Bruce Lee was just down the hill from me. While I was at Seattle University studying to be a teacher; he was in a small basement studio on 8th Street in Seattle’s Chinatown teaching martial arts.
I hadn’t heard of him yet. Nobody had. It was 1961. He was a recent graduate from Edison Tech who had just started classes at the University of Washington as a drama major. (Some sources say as a philosophy major.)
His future wife, Linda Emery, was also enrolled at UW. She signed up for his kung fu class, and soon they were dating. My future husband, Eugene, didn’t have a kung fu class (although he was a bouncer in Seattle’s Chinatown for a while, and he did teach judo at the University of the Philippines). Even though he was just across campus from me at Seattle U—he was an engineering student, deep in his studies and working his way through school–I didn’t meet him until after he graduated.
By 1964, when Eugene and I finally started dating, Bruce and Linda were ready to tie the knot. If I’d heard of Bruce Lee in those days, I would have found it interesting that another white American woman was marrying a Chinese man. But in 1964, I hadn’t even heard of kung fu. Most Americans hadn’t. Now, some fifty years later, people around the world are familiar with Chinese martial arts. We can thank Bruce Lee for that.
at the airport–leaving home, heading for Manila
My first martial arts movie was The Big Boss, Bruce Lee’s first big hit, released in 1971. By then, Eugene and I were married with three children, all girls. Bruce and Linda had a boy and a girl.
Remembering back, I think The Big Boss shocked me. When Eugene and I were dating, we saw Mary Poppins together. Some of my favorite movies were The Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof. A totally different movie-going experience from that of The Big Boss. And even though I’d grown up watching cowboys and Indians kill each other on TV, the violence in The Big Boss was different. It was personal. Fist in face. Foot crashing into head. Blood spurting. Exaggerated sound effects churning your stomach. For a novice like me, it was a disturbing movie.
And yet … yet … I liked it. Bruce Lee was such an appealing leading man. And the bad guys really did deserve whatever they got.
Eugene, like Bruce Lee, had begun studying martial arts in his teenage years. Both their fathers had hoped that disciplined fighting would be an antidote to street fighting. During Eugene’s college years, he started down a different path than Bruce Lee’s, but he never lost his interest in martial arts.
We caught all the Bruce Lee movies: Fist of Fury in 1972, Way of the Dragon also in 1972, and Enter the Dragon in 1973.
When Bruce Lee died in 1973, we joined his many fans in grieving his death.
So why this interest in Bruce Lee forty-two years later?
A few weeks ago, my daughter, son-in-law, grandson and I caught the Do You Know Bruce? exhibit at the Wing Luke Museum on King Street in Seattle’s Chinatown (now referred to as the International District). It closed on September 6. But part 2: Do You Know Bruce? Breaking Barriers begins on October 3.
photo courtesy of Joe Mabel
We’d stopped in Chinatown on the way home from the airport. We had dim sum, and then we went to the museum. There my seven-year-old grandson hurried past the permanent exhibits about Asian American immigration to the Pacific Northwest. As soon as we reached the Do you Know Bruce? exhibit, though, he slowed down.
He’d never heard of Bruce Lee. But he takes taekwondo classes a couple days a week after school. I wonder if the opportunities to study martial arts would be as plentiful around the country if it hadn’t been for Bruce Lee.
What do you think, do you like martial arts movies? Are you a Bruce Lee fan?
See also: my guest post on Speaking of China, “Yin-Yang: Discovering a Whole New World with my Chinese Husband.”
Very interesting story. Interracial marriages were indeed quite rare back in the day. Now it’s pretty common, of course. Back in high school I worked in a Chinese restaurant in Seattle. The owner’s wife had said she was friends with Bruce Lee in college.
I was introduce to martial arts movies when I signed up to be a TA for an ESL class that was comprised of mostly refugees from SE Asia. I made friend with some of the students from Vietnam. We’d go down to a theater in Columbia City and watch the old Jackie Chan movies. We’d also go to the theater in Chinatown. It was hilarious to be sitting in the theater and people smoking in there while the movie was playing.
Somehow I ended up studying Korean at the Defense Language Institute in San Francisco way back when. There, as part of our exercise program each day, we learned TaeKwanDo from a Korean teacher with is Buddha Belly. Good times.
Thanks for sharing your story. Enjoy reading about the lives of others. Always something to learn.
Thank you, Patrick, for sharing all those memories. Your mention of people smoking in the theater in Chinatown made me smile. When we watched Bruce Lee movies in Chinatown Manila, we were surrounded by the sound of people cracking open melon seeds, eating them and then throwing the shells on the floor.
I loved this article, Nicki! But I don’t think I have ever watched a Bruce Lee film… I should!
I hope you will find a Bruce Lee film and watch it, Marta. Part of the attraction was the fact that martial arts movies were new in the West at that time.
