Doug Chan announces reopening of Chinese Historical Society of America with brand new exhibit “We are Bruce Lee”

(SAN FRANCISCO) After two-year temporary closure since the beginning of the pandemic, the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) will open for the first time on the upcoming Saturday, April 23, with an opening night ceremony to welcome the brand new exhibition "We Are Bruce Lee : Under the Sky, One Family".

On the next day, April 24, the museum inside the headquarter of the CHSA will open for the public to view the exhibit about late Superstar Bruce Lee, who died in 1973 at the age of 32.

CHSA, founded in 1963 and located on Clay Street in San Francisco Chinatown, is the oldest organization in the country dedicated to the preservation of the social, cultural and political history and contributions of the Chinese Americans in the United States.

"We are not only preserving the history of our community, but also playing an important role to draw the visitors to Chinatown to support the businesses here," said Doug Chan, Board President of CHSA, about the reopening of the museum service to the public starting this coming Saturday.

"It is very important for us to be located in SF Chinatown. Our upcoming exhibit 'We Are Bruce Lee' is explicitly telling us that our Chinatown is very historic. It was the birthplace of Bruce Lee who was born in the Chinese Hospital 81 years ago," Chan added.

"We Are Bruce Lee" exhibit has been planned for years, before the pandemic. Chan said the ideas started at the time when Late Edwin Lee was the Mayor of San Francisco and everyone promised to have an exhibition to celebrate the legacy of Bruce Lee who started his journey from San Francisco Chinatown.

"We Are Bruce Lee" is one of the largest scale exhibitions in the history of CHSA. The funds came from fundraising projects. "This exhibit would be one more way for the economic development of the neighborhoods. We help draw visitors to Chinatown." Chan stated.

Chan is a lawyer in private practice, a former Police Commissioner and former Human Rights Commissioner. He has served at the CHSA Board for over a decade. His growing path as a San Francisco born Chinese American has motivated him to get involved in community and public service.

"My grandmother was a pharmacist. She was a third generation San Franciscan. I was the first family member to be born outside Chinatown. All my parents and grandparents were born in Chinatown," Chan recalled.

Chan remembered he was not able to learn about Chinese and Asian American history at schools when he was young. "My grandparents always shared their stories with us. I am a fifth generation Chinese American born in San Francisco. I committed to the work of the Chinese Historical Society," Chan said.

"We Are Bruce Lee" exhibit is made possible by a number of private collectors who share their collections with CHSA. "This might be the most comprehensive exhibition about Bruce Lee in the United States," said Justin Hoover, Executive Director of CHSA, who speaks mandarin and his mother is an immigrant from Taiwan. Hoover took over the position during the peak of the pandemic in 2020.

Bruce Lee was not only a kung fu master and superstar, he was also a civil rights leader. "We have added an extension to the 'We Are Bruce Lee' exhibit to showcase the great efforts of Bruce Lee who had worked with the African community back in the 1970s," said Hoover. Under the rising anti-Asian sentiment since the pandemic in 2020, Hoover has seen Lee was also a pioneer on the civil rights movement to work together with African American other minority communities.

"Bruce Lee was 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 130 pounds. He was amazing. He was able to reach the racial and transform that we belonged here. Beyond the vision, he brought up the culture that he was born in the U.S.," said Chan who has been an admirer of Lee.

Among the private collections to be displayed for public view in the exhibit, there are several hand drawings by Lee. All these drawings by Lee also indicated that Lee was only talented at drawing, he also expressed his own philosophy and principle of daily life through his artwork.

More information about the exhibit can be found at www.wearebrucelee.org or CHSA website at www.chsa.org.