dies in Hong Kong. Trivial fact: my calculating mind could not help but notice: he would have been 73 today and he passed in ’73. He dies of a cerebral edema which is an accumulation of excess fluid in the brain. Some sources say that the accumulation was due to a negative response to some medication he was taking Wife decides to bury him in Washington though. Picture proves that he actually died. -
Another tragic loss
Brandon Lee dies in ’93 from fatal gun wound. He is shot accidentally in the set of the 1994 film, The Crow. He was only 28 and a month from his wedding. How tragic! Not very relevant but he reminds me of Heath Ledger. -
Walk of Fame
Bruce receives his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. TIME Magazine named him among the 100 most influential people of the twentieth century -
A MEMORIAL!
Bruce Lee Statue is unveiled in LA. There is also one in Hong Kong.Interesting analogy. Reminded me of why people memorialize significant historical events and people.
