SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- San Francisco's officials and community members gathered on Wednesday in the City Hall to remember the city's first Chinese-American mayor Edwin Lee and honor his legacy one year after his unexpected death.
The one-year anniversary was hosted by current Mayor London Breed on the Mayor's Balcony inside the City Hall, which was crowded with people who came to pay tribute to the first Chinese-American mayor in the city's history.
Lee, 65, died of a sudden heart attack on Dec. 12, 2017. One of his major legacies is to help enhance San Francisco's ties with China.
He had led many trade missions to China to facilitate cooperation between the two sides in various areas, such as culture, sports, investment and clean energy technologies. His last visit to China happened in October 2017, just two months before his death.
During his visit to Shanghai, a sister city of San Francisco, Lee also brought with him San Francisco Opera House's English-language opera Dream of Red Chamber, based on one of China's greatest classical novels.
With his and his wife Anita Lee's efforts, the Chengdu Food and Culture Festival was hosted in San Francisco last year, helping American people better understand Chinese cuisine and culture.
"As the first Chinese-American mayor, the city will always hold a place of pride in our hearts, but especially in the hearts of our Chinese and Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Thank you to Mayor Lee for your service and we really miss you dearly," said Breed.
Lee was also regarded as "an advocate and practitioner of U.S.-China friendship" by a Chinese diplomat in San Francisco for his tremendous contributions to friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between San Francisco and China.
Lee's friends and family members, including his two daughters, wife and mother, also attended the ceremony and shared their memories.
Earlier this year, the San Francisco Board of Education voted to rename the Chinese Education Center in Lee's and his wife's honor to the Edwin and Anita Lee Newcomer School. Last week, Lee was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.
