Anna May Wong and the Yellow Peril

Known as the very first Chinese American actor who achieved global stardom, Anna May Wong (1905-1961) is the key figure in nearly any debate about the representation of Chinese. However, Wong and her cinematic images have been received quite controversially. By touching upon the controversial acceptance of Wong, this paper offers alternative reads on the star image of Wong from an intersectional perspective involving race, ethnicity, class, and gender. This research argues that, influenced by the racism in Hollywood and American society, Wong experienced an image split and became what I will term an “identity paradox”. Being a star, a Chinese American, and a woman allowed her to act out specific ideas toward the Chinese, such as the Yellow Peril and the good allies, but also made her a vague symbol of Chinese culture. Therefore, at times, she had to bear the racial hatred of the white patriarchal American and was treated as a target of attack by the Chinese patriotism. As an individual who demonstrated great agency in negotiating her star images and the images of Chinese in American culture, Wong was underestimated by both Americans and Chinese in her own period.