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Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong's Rendezvous with American History
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About This Book
One of the Atlantic 's "Books to Get Lost in This Summer" Best Books of August 2023: InsideHook, WNET AllArts A trenchant reclamation of the Chinese American movie star, whose battles against cinematic exploitation and endemic racism are set against the currents of twentieth-century history. Born into the steam and starch of a Chinese laundry, Anna May Wong (1905–1961) emerged from turn-of-the-century Los Angeles to become Old Hollywood's most famous Chinese American actress, a screen siren who captivated global audiences and signed her publicity photos―with a touch of defiance―"Orientally yours." Now, more than a century after her birth, Yunte Huang narrates Wong's tragic life story, retracing her journey from Chinatown to silent-era Hollywood, and from Weimar Berlin to decadent, prewar Shanghai, and capturing American television in its infancy. As Huang shows, Wong's rendezvous with history features a remarkable parade of characters, including a smitten Walter Benjamin and (an equally smitten) Marlene Dietrich. Challenging the parodically racist perceptions of Wong as a "Dragon Lady," "Madame Butterfly," or "China Doll," Huang's biography becomes a truly resonant work of history that reflects the raging anti-Chinese xenophobia, unabashed sexism, and ageism toward women that defined both Hollywood and America in Wong's all-too-brief fifty-six years on earth. 40 black-and-white images
Reviews
"Wong's star image was built on endless contradictions that, at times, rattled her sense of self."
"A thorough, multilayered history of the too brief yet impactful life of a pioneering Chinese American woman artist facing racism and sexism in tumultuous times."
"Daughter of the Dragon is biography embedded in cultural criticism ..."
"It is an outstanding work, filled with insights and stories, and written with authority."
"A rich and complex view of Wong's life and times."
"It's a fascinating—and long overdue—close-up of a Hollywood trailblazer."
"[Huang] mostly avoids simplifying her into an easy icon of empowerment or an object of pity ..."
"But Daughter of the Dragon offers a lively tour through Wong's world and filmography, and the film stills and portraits included throughout are a particular pleasure"
"An attentive biography ..."
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