Chinatown's Favorite Son: Bruce Lee 李振藩

Everybody knows who is Bruce Lee, but what most people do NOT know, is Bruce Lee was thoroughly American... by birth. Bruce Lee, Chinese name Lee Jun-fan 李振藩, was born in The Chinese Hospital in Chinatown, San Francisco, on Nov 27, 1940... which happens to be the year of the dragon, AND the hour of the dragon. This made him a dual Hong Kong and US Citizen by birth.

Bruce Lee Sculpture in Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong
by tee2tee via Pixabay

When he took to the stage later, he chose the stage name 李小龍 (Li Xiao-Long in Mandarin, Lee Siu-lung in Cantonese), which means "little dragon".

(Remember we mentioned Xiao Long Bao aka XLB, aka Shanghai Dumplings?)

What was interesting at the time was how his parents got to the US... His father, Lee Hoi-Chuen was the lead Cantonese Opera singer of a traveling troupe from Hong Kong, and his mother, Grace Ho, was the wardrobe manager for the troupe. Indeed, Grace Ho was Eurasian, as Bruce's maternal grandmother is English. The Cantonese Opera Troupes had to be specifically invited by theaters in the US. Once the contract was signed, they then had to be presented to the US Consulate for the visa to be approved, because this was years before the repeal of the Chinese Exclusionary Act in 1943.

Today, you can do a Bruce Lee walking tour of Chinatown, as demonstrated by SFGate.com, where they start from the Chinese Hospital to both Sun Sing Theater and Great Star Theater, to the various kungfu studios and athletic associations where he either practiced, demonstrated, or taught.

There are also at least two murals of Bruce Lee in Chinatown as of May 2022. One is right next to Eastern Bakery, at Commercial and Grant. This one has Bruce Lee with a Chinese Dragon and a Crane, with the Chinese 身體健康 (body healthy)

The other, with Bruce Lee alone and the slogan "Be Like Water", is at the corner of Clay and Grant.

There is also "We Are Bruce Lee" exhibition by the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) held at the CHSA Museum at 965 Clay, that just opened in April 2022, and is planned to run for 3 years. They do charge an admission, but it is quite affordable.

Comments

Dragon Gate and its Surprising History

You can't come to SF Chinatown and leave out Dragon Gate, aka the Chinatown Gate, at the corner of Bush and Grant. But do you know its history? Chinatown Gate, aka Dragon Gate, San Francisco Dragon Gate (aka Chinatown Gate, aka Dragon's Gate) was designed by Clayton Lee and others in 1967 in response to a mayoral competition, and his was the winning entry. Originally two gates were proposed, but the other gate leading to Barbary Coast was dropped due to lack of funds, and cost overrun. The gate itself was designed after a Chinese "pailou 牌樓" or "paifang 牌坊", which were the "gates" that marked separate fang 坊, or "ward" within a city. However, later it evolved into a purely decorative element. As with tradition, the gate faces South, and is composed of a large gate with two smaller side gates. The gate has a lot of its materials donated by Taiwan (Republic of China) including artisanal tiles, roofing, and the two guardian lions. Despite...

So What Exactly Are the Tongs of Chinatown?

The Tongs of Chinatown started off as an attempt to do good, but ended up corrupted by greed and turned into a term of evil. But what are they really? Tong 堂 literally means the main room or a hall. It could be termed an "association", and they still exist today in San Francisco Chinatown. Hop Sing Tong, or 合勝縂堂 (lit: united victory main hall) photo courtesy of Wikipedia / Wikicommons The Tongs started as immigrant associations serving people with common former residency, common dialect, or common ancestry. The tongs will help people fresh off the boast to adapt to the new culture. If you can find a tong that is affiliated with your village or your clan or speak your dialect, you will be welcomed. You will be given a bed for the night, then help to find a job, and find proper housing. The tongs also offered both physical and legal protection. By 1854, the Chinese have been ruled to have no right to participate in the court system . In People vs. Hall, a Chinese witnes...

Waverly Place: more than just a Chinatown Alley with a Sordid History

Waverly Pl was far more than just an alley in San Francisco. During the earliest days of San Francisco, it was apparently known as "Pike Street", at least until the 1906 Earthquake. I cannot find any historical references on when the name was changed. Many references imply state "Waverly Pl, (formerly Pike St.) while other references imply stated Pike St. Even from the earliest days in Chinatown, it was known as a place of brothels, and allegedly both Bella Cora and Ah Toy, the two most famous madams of Chinatown, have brothels at or very close to Pike St. (later Waverly Pl). For a while, the brothels co-existed with barbers on the same street, where sailors and miners can get a haircut and a shave for 5 cents, and later, 10 cents. So the area was also known as Five Cent Street or Ten Cent Street for a while. But the street remained mired with vices. A "crime map" prepared for SF City Supervisors in 1885, note the blue and red vices mapped. courtesy Cornell U...

The Hidden Chinatown of San Francisco

Search This Blog