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Dragon on November 27, 1940, at the Jackson Street 
Hospital in San Francisco, California’s Chinatown; 
Whereas Bruce returned to his family’s homeland at a young 
age and experienced firsthand the occupation of Hong 
Kong by the Japanese during World War II and the sub-
sequent hostility and war that shook the continent; 
Whereas Bruce was motivated to learn and master the mar-
tial art style of Wing Chun Gung Fu in order to gain 
self-confidence and overcome repeated instances of taunt-
ing, racism, and gang activity during his youth; 
Whereas Bruce’s athletic prowess, and his traits of self-dis-
cipline and determination, yielded him success in youthful 
competitions, including the 1958 Crown Colony Cha Cha 
Championship in Hong Kong and the 1958 Hong Kong 
Inter-School Boxing Championship; 
Whereas, in April of 1959, with only $100 to his name, 
Bruce boarded an American President Lines steamship 
and began his voyage back to San Francisco in the lower 
decks of the ship, demonstrating unbelievable courage 
and belief in America’s ability to prosper through hard 
work; 
Whereas Bruce understood the value of education and re-
turned to the United States to fulfill the requirements for 
the equivalent of high school graduation at Edison Tech-
nical School in Seattle, Washington, in 1960, while bus-
sing tables and washing dishes to support himself, subse-
quently enrolling at the University of Washington; 
Whereas Bruce continued his education at the University of 
Washington where he majored in philosophy having been 
inspired by his passion for Gung Fu to delve into the 
philosophical underpinnings of the arts; 
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Whereas Bruce subsequently lectured on Eastern philosophy 
at local high schools and wrote many essays during those 
years that relate philosophical principles to martial arts 
techniques; 
Whereas Bruce taught the art of Gung Fu to support and 
pay for his education, establishing the Jun Fan Gung Fu 
Institute in a friend’s basement before expanding to a 
bigger location in 1963; 
Whereas one of the many ways Bruce lived out his belief in 
inclusivity was through his interracial marriage to Seattle 
local, Linda Emery, in 1964, and by later fathering two 
biracial children in a family he supported and cared for 
until his death; 
Whereas, in late 1964, Bruce’s willingness to teach martial 
arts to non-Chinese individuals to bridge the cultures an-
gered many in the field, and he was forced to defend 
himself and his freedom to teach; 
Whereas Bruce ultimately prevailed in his teachings and 
paved the way for a spectacular and revolutionary dis-
covery of blending physical fitness, Gung Fu, and street 
combat into what is now called Jeet Kune Do; 
Whereas the artistry and beauty of Jeet Kune Do led Bruce 
to Hollywood, where he became an authentic face for Chi-
nese Americans and an inspiration to youth across the 
world; 
Whereas despite rampant racism, Bruce’s strong, intelligent, 
and powerful persona was a means for optimism and 
hope for immigrants, people of color, and fans alike; 
Whereas during the years of 1967–1971, Bruce read and 
wrote extensively on his thoughts about physical combat, 
the psychology of fighting, the philosophical roots of mar-
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tial arts, and the motivation, self-actualization and libera-
tion of the individual—teachings that are the foundation 
of Jeet Kune Do and of his legacy that continue to be 
studied internationally to this day; 
Whereas after suffering a back injury in 1970 and being told 
he would never do martial arts again, Bruce established 
his own program of self-motivation and physical therapy 
to work himself back into peak physical and mental con-
dition; 
Whereas, in the summer of 1971, due to hardships in over-
coming stereotypes against racial minorities in Holly-
wood, Bruce decided to continue to pursue his dream of 
being an actor and supporting his family by going back 
to Hong Kong, where he had gained immense fame from 
his previous work on shows like ‘‘The Green Hornet’’; 
Whereas Bruce became a hero in Hong Kong and represented 
the success the Chinese community in America could 
achieve while honoring both Chinese and American cul-
ture; 
Whereas, in 1972, Bruce created his own production com-
pany, Concord Productions, which applied the Hollywood 
studio model for film production for the first time in 
Hong Kong; 
Whereas through Concord Productions, he began writing, di-
recting, producing, acting in, and choreographing his own 
films; 
Whereas, in 1973, due to his relationships and successes in 
both the United States and Hong Kong, Bruce became 
a household name through the making of ‘‘Enter the 
Dragon’’, the first film ever to bridge the Hong Kong 
and United States film industries, while overcoming lan-
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guage barriers and production difficulties, and providing 
a viable and hugely successful link between the two cul-
tures; 
Whereas, on July 20, 1973, Bruce experienced a fatal swell-
ing of the brain after taking a pain medication for a 
minor headache and did not live to see the opening of his 
film, ‘‘Enter the Dragon’’, or experience the enduring 
success of his films in the nearly 50 years since his 
death; 
Whereas the popularity of Bruce’s films sparked national and 
international interest in the study of the martial arts and 
the genre of the martial arts action film, creating a pro-
liferation of films and schools and inspiring many youths 
to become more physically fit and philosophically minded 
in their daily lives; 
Whereas Bruce Lee has been remembered today in many 
ways, having been named one of Time magazine’s 100 
most important people of the 20th century, given a star 
on the Hollywood walk of fame, and honored on postage 
stamps in 8 countries around the world; 
Whereas even after Bruce Lee’s death, the Bruce Lee Foun-
dation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization 
formed by his wife, Linda, and daughter, Shannon, en-
riches lives, opens minds, and breaks down barriers 
through the active proliferation of Bruce’s legacy of un-
daunted optimism in the face of adversity, unwavering 
humanism, mental and physical perseverance, and inspi-
rational presence of mind toward the betterment of our 
global community; and 
Whereas the Bruce Lee Foundation also applies the legacy of 
Bruce Lee to the present day global community, showing 
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how relevant Bruce Lee, his teachings, his thoughts, and 
his example still are today through their educational pro-
grams for children, social initiatives, and exhibits geared 
toward looking at how taking action and working to ful-
fill our human potential can change and mold our lives 
for the better: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) honors the life and impact of Bruce Jun 
Fan Lee, an American success story whose legacy of 
persistence and honor resonates and inspires mil-
lions of citizens today; and 
(2) recognizes the profound importance of 
Bruce Lee’s teachings as a catalyst for popular cul-
ture and Chinese-American history in the United 
States. 
Æ 
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