Last week I had an opportunity to see Arthur Dong's fantastic collection of movie memorabilia at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles. Featuring more than 150 items, much of which was collected during the production of his award-winning documentary Hollywood Chinese (2007), the exhibit lays bare on a visceral level America's ambivalent and convoluted attitude towards the Chinese. It also shows how Chinese Americans have navigated, negotiated, and resisted the stereotypes placed upon them.
Of particular interest to me were the rare items concerning three pioneering filmmakers: Marion Wong, whose The Curse of Quon Gwon (1916) is the earliest known Chinese American feature; James B. Leong, whose film Lotus Blossom (1921) starred Chinese American actress and vaudeville singer Lady Tsen Mei; and Joseph Sunn Jue, whose San Francisco-based Grandview Film Company produced movies by, about, and for Chinese Americans during World War II and also helped keep Cantonese cinema alive during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.
"Hollywood Chinese" is showing through the end of May next year. If you live in the area, you should definitely check it out. For those who can't make it, the 34-page, color catalog is the next best thing. Handsomely designed and featuring nearly half of the items from the exhibit, it also includes a great essay ("Yellow Peril Smackdown: A Night at the Chinese American Museum") by filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña. The catalog can be purchased at the museum gift shop, but unfortunately it's not for sale on their website. Try contacting them directly (office@camla.org) to see if it can be ordered by mail.
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