Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong's Rendezvous with American History

One of the Atlantic's 'Books to Get Lost in This Summer'Best Books of August 2023: New York Times Book Review, Christian Science Monitor, InsideHook, BookRiot, WNET AllArts, Arlington MagazineA 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 (19051961) emerged from turn-of-the-century Los Angeles to become Old Hollywoods most famous Chinese American actress, a screen siren who captivated global audiences and signed her publicity photoswith a touch of defianceOrientally yours. Now, more than a century after her birth, Yunte Huang narrates Wongs 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, Wongs 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, Huangs 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 Wongs all-too-brief fifty-six years on earth.