Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Yunte Huang provides an in-depth overview of Anna May Wong’s illustrious film career in Daughter of the Dragon. Born in 1905, Wong’s Chinese American heritage at first prevented her from reaching stardom in the U.S. but when she began acting in Europe and Australia, Wong experienced Hollywood icon status. She spent her early years with her family who owned a laundromat against the backdrop of heightened anti-Asian racism. When she began her career, Wong was featured in a few productions as an extra and in minor acting roles. It was Wong’s tragic main lead role as Lotus Flower in The Troll of the Sea that brought her critical acclaim. Huang stresses the importance of Wong’s place in the film because it was notably, the first technicolour production. Other films such as The Thief of Baghdad, Daughter of the Dragon, and Shanghai Express enabled Wong to open new doors for herself such as acting on Broadway and studying Peking Opera in Beijing. As her high profile in Hollywood dwindled because of ageism, Wong found other avenues to occupy her time such as premiering a China documentary and taking walks through Chinatown to revisit her childhood.
Huang’s work is well-researched and informative, featuring a collection of photographs from Wong’s career throughout the book. He also spends considerable amount of time exploring other important events aside from Wong’s life story such as Hollywood’s 20th century beginnings, the 1927 grand opening of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and Los Angeles’ history as a city. Huang explains how Chinatown signaled a huge demographic change for Los Angeles because the city provided Chinese immigrants a place to thrive as a community and endure decades of racism, discriminatory legislation, and violence. Overall, Daughter of the Dragon is a valuable contribution to film history and Anna May Wong, one of the U.S.’ most celebrated Asian American actors from Hollywood’s Golden Age.