Chapter 54

Since the 1960s, humanity has been filled with a longing for space. In 1962, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) built the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, used for designing spacecraft like the Apollo. "The Space Age" naturally became the theme of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.

Taking advantage of the weekend, Bruce led a group including Catherine to Seattle.

This was Catherine's third visit to this place.

Unlike the previous times, this time Catherine came with her companions, while Bruce was actually there to handle business negotiations. After all, Bruce was the CEO of the company. The company needed to expand its influence, and he was also worried about his daughter, so he came along.

"Where should we go first?"

Just off the plane, Lily was already studying the map.

"This place seems interesting, look."

Lisa handed the travel guide she had prepared before the trip to Lily.

"What a tall tower, but it's completely different from the Eiffel Tower..."

"That's the Space Needle," Jenny flipped through the travel guide.

Not visiting the Space Needle in Seattle would be as disappointing as not seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

—Of course, that would be in the future.

Now, the Space Needle had just been completed and was still part of the World's Fair.

"... The Space Needle was the result of a long discussion. There were two main design concepts: the first was conceived by World's Fair exhibitor Edward, which was essentially a large balloon tethered to the ground; the second was architect John's 'flying saucer.' Although both Edward's and John's designs were well-received, the Space Needle was ultimately designed by Victor. The design of the Space Needle can withstand strong earthquakes; the structure will remain intact if the earthquake intensity is less than 9.0. Additionally, the Space Needle can withstand strong winds; a 10-kilometer-per-hour wind will only cause the tower to sway 16 millimeters..."

Jenny read the introduction in the travel guide.

"It sounds great."

"Should we go there first?" Lily asked.

"No, let's go here first."

Catherine pointed to a corner on the map.

"University of Washington?"

The group looked at Catherine in confusion; they didn't know what was famous about this place.

But only Catherine knew that at the University of Washington, there was a place more significant than the Space Needle, the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute founded by Bruce Lee, known as the "Martial Saint."

Indeed, in the same month that the Seattle World's Fair opened, Bruce Lee opened his first martial arts school. This marked the beginning of Bruce Lee's fame in America!

"You'll see when we get there."

Catherine had a mysterious look on her face.

Because of the World's Fair, Seattle, which was not a very populous city, suddenly saw a surge in visitors. Even the usually smooth traffic began to get congested. Since many Americans owned private cars, many simply drove across the country to get here. Catherine's family had a car, but she preferred flying...

Since Catherine had made the decision, everyone followed her to the University of Washington in Seattle.

It's strange, the United States has a capital named Washington to honor President Washington, but they also named a state in the northwest Washington to honor him. Catherine couldn't quite understand it.

Unfortunately, their taxi had traveled more than two-thirds of the way when it stopped.

The reason was simple—traffic congestion.

Although Seattle had prepared for the World's Fair, they still encountered this issue. Seeing the long line of cars, Catherine decided they should walk the rest of the way.

Since they had taken a 10 a.m. flight, it was only noon. By the time they reached the University of Washington, it was already 2 p.m.

"Kate, what are you going to show us?"

"Follow me!"

Catherine led them to a parking lot. In an inconspicuous corner, there was a small building with the words "Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute" in large letters, and some incomprehensible letters below. But Catherine could read them; they were traditional Chinese characters, which also meant "Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute."

—During his second year at university, Bruce Lee rented a corner of a parking lot on campus as his martial arts school and hung the sign "Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute." He would later move out when a Japanese-American named Taky Kimura provided him with a venue. Taky Kimura was also a well-known figure.

"Hello, beautiful ladies."

It was a black man, looking somewhat cautious, with a missing tooth.

Bruce Lee didn't seem to be there.

"You are... Jesse Glover!"

This name suddenly popped into Catherine's mind.

Yes, he was Bruce Lee's first disciple!

This black man seemed a bit strange.

In fact, this was a time of severe racial discrimination. Glover's tooth was knocked out by a white police officer who was looking for trouble, and because he was black, he had no way to seek justice, unlike in America 40 years later.

"Who are you?"

"I'm looking for Mr. Lee... oh, Mr. Lee Jun Fan!"

Bruce Lee was his stage name; Lee Jun Fan was his real name.

"Do you know my master?" Glover looked at Catherine curiously.

"You..."

Just then, another person approached, a white girl.

If she wasn't mistaken, this was Linda, Bruce Lee's future wife.

"Linda, what's wrong?"

"Someone's here, three girls."

"Girls?"

The voices from a distance gradually grew closer, and then a typically Asian face walked over.

"Hey, Mr. Lee, do you remember me? You saved me last time, thank you so much!"

Seeing Lee Jun Fan walk over, Catherine excitedly went to greet him.

"You are... oh... you were the one during that Christmas..."

A year had passed, and Bruce Lee still had a vague memory of Catherine.

"Kate, who is he?"

Lily suddenly whispered.

"Ladies, let me introduce you to my savior, Mr. Lee Jun Fan. During the Christmas of 1960, I was almost assaulted, and Mr. Lee saved me. His Chinese martial arts are amazing!"

Unfortunately, the English word "kung fu" wouldn't become widely known until a few years later with Bruce Lee's rise to fame. Now, they didn't understand what "kung fu" meant.

But the first half of Catherine's statement had already shocked them.

...

A thunderstorm burned the router... what a tragedy.

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