Cut to a watering hole behind a Chinese restaurant in Rome: A dozen mobs threaten a young man who has just pulled out nunchucks. He swings the usual stick and chain weapons and makes quick work of his enemies, who fall one by one, groaning in pain.
A comedic, fictional scene from the 1972 film “Way of the Dragon,” written, directed and starring Bruce Lee. The martial arts star was a trailblazer, allowing Asian Americans to see themselves represented in a strong, positive light on screen.
And now he has earned a place in California history, becoming the first Chinese American in the history of the state to have a day designated in his honor.
Lee was born in 1940 in San Francisco. His mother was of European descent and his father was a visiting Cantonese opera star in the city, giving his son birthright citizenship.
Lee grew up in Hong Kong, where he followed in his father’s footsteps as an actor, acting in more than a dozen films at a young age and studying the southern Chinese martial art of Wing Chun.
On May 17, 1959, 18-year-old Lee returned to San Francisco and eventually went to Hollywood. He continued to influence an industry that at the time was bereft of Asian American talent, and helped expand the genre of martial arts films and fueled Western interest in Hong Kong action cinema.
In recognition of his contributions, state Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill designating May 17 as “Bruce Lee Day” in California. The bill, signed into law on Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, encourages schools and communities to honor Lee’s life and cultural impact.
Haney described Lee as “a symbol of pride, resilience, and dynamism that generations rarely see reflected in strength and dignity.”
Lee, who saw himself not only as an actor but also as a poet and philosopher, faced repeated obstacles. For the main role in the 1970s television series “Kung Fu,” for example, he was rejected in favor of the white actor David Carradine.
In 2020, filmmaker Bao Nguyen sought to show how Lee dispelled anti-Asian sentiments and lingering stereotypes of Asian male victims in his ESPN documentary “Be Water.”
“The Asian man was the face of the enemy for many Americans,” Nguyen told The Times in 2020. “It was this vicious cycle of society reflecting media and culture, and media and culture reflecting society. There had to be some kind of intervention and Bruce, in a way, was that intervention. He was a hero we had never seen before.”
Lee learned much about the systemic oppression black Americans face from his first student, Jesse Glover, a former victim of police brutality.
Scholars have also pointed out that although his films were far-fetched and incompletely political, they touched on anti-oppression themes. The 1971 film “The Big Boss” showed Lee fighting with the workers. “Fist of Fury” saw him speak out against Japanese colonialism and racism.
Lee died young in 1973, aged 32 – before he could fully realize his glory. He died one month before the release of “Enter the Dragon,” which was the talk of the town and considered a masterpiece of martial arts filmmaking.
