Tuesday January 28 at 7:00 pm
Crowell Public Library is happy to welcome back Arthur
Dong, whose latest book, Hollywood Chinese: The Chinese in American Feature Films, provides a spectacular view of the Chinese American
impact on the movies. On Tuesday,
January 28 at 7:00 pm, Arthur will discuss some of the earliest films set in
America’s renowned Chinatowns as well as contemporary hits and artists that are
remaking the face of Hollywood. His
lavish coffee-table book is not only an opulent and entertaining look at some
of the movie world’s most fascinating characters, it also illustrates the
myths, misconceptions, and memorable moments of the Chinese and Chinese
Americans in films made in the United States.
It vividly captures the drama inherent in how
Asian cultures have been portrayed by Hollywood studios. Although Hollywood Chinese centers on
the Chinese, its analysis will resonate with other ethnic and marginalized
groups as well, challenging racist assumptions about minorities in America,
biases that were especially pervasive in early Hollywood films.
Arthur Dong includes his personal interviews with Chinese
and Chinese American artists who have produced, directed, written, and starred
in Hollywood films. Ang Lee, Nancy Kwan,
Justin Lin, James Hong, Joan Chen, Wayne Wang, David Henry Hwang, and Amy Tan
provide insights, while Dong’s impeccable research traces the uphill battle
fought by pioneers such as Marion Wong who was the first Asian American to
direct and produce a feature in California. Hollywood Chinese is the
second book highlighting Chinese American culture by the Academy
Award®-nominated filmmaker Arthur Dong. His first book, Forbidden City, USA: Chinatown
Nightclubs 1936–1970 received an American Book Award in
2015.
A San Francisco Chinatown native, Arthur Dong is an Oscar-nominee, a Peabody and Sundance
award-winning filmmaker, author, and curator whose work
centers on Asian American, and LGBTQ stories. Dong has curated exhibitions showcasing his
extensive archive of cultural ephemera, including Chop Suey on Wax: The Flower Drum
Song Album, Forbidden City, USA, and his most recent, Hollywood Chinese, on
display at the iconic Formosa Café in West Hollywood.
