When it comes to celebrity icons, few have been honored by so many Museums and Gallery Exhibits as Bruce Lee. At the end of 2021, Lee has been honored once again at the prestigious The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which is the largest museum devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking in the United States. There is a special section dedicated to Bruce Lee in an installation focused upon Significant Movies and Movie Makers.

The centerpiece of this exhibit is Bruce Lee’s blue suit from his martial masterpiece ENTER THE DRAGON. This iconic costume has been preserved and protected in the private collection of Jeff Chinn, one of the foremost Bruce Lee collectors in the world. A stalwart San Franciscan, Chinn is the go-to person when it comes to cherished memorabilia of the Little Dragon. In November, Chinn has participated in celebrations of Bruce Lee’s 81^st birthday at San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital where he was born, and a special showing of the documentary BE WATER at SF’s Clarion Performing Arts Center, plus he was part of a recent virtual panel on Bruce Lee’s close friend, the late Grandmaster Allen Joe, for the Chinese American Museum of Chicago.

We caught up with Jeff Chinn to discuss his collection and his recent contributions to honoring Bruce Lee.

GC: What got you started collecting Bruce Lee memorabilia?

JC: I really started collecting Bruce Lee memorabilia because many of my friends and classmates were. We were all trying to out top each other. My initial goal was to have one of the biggest/coolest collections in my 7th grade homeroom at Presidio Junior High in San Francisco.

GC: How long have you been collecting?

JC: Before I saw my very first Bruce Lee movie FISTS OF FURY in 1973, I got my very first collectible from a family friend in 1972. The item was NEW MARTIAL HERO Magazine #72 which I traded a couple of comic books for.

GC: Do you practice martial arts?

JC: I have been practicing Wing Chun since 2005 with SAN FRANCISCO WING CHUN. My sifu is Francis Der and our lineage is with Leung Sheung who was Yip Man’s very first student.

GC: Describe one of your favorite collector’s items.

JC: My favorite collector’s item is the original blue silk gung fu outfit Bruce Lee wore in ENTER THE DRAGON. I got the outfit from Linda Lee at the 1993 Superior Galleries Bruce Lee Auction. Bruce Lee’s movies are my biggest inspiration and it was so special to own a screen worn outfit. I actually wore the outfit twice for photos and it fit me perfectly!

GC: Describe one of your more recent acquisitions and how you went about acquiring it.

JC: As a gift of appreciation for the loan of my ENTER THE DRAGON blue silk suit, Warner Bros. gave me 150 photos from their archives. I got to choose from their contact sheets which had 2,222 images to pick from. The bonus was that every photo was from the original negatives. I even got to have each photo as a large 11 x 14 full frame format. I selected matte over glossy as this was highly recommended by the WB photo lab.

GC: How did you get involved with the exhibit at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures?

JC: The Bruce Lee Foundation was asked by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to loan the blue gung fu suit from ENTER THE DRAGON. Since Shannon Lee was not able to, she referred them to me.

GC: When did this exhibit open?

JC: The exhibit opened to the public on September 30, 2021. On September 28th was a special opening night preview & celebration. Shannon was also invited and we took some nice photos together.

My contribution is the ENTER THE DRAGON blue suit. Shannon Lee and film producer Stephen Chin provided the rest of the Bruce Lee items.

GC: Is this a permanent installation?

JC: No, the Bruce Lee exhibit will be coming down entirely on January 8, 2023.

GC: How does it feel to have the ENTER THE DRAGON costume from your collection as a centerpiece to this exhibit?

JC: I am truly honored to loan the ENTER THE DRAGON outfit to the Academy Museum. It is a fitting centerpiece and totally recognizable costume that the visitors can enjoy. Not only to promote Bruce’s legacy but Asian American representation in Hollywood as well. Don’t think…..FEEL!

GC: What other upcoming Bruce Lee exhibits are in your future?

JC: I was working with the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall in Singapore for a major Bruce Lee exhibition. But it has been put on hold due to the pandemic.

I am putting all my effort into the upcoming WE ARE BRUCE LEE exhibition at the Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco Chinatown, the birthplace of Bruce Lee. This major exhibition will open April 24, 2022 and will be ongoing for at least five years. Hopefully our exhibition will bring much needed visitors and tourism to our Chinatown. Bruce Lee was the type of person that brought people together and we’re hoping to help to slow down the current anti-Asian hate that has plagued us.