During the early 1900s many Chinese Americans lived in California, but their existence was scarcely noticed or mentioned in the mainstream press. Because they were of a recognizably different race, many white Californians paid little attention to their Chinese American neighbors. When the movie industry started during these early years of the 20^th century, the Chinese Americans became more visible, but they still seemed “foreign”. Few white people thought of them as “real Californians”.

Anna May Wong was born in 1905 in Los Angeles. Her father was a Chinese laundryman whose family had lived in America for three generations. Anna May went to an unsegregated school, but she did not like it. Boys pulled her pigtails and teased her for being “different”. She soon moved to a Christian religious school that enrolled only Chinese American students. While she was still in school, she became fascinated by movies and started hanging around studios where early films were made.

Despite being somewhat isolated in the dominant world of movies, Wong soon built a strong reputation for herself. She was a tall, slim woman who stood out among the shorter, less striking Asian actresses. She had a keen fashion sense and was photographed and admired as one of the leading stars of the Hollywood scene, especially after she appeared with Douglas Fairbanks in “The Thief of Bagdad” in 1924. When Grauman’s Chinese Theater opened in 1927, Anna May was featured as the leading lady among female Asian stars.  

As the 1920s continued, rules about miscegenation became more stringent in many states and it became difficult for Asian actors to get roles in Hollywood. Following the route of many other actors, Anna May went to Europe in 1927. There she proved again to be a versatile actor. She starred in a successful play in London and then moved to Germany where she learned the language and appeared in a film with Marlene Dietrich.

Despite her success, Wong continued to lose leading roles to non-Asian actors. Her biggest disappointment was to lose the starring role in “The Good Earth” to a white actress who was made up to look Asian.

During World War II, Wong worked for the Chinese cause and after the war she finally visited China for the first time and met several of her relatives. After she returned to the U.S., she hoped to produce movies herself, but she died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1961 at the age of 56.

Wong’s life has been celebrated by featuring her picture on a new American coin. More importantly, we now have a recent biography of her life, by Yunte Huang. Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong’s Rendezvous with American History (Liverwright 2023). The more you learn about Anna May Wong, the more fascinating she becomes.