Bruce Lee: A Straight Blast From the Past that Packs a Punch
Bruce Lee posing with San Francisco’s Coit Tower in the background, circa 1959.
I recently visited the “We Are Bruce Lee: Under the Sky, One Family” exhibit at the museum and shadowed a high school tour. After being closed since the beginning of San Francisco’s COVID-19 shutdown, the museum reopened this spring with this new show. The exhibit is extraordinary! I was absolutely blown away - even for a high schooler like myself, who has never even seen a Bruce Lee movie. The exhibit is rich culturally and visually, and told an inspirational story of Bruce Lee as a martial arts maestro, an international pop culture superstar, and an individual who constantly broke barriers and inspired the world.
As I walked the exhibit and listened to the amazing docent at the museum, I learned of Lee’s fitness and nutrition routines and how he worked to build strength and innovate on his craft. He created a new form of martial arts called Jeet Kune Do which was based on Lee’s own philosophies and ideas about self-defense. I observed the archaic-looking fitness equipment and viewed clips from his film “Enter the Dragon” and was mesmerized by the question of how Lee was able to be so good and accomplish seemingly impossible feats. As I continued to journey through the exhibit, it became clear. He believed it could be done.
Because of Lee’s lofty aspirations, innovator’s mindset and tremendous work ethic to bring his dreams to life, Bruce Lee is relevant to even those who haven’t seen any of his films (Enter the Dragon, Game of Death, and Fists of Fury were some of his most famous films.). Lee was able to prove to the world that he could be an international star–even if he looked different from the “typical” action hero. He was loved by the world and transcended nationalities. To this day, my family in India watches Bruce Lee movies and I have an uncle there who proudly showed off to me the two-finger push-up he learned from Lee. Bruce Lee executed to perfection and the world noticed.
I personally found the experience to be very eye-opening in terms of learning about the challenges that Lee experienced at every turn. As I perused the wall of artwork from his TV shows and movies, and read about the racist portrayals of Lee, and other Asian people, in TV and movies at the time, I felt how difficult Lee’s journey was. He had to face harmful and hurtful stereotypes and overt racism. Lee encountered constant adversity, even as a TV star. For example, when he was in the show “Green Hornet,” he was paid significantly less money than the white protagonist, and he was given much less screen time and lines despite his many theatrical talents. I think that it is important for young people to learn about Lee because of how he persevered and fought against stereotypes and injustices.
The Green Hornet & Kato on TV Weekly from September 1966. (Courtesy of We Are Bruce Lee exhibit collector Jeff Chinn).
Also, the exhibit allows people to see the beautiful intersection of American and Chinese cultures in Lee’s identity, inspiring me, and giving me tremendous hope for the future. On a more personal level, Lee’s story specifically resonates with me because of my dual-identity as both an Indian and American. It is important to me that both facets of my identity can co-exist and I can grow as an individual by having this experience.
The exhibit connects to today’s world because of how it shows people a role model for discovering one’s identity in life and forging their own path. Lee married an American Caucasian woman, Linda Cadwell, which was considered scandalous at the time because interracial marriage was still illegal in several US states. For Bruce Lee, he blended his native Chinese culture with his newfound American identity to help craft something truly unique. Moreover - he showed that it can be done.
Overall, the Bruce Lee exhibit is a must-see—especially for my generation, because of how we can apply the lessons learned from Lee’s journey. In a complex world of misperceptions and barriers, the story of Bruce Lee is relevant today more than ever. Enter a true American hero.
Entrance to the Chinese Historical Society of America’s We Are Bruce Lee exhibit. (Courtesy of Nikhil Kothari).
Written by Nikhil Kothari. Kothari is a rising junior at Menlo School in the San Francisco Bay Area. This summer, he’s the Education and Community Engagement intern at the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA). He became interested in working with CHSA because of our wonderful museum exhibits and our efforts to raise awareness about the history of Asians in America and promote their legacy. Throughout this summer, he’ll be writing biweekly blog posts on a variety of topics associated with Chinese culture such as food, athletes, celebrities and docenting our Bruce Lee exhibit.
