Bruce Lee Memorials

[GeneChing]

Foshan, Bruce Lee’s ancestral home, dusts off kung fu heritage as it seeks to kick start tourism, services sectors
The city is building a ‘kung fu town’ near Bruce Lee’s ancestral home in Shunde district, as well as a research institute and an experience and outreach centre
An important aspect of Foshan’s revitalisation plan will be the development of kung fu massage

Iris Ouyang
Published: 10:00am, 28 Mar, 2021

Nearly 50 years after his death, Bruce Lee’s martial arts and philosophy still influences lives
The city of Foshan in China’s southern Guangdong province is looking to revitalise kung fu as part of plans to develop its tourism and services sectors.
The city, which has been home to wing chun grandmaster Ip Man and the family of superstar Bruce Lee, also Ip Man’s most famous disciple, is building a 4.98 sq km “kung fu town” near Lee’s ancestral home in Shunde district, as well as a research institute and an experience and outreach centre.
An important aspect of this revitalisation will be the development of kung fu massage. This type of massage originated from the medical skills of kung fu masters, who were often injured and had a lot of experience in healing and curing themselves and others.

Liang Xuyong during a kung fu massage lesson. Photo: Handout
“In the old days, you needed to learn kung fu for protection. But now … people care more about their health,” said Liang Xuyong, a fifth-generation disciple of the choy li fut style, as he explained the motivation behind the development of kung fu massage.
The kung fu revitalisation plan comes amid a push by Foshan, the third-largest economy in Guangdong, to upgrade and improve its industries. It is also expected to help kung fu proponents, who have struggled to adapt to a changing economic landscape, find a niche and make the martial arts more attractive to younger generations.
Liang is busy expanding his kung fu massage business. His company aims to open 60 centres in three years, especially since the coronavirus pandemic has increased awareness about health and wellness. He teaches massage techniques and choy li fut, and his current batch of students comes from as far away as Mexico.

“We can help our students start their own businesses,” he said, adding that they were operating four out of his six centres currently.

Foshan has more than 500 martial arts clubs that teach more than 50 variants. It was named “the City of Kung Fu” by the Chinese Wushu Association in 2004. The city invested 150 million yuan (US$22.9 million) on Bruce Lee Paradise, a 3,000 acre park that is also home to a 18.8 metre tall statue of the martial arts superstar. The park began operations in 2005.
Kung fu masters gathered in the city because of its well-established transport networks and robust economy. It was among the four most important commercial centres in China in the Ming and Qing dynasties together with Beijing, Suzhou and Wuhan in the northern, eastern and central regions, respectively, of the country.

Dong Chonghua says Foshan’s revitalisation of kung fu means there are more opportunities for people interested in the martial arts. Photo: Handout
Dong Chonghua, a disciple of Ip Chun, the elder son of wing chun grandmaster Ip Man, said he felt the glory days of kung fu were making a comeback. A fan of Bruce Lee, he learned wing chun in Foshan after migrating from Fujiang province. Thanks to the new possibilities presented by the city’s revitalisation plan, he will now have more time to practice and teach kung fu, instead of working in a factory by day and practising and teaching by night.
“The government is devoting more resources to developing kung fu” and there are more opportunities for people interested in the martial arts, he said. “I hope to carry on the legacy of traditional kung fu,” Dong added.






Iris Ouyang

Iris Ouyang is a business reporter for the Post. She has reported in Washington D.C., Beijing, and Hong Kong in the past several years for both Chinese and international media organisations such as Caixin, Phoenix Finance, MNI, USA Today, MarketWatch and American Banker.

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Bruce Lee Memorials
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Erotic-KungFu-Massage <-Slightly OT for here but I couldn't resist ttt-ing this gem.

[GeneChing]

CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
PROMOTING THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND LEGACY OF THE CHINESE IN AMERICA
965 Clay Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
info@chsa.org

The “We Are Bruce Lee” exhibition will be at the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) museum. CHSA is the oldest organization in the country dedicated to the interpretation, promotion, and preservation of the social, cultural and political history and contributions of the Chinese in America.

When founded in 1963, there were fewer than 250,000 people of Chinese descent living in the US and CHSA was a lone voice for the study and dissemination of the history of this segment of the US population. Today, as the number of Chinese in the US has risen to nearly 5 million, CHSA strives to be a responsible steward of the remarkable narrative of this rapidly growing and increasingly visible community.

CHSA promotes the contributions and legacy of the Chinese in America through its exhibitions, publications, and educational and public programs in the Museum and Learning Center. CHSA is housed in the landmark Julia Morgan-designed Chinatown YWCA building.

CHSA offers tours of the Museum and the surrounding Chinatown community for a nominal charge. CHSA has extended its reach with online content and online exhibits through its main portal chsa.org, sharing information and news through Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, and sharing photographs through Instagram. CHSA collaborates with others who want to share their stories and experiences through film screenings, book readings, presentations, workshops, panel discussions and so much more.

The date of this exhibit keeps getting pushed back. The site still says:

OPENING IN WINTER 2021
At the Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco.

But I hear they are making progress. Hope to be there.

[GeneChing]

Bruce Lee Way: Oakland intersection will be renamed to honor martial arts legend
City Council will vote Tuesday to rename the intersection of Broadway and Garnet, where Lee opened a martial arts studio in 1964.
by Roselyn Romero
June 3, 2024, 12:00 p.m.


Bruce Lee opened a martial arts school in 1964 at the intersection of Broadway and Garnet Street. Credit: Amaya Edwards
In the summer of 1964, hybrid martial arts legend and Oakland resident Bruce Lee, just 24 years old, founded a martial arts school at the intersection of Broadway and Garnet Street.