You’re so cool, Niki 🙂 I enjoy reading your posts! Of course, I’m a Bruce Lee fan and I grew up watching martial arts. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in a post-Bruce-Lee world, in a predominately Asian American state (Hawaii)…I don’t know, but there you have it. Very martial arts world. Your photos reminded me of a rare picture we have of my dad in his taekwondo outfit from university. I heard about the BL exhibit so it’s nice to hear from someone who went! Cheers ^^
I like to hear that “of course” you’re a Bruce Lee fan, Lani. One thing that impressed me about the BL exhibit was a list of all the exercises he did every day at one time in his life. I’ve never been serious about any sport. I can’t imagine working so hard.
That’s why he was so good! 🙂
Thank you for the short history class about Bruce Lee. I knew about him, but not about whom he was married with. Such a pleasent surprise 😀
I really want to know more about him now, I read more into it later.
And I like your picture of your family. You five look so great together.
Thank you, Betty. That photo of my family was taken at the airport as we were preparing to move the Manila.
You may have heard of Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon. He was also a martial arts film actor. Sadly, he died at the age of 28 during an accident while making a film.
This was such a cool post, and so cool that you Bruce Lee was so close to you in your town back then. I’m sure the two of you crossed paths at some point and you both didn’t realise it 😀
Kung fu and martial arts dramas and films were always on the TV when I was growing up in Malaysia. During family gatherings at my grandparents’ place, any Bruce Lee movie was a popular hit with the older and younger generations of my Chinese family – either those or any film with Jackie Chan in it. Everyone paid rapt attention to the TV when the fighting scenes came on, and once they were over started chatting amongst themselves again. There really is something so intimidating yet graceful about martial arts.
In fact, I didn’t know Bruce Lee had lived in Seattle until some time later. He’s buried here also. I should visit his grave sometime. I like Jackie Chan too. He’s such a skillful actor/fighter/comedian.
How interesting about the parallels between your life and Bruce Lee’s! The Wing Luke Museum was one of the highlights of my trip to Seattle a few years back — sounds like they did a nice job introducing Bruce Lee through their exhibits.
The Wing Luke Museum also did a good job of renovating the old building. They made it beautiful without disturbing the history. I some cases you could see the old beams made from virgin timber with supporting structures tastefully added.
You and Linda did some serious trendsetting! Nice job.
I’m not a fan of martial arts movies. Andy is, though. He explained the nuances of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” to me. I’ll still more of a “Masterpiece Theater” kinda woman, though. Give me witty dialogue over flying fists any day.
I wasn’t a fan of martial arts movies either, but Eugene wanted to take me and the kids to watch them in Manila’s Chinatown. That was an experience in itself with the clicking of watermelon seeds being opened and their shells scattered all over the floor. I loved the music and scenery in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and the scenes that reminded me of something from “Outlaws from the Marsh.” Martial arts movies aren’t my favorites, but every so often I like to see one.
Interesting parallels between your life and Bruce’s, Nicki. His worldwide influence is astounding, even to someone like me who never saw one of his movies. He’s a legend.
Yes, Carol. It was those parallels that struck me when we visited the museum.
An interesting story. I never watched any Bruce Lee movies, but my sons loved his movies.
I doubt than I would ever have seen any Bruce Lee movies either, Michelle, if my husband hadn’t encouraged me to go.
What a great story, Nicki! I had no idea Bruce Lee passed away in 1973. That’s probably around the time I first watched one of his movies. I enjoyed your family photo.
Bruce Lee’s career was just taking off when he died. Everyone was shocked.
I didn’t have Chinese food until I was in my 20s. From that you can tell that I lived in a community that did not have an Asian presence. I was fascinated with martial arts because it was quick, clean and disciplined (unlike wrestling or boxing). One of my girlfriends got a black belt (back then you did it for protection) but my nephew and his son take it very seriously and are in various color belts doing competitions and demonstrations. It’s interesting that it dates back to different times. It’s interesting that you lived so close to Bruce Lee.
I brought a book home from the Wing Luke Museum, Bruce Lee, Artist of Life. It’s interesting how much he writes about kung fu as a philosophy of life. He talks about harmony, simplicity, and balance. The Chinese say kung fu goes back 4000 years. There are hundreds of systems. Most of them have a spiritual aspect influenced by philosophies like Confucianism, Taoism and Zen or various myths and legends. Bruce Lee seems most influenced by Taoism. One of his most famous quotes: “Be water, my friend.”
Wow! What a story, Nicki. It’s great you have such a connection to Bruce Lee! I grew up watching martial arts films. We used to live near Chinatown in Chicago and ate there often. Bruce Lee was a favorite of my older brother. We watched martial arts films on Saturdays. I still watch them, particularly the ones from Hong Kong (like Iron Monkey, Hero, House of Flying Daggers).
You started much earlier than I did, Linda. Bruce Lee really knew how to deliver a dramatic line. No surprise. His dad was a famous Chinese opera star, and by the time Bruce was eighteen, he’d appeared in twenty films. Looking back at his “be water” quote, I was impressed again by his acting ability.