By Carolyn Bick
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Photo provided by Jerry Lee
This is the tale of two groups—one that had a Bruce Lee statue, but no place to put it; another, who had been working with the City of Seattle to place a Bruce Lee statue that they didn’t yet have—and one upcoming fundraiser.
In 2020, Bruce Lee fans Anthony Pai and Alex Dang began trying to get a Bruce Lee statue to place in the Chinatown-International District (CID). Together with a group of three other friends, Pai and Dang began searching for a statue of Lee. In 2024, they reached out to the Bruce Lee Foundation, which donated a fiberglass statue of Bruce Lee. It’s a replica of the one that stands in the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
But they still didn’t have anywhere to put it—until, by chance, they heard from Jerry Lee, the architect behind the CID’s famous gate. Pai said that Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee’s daughter, had told Jerry Lee of architecture firm MG2 that Pai and Dang’s group had a statue.
As luck would have it, Lee was part of a group who had been trying to work with the City to identify a place to put a Bruce Lee statue that they did not yet have. Lee said that the group had identified Hing Hay Park as the choice spot.
“It was very fortuitous,” Pai said. “[Lee] just knew the right people.”
A man stands next to the statue for scale. (Photo provided by Jerry Lee)
Until they met Lee, Pai and Dang’s group had been searching for different places to put the statue. Hing Hay Park—whose name literally means, “Celebrate Happiness Public Park,” and figuratively means, “Park for Pleasurable Gatherings”—seemed like the perfect spot.
Pai sees Hing Hay Park as a central gathering place for many in the CID, and that “it’s important to have memorable figures in that spot.”
“Here’s a strong community figure. I know there is a memorial, but Bruce Lee doesn’t have anything [else],” Pai said. “His grave’s here, but … he deserves more, especially because of the cultural impact Bruce Lee has had in our community and for all Americans.”
Lee agreed. While he likes Bruce Lee, Lee’s main objective in placing a statue of Bruce Lee in Hing Hay Park is for the support it would provide the CID.
The CID is still struggling, years after the onset of the COVID pandemic, and has continued to suffer the impacts of the City’s decision to build the I-5 overpass straight through it, severing Little Sài Gòn from the rest of the CID. Two years ago, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the CID on its annual list of 11 Most Endangered Places. The CID joined many other Chinatowns across the United States.
“I grew up in Portland, Oregon, and they had a vibrant Chinatown there,” Lee said. “Now, Chinatown in Portland is just a ghost town. It’s terrible. And I would hate to see something as historic as the Seattle Chinatown-International District.”
Lee and others feel that putting the statue in Hing Hay Park would encourage more visitors in the area. He said that the number of people who visit Bruce Lee’s gravesite for photos is a good indication of the healthy uptick in visitors simply placing the statue could generate.
“You look at the grave site, up at the cemetery—people are visiting it every day up there and leaving flowers and whatnot, especially on his birthday,” Lee said. “So we felt something like this would help rejuvenate Chinatown, and it’s recognizing a national cult figure. So it’s a win-win for everybody.”
In order to place the sculpture in Hing Hay Park, the groups still have to secure a buy-in from the City, as well as the funds to get the sculpture coated in bronze to protect it from the elements. The latter will cost around $90,000—which is why, on Oct. 18, the groups will be holding an already sold-out fundraiser at Diamond Bay.
Lee said that the restaurant’s 300 available seats sold out within a week of the fundraiser’s announcement, and that they have already garnered perhaps half of the necessary funds. There are three different levels of donors, he said: Golden Dragon ($20,000 or above), Golden Lion ($10,000 or above), Phoenix ($5,000 and above), and Cobra ($1,000 and above).
“For a thousand dollars, [you can] have your name engraved at the base of the statue,” Lee said. “There was a lot of interest in that. I think there’s already 10 people that expressed interest in being engraved at that Cobra level.”
He also said that Wells Fargo and Delta Airlines have contributed in-kind donations, and will be listed, too. Tai Tung Restaurant—one of Bruce Lee’s favorite spots in the CID—is also a sponsor of the event.
Photo provided by Jerry Lee
Presuming the fundraiser is successful, Lee said, the group will gift the statue to the City to place and maintain. They just have to confirm the location with the City, get the placement finalized for approval, and submit for a permit to install the foundation.
“Hopefully by that time, the fiberglass statue will be encased in bronze,” Lee said. “That’ll probably take about, I’m guessing, probably 10–12 weeks for the actual work for the encasement.”
But all that remains in the future. Lee said he is looking forward to the fundraiser. Not only will Shannon Lee be there, but several of Bruce Lee’s students will be there, too, including former Gov. Gary Locke. They plan to take a historic photo of all of them onstage.
Pai is looking forward to a more physical manifestation of what Bruce Lee represents for the wider community, particularly at a time when hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans are near an all-time high.
“[I am] a lifelong admirer—‘Be like water,’ right?” Pai said, quoting one of Bruce Lee’s teachings. “What Bruce Lee represents—it’s this warrior philosopher, who was a trailblazer. … Bruce Lee is a nice, strong figure.”
The fundraiser at Diamond Bay begins at 2 p.m. on Oct. 18, with Mona Locke as emcee and Shannon Lee as a special guest. While the fundraiser is sold out, interested donors can email BruceLeeSEAStatue@gmail.com.
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