Anna May Wong

Description

An illustrated biography of Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American Hollywood star, and her hardships, triumphs, successes, and scandals, by the leading Anna May Wong expert

Leading Anna May Wong expert Shirley Jennifer Lim reveals the triumphs, setbacks, fame, and scandal of the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood. Wongs dazzling talent is not in question, yet what often goes unsaid was her feat of perseverance in the face of cinematic and theatrical rejection as well as daunting societal barriers such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and racialized housing segregation. Her legacy spans through her 50-plus films, pathbreaking television series, sumptuous fashion looks, Broadway and vaudeville shows, iconic photographs, groundbreaking journalism, and global fame, making her one of the only Asian American actors to become a household name. Wongs lack of obedience to a heteronormative lifestyle in conjunction with her wild sexual encounters, debauched night life, and friendships with cultural figures such as Walter Benjamin, Marlene Dietrich, Ramn Novarro, Vincent Price, Rosa Rolanda Covarubbias, Philip Ahn, Hedda Hopper, Carl Van Vechten, Evelyn Waugh, Blanche Knopf, and Paul Robeson, shed light on what it meant to be a trailblazing actress almost a century ago.

Anna May Wongwill use the actresss own personal correspondences, never-before-seen archival photos, and creative endeavors such as her writings published in the New York Herald Tribune and her self-made film about China (broadcast on ABC) to tell the story of the “Worlds Most Beautiful Chinese American woman who rose past the boundaries of the silent and studio eras of white Hollywood. A story of tenacity and determination,Anna May Wongwill show the real woman behind the actresss facade and inspire a new generation of writers, image creators, fashionistas, and television and film enthusiasts in the 21st century.