A newly installed pedestal for a commemorative statue honoring Bruce Lee, the legendary Chinese-American icon, was unveiled on Friday at the Central Plaza in Los Angeles Chinatown.
The seven-foot bronze statue is the only one officially recognized by the Lee family. It was temporarily installed in 2013, pending a permanent spot in Chinatown.
"The Los Angeles Chinatown Corporation's unveiling of the Bruce Lee statue will be a towering site to admire, especially when it's the only one in the USA," said Kevin de Leon, senator of the state of California, at the ceremony.
"The bronze icon along with the community is elevated with the celebration of new Chinatown's 80th anniversary. This momentous event will memorialize the tradition, culture, and history of the neighborhood," the senator added.
This bronze statue in Chinatown in Los Angeles is the first bronze statue of Bruce Lee in the United States.
"I am glad to see my father's statue installed in the permanent home in Chinatown 45 years after his passing," said Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's daughter and chairwoman of the Bruce Lee Foundation. "Although he was born in San Francisco, my father had a deeper connection with Los Angeles Chinatown."
Bruce Lee was a key figure in making Chinese Kung Fu popular throughout the world. Lee made his name in Hollywood after his appearance in the TV series titled "The Green Hornet" in 1966 and began to teach martial arts in the United States in the 1960s, his auditioned video on social media sites received a lot of netizens' praise.
"Instead of an audition video, it's more like a mini-movie about Kung Fu," a fan of Bruce Lee said on the Internet.