Sixty years later, the Oakland City Council will approve a resolution to rename that intersection “Bruce Lee Way” and install a plaque there to honor Lee’s legacy and contributions to the Oakland community.

The city of Oakland’s Public Works and Transportation Committee first heard the resolution, introduced by Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, on Tuesday. The Special Rules and Legislation Committee voted on Thursday to move the resolution forward to tomorrow’s City Council meeting. Councilmembers are expected to greenlight it.


Lee was 24 years old when he and his training partner founded the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in Oakland. Credit: Amaya Edwards
Born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong, Lee “lived, worked, and created amazing cultural opportunities in the city of Oakland,” Kaplan said during last Tuesday’s meeting. “By honoring and uplifting Bruce Lee, we also acknowledge and honor his contribution to uplifting the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community, both in Oakland and beyond,” Kaplan added.

Lee and his training partner, James Yimm Lee (no relation), cofounded a martial arts school—called the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute—at 4157 Broadway. Today, the site, located two blocks away from Oakland Technical High School, is home to a Toyota dealership.

Before opening the studio, Lee had dropped out of the University of Washington in Seattle, where he opened his first martial arts academy. Though the Oakland Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute was Lee’s second martial arts studio, it was considered the birthplace and launching pad for Jeet Kune Do, his distinctive martial art.

Lee’s Oakland studio wasn’t particularly popular, but it attracted many non-Chinese community members, fostering intercultural unity, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “This studio provided opportunities to build tolerance, health, discipline, and community,” said Kaplan, adding that Bruce “welcomed people of many backgrounds and focuses, including Steve McQueen, James Coburn, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.”

After the studio’s opening, James introduced Lee to Ed Parker, a martial artist and celebrity trainer who invited Lee to a martial arts demonstration in Long Beach. There, Lee showed off his “one-inch punch” and two-finger push-ups, giving rise to his legend. He moved to Los Angeles in 1966 and starred in television shows like “The Green Hornet” and “Longstreet” and in movies such as “Enter the Dragon,” “Game of Death,” and “The Way of the Dragon.”

Lee died in 1973 at the age of 32. His cause of death is still debated today; an autopsy shortly after his death determined he died from “cerebral edema,” or brain swelling, while a 2022 research paper argued he died from his “kidney’s inability to excrete excess water.” He is buried in Seattle.


The former site of Lee’s martial arts studio is now a Toyota dealership. Credit: Amaya Edwards
“The martial arts community is still fervent and enthusiastic about Bruce Lee,” said Michael Colbruno, an Oakland Port commissioner who spoke at Tuesday’s Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting. “It’s also going to be a way to attract martial arts to the city of Oakland.”

The idea to rename the intersection came to then-Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums in 2010, according to Colbruno. Dellums was a martial arts enthusiast himself who had trained under Lee. “He was very proud of his six-pack,” Colbruno said.

At the time, Dellums had unsuccessfully tried to lure a martial arts tournament to Oakland. He hoped the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute could be recognized as one of the city’s cultural heritage sites.

The city has a history of renaming other streets after Oakland icons, including Chauncey Bailey Way on 14th Street, Dr. Huey P. Newton Way on Ninth Street, Peter Van Kleef Way on Telegraph Avenue, and Too $hort Way on Foothill Boulevard.

“I don’t know if there’s anybody more famous in entertainment than Bruce Lee,” Colbruno said. “Everybody knows who he is.”

I was interviewed by Sara Hossaini for NPR about this yesterday. I'm told that the news bit ran today but I didn't hear it.

[GeneChing]

BAD ASS ASIANS
An Oakland Intersection will be renamed ‘Bruce Lee Way’

Max Photo Bruce Lee Mural in New York by Vincent Ballantine

BY VALENTINA LEWIS
JUNE 6, 2024


Sixty years after Bruce Lee opened his martial arts school at the intersection of Broadway and Garnet Street in Oakland, CA; the City Council approved renaming that intersection “Bruce Lee Way” in honor of his legacy and contributions to the community.

The resolution to rename an Oakland intersection “Bruce Lee Way” was initially presented by Council Member Rebecca Kaplan to the city’s Public Works and Transportation Committee on Tuesday, reported Oaklandside.

“By honoring and uplifting Bruce Lee, we also acknowledge and honor his contribution to uplifting the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community, both in Oakland and beyond,” Kaplan said.

Lee’s influence extended beyond martial arts, making him a cultural icon against racial discrimination. He gained fame not only for his extraordinary martial arts skills but also for his fight against the racist portrayals of Asians in film and television during the 1960s and ’70s with his iconic performances in The Green Hornet and Enter the Dragon, KTVU reported.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong, his groundbreaking work challenged stereotypes and paved the way for more accurate and respectful representations of Asian characters in the media.

Although the Oakland Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute was Bruce Lee’s second martial arts studio, it is known as the place where he created and started teaching his unique martial art, Jeet Kune Do.

Even after his death in 1973, the martial arts community continued to hold a deep passion for Bruce Lee, as noted by Michael Colbruno, an Oakland Port commissioner, during Tuesday’s Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting.

“Renaming the intersection will also help attract martial arts enthusiasts to the city of Oakland, further enriching our cultural landscape and fostering a sense of unity within our community,” he added.

Through this approval of “Bruce Lee Way,” Oakland honors a cultural icon and forges ahead in creating a more inclusive environment.

Bruce-Lee-Memorials

Worth its own indie thread. I hope there's a renaming event that I can attend.
Bruce-Lee-Way-in-Oakland