Seattle Unveils "Bruce Lee Way" in the Chinatown-International District; City Proclaims October 16 Bruce Lee Way Day as Shannon Lee Attends
Seattle is a city in King County, Washington. The intersection of South King Street and Maynard Avenue South in Seattle's Chinatown-International District was officially named "Bruce Lee Way" at an unveiling ceremony on Friday, October 16, next to Hing Hay Park, the Seattle Times reported on October 17. Bruce Lee's family, students and supporters attended, and the ceremony featured a lion dance.
Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt read an official proclamation at the event designating October 16 as "Bruce Lee Way Day." He also joked to the Bay Area: "Many people think San Francisco is Bruce Lee's home, but I have to say — no, Bruce Lee belongs to Seattle; Seattle is Bruce Lee!" The City Council had earlier approved the honorary designation in a resolution sponsored by Councilmember Eddie Lin; according to KOMO, the designated stretch is South King Street between 6th Avenue South and Maynard Avenue South.
Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's daughter and chair of the Bruce Lee Foundation, attended on behalf of her mother, Linda Lee Cadwell, wearing bright yellow sneakers in tribute to her father's iconic yellow-and-black tracksuit in his final film, Game of Death. "Fifty-three years later, we are still inspired, still energized, still celebrating," she said. "I love that this is happening in this neighborhood, in this park, in Chinatown. A community made this happen, and a community has come together to celebrate it."
Abe Santos of the Jun Fan Gung Fu Academy, the campaign's leading advocate, said: "Bruce Lee is not just a street sign. This is a permanent tribute to a man who continues to influence generations around the world with his philosophy, his teachings and his spirit." A crowdfunding campaign he led raised $7,000 to cover the cost of making and installing the signs. Y.K. Zhou of the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CID BIA) said: "In the era we grew up in, you hardly saw any Asian faces in Hollywood. For someone like Bruce Lee to break that prejudice and push the Chinese community onto the world stage — that impact is immeasurable."
Lee arrived in Seattle in 1959 at age 18, worked as a server at the Chinatown restaurant Ruby Chow's, studied philosophy at the University of Washington, and founded the Jun Fan Gung Fu club in Seattle in 1960, the reports recalled. His close friend and student Taky Kimura continued teaching Lee's martial arts in Seattle after Lee left. Lee is buried at Lake View Cemetery in Seattle.
Related:
Feature | Bruce Lee's American Years: Seattle, Oakland and Hollywood
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：西雅图唐人街国际区的庆喜公园，「李小龙路」揭牌仪式 10 月 16 日在此旁举行。（Joe Mabel／CC BY-SA 4.0，Wikimedia Commons）
