The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day

Isabelle Fortaleza Tan

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13

| Peer-Reviewed

The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day

Isabelle Fortaleza Tan

Published in English Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 7, Issue 3)

Received: 2 August 2022 Accepted: 25 August 2022 Published: 21 September 2022

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

Chinese women have been appearing and starring in American films for over a century. However, the type of portrayals of Chinese women on screen, starting from the 1920’s up until now, have evolved greatly. This investigation’s objective is to analyze how the portrayal of Chinese Women in American films evolved from one-dimensional stereotypes, such as the “Dragon Lady” and the “Lotus Blossom”, to the complex and varied roles offered to Chinese Women today— ranging from princesses to multiverse travelling mothers. The investigation will also examine the historical contexts that brought the harmful and overtly sexualized “Dragon Lady” and “Lotus Blossom” stereotypes to fruition, such as the Page Act of 1875 which prohibited the entry of women of any “oriental” descent into the US, assuming most of them to be prostitutes. This investigation will be done by using landmark films with Chinese women-played roles spanning one century, starting with the 1922 film The Toll of The Sea to the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once, to analyze how the portrayals have transformed. The investigation eventually comes to the conclusion, that while the portrayals of Chinese women in Hollywood initially resulted from Western misconceptions and over-sexualization of the East, these prejudices were eventually mostly shed, leading to more nuanced and varied Chinese-woman played roles in Hollywood. Compared to the roles available for Chinese women in the 1920s, modern roles for Chinese women are significantly more diverse, with Chinese women now being portrayed as princesses, warriors, mothers, romantic leads, martial artists, and more.

Published in	English Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 7, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13
Page(s)	84-88
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Chinese Women, Stereotypes, American Films, Film Industry, Hollywood

References

[1]	D’Alessandro, Anthony. (2022). “‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Becomes A24’s Highest-Grossing Movie At Global Box Office”. Deadline. https://deadline.com/2022/06/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-a24-box-office-record-2-1235042399/
[2]	Kwan, Daniel & Scheinert, Daniel. (Directors). (2022). Everything Everywhere All At Once. (Film). A24.
[3]	Fang, Marina. (2018). “'Crazy Rich Asians' Is Now The Highest-Grossing Romantic Comedy In A Decade”. The Huffington Post. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/crazy-rich-asians-box-office-rom-com-record_n_5ba932afe4b0375f8f9f8ce4
[4]	Chu, Jon M. (Director). (2018). Crazy Rich Asians. (Film). Color Force.
[5]	Kitch, Sally. (2009). The Specter of Sex: Gendered Foundations of Racial Formation in the United States. Albany: SUNY Press.
[6]	Shimizu, Celine Parreñas. (2007). The Hypersexuality of Asian/American Women. Duke University Press. pp. 1–29.
[7]	Wood, Donald. (2009) Economic Development, Integration, and Morality in Asia and the Americas. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
[8]	Corrigan, Lloyd. (Director). (1931). Daughter of the dragon. (Film) Paramount Pictures.
[9]	Prasso, Sheridan. (2005). The Asian Mystique: Dragon Ladies, Geisha Girls, and Our Fantasies of the Exotic Orient. New York: Public Affairs.
[10]	Wang, Hanying. (2012). Portrayals of Chinese Women’s Images in Hollywood Mainstream Films— An Analysis of Four Representative Films of Different Periods.
[11]	Walsh, Raoul. (Director). (1924). The Thief of Bagdad. (Film). Douglas Fairbanks Pictures.
[12]	Sternberg, Josef von. (Director). (1932). The Shanghai Express. (Film). Paramount Pictures.
[13]	Hodges, Graham Russell (2004) Gao Anna May Wong: From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
[14]	Sakamoto, Edward. (1987). “Anna May Wong and the Dragon Lady Syndrome”. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-12-ca-3279-story.html
[15]	Lyon, Cherstin. (2015). "War Brides Act". Densho Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.densho.org/War%20Brides%20Act
[16]	Ramirez, Rachel. (2021). “The history of fetishizing Asian women”. Vox. https://www.vox.com/22338807/asian-fetish-racism-atlanta-shooting
[17]	Franklin, Chester. (Director). (1993). The Toll of the Sea. (Film). Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation.
[18]	Borzage, Frank. (Director). (1958). China Doll. (Film). Batjac Productions.
[19]	Quine, Richard. (Director). (1960). The World of Suzie Wong. (Film). Paramount Pictures.
[20]	Lee, Joey. 2018. "East Asian "China Doll" or "Dragon Lady"?" Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections 3, (1). http://scholars.wlu.ca/bridges_contemporary_connections/vol3/iss1/2.
[21]	Nigh, William. (Director). (1942). Lady from Chungking. (Film). Alexander-Stern Productions.
[22]	Wang, Wayne. (Director). (1993). The Joy Luck Club. (Film). Hollywood Pictures.
[23]	Koster, Henry. (Director). (1961). Flower Drum Song. (Film). Hunter-Fields Productions.
[24]	Bancroft, Tony & Cook, Barry. (Directors). (1998). Mulan. (Film). Walt Disney Pictures.
[25]	Reitherman, Wolfgang et al. (Directors). (1959). Sleeping Beauty. (Film). Walt Disney Productions.
[26]	Hand, David et al. (Directors). (1937). Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. (Film). Walt Disney Productions.
[27]	Ratner, Brett. (Director). (2003). Rush Hour 2. (Film). New Line Cinema.
[28]	Wu, Alice. (Director). (2004). Saving Face. (Film). Sony Pictures.
[29]	Tarantino, Quentin. (Director). (2003). Kill Bill: Vol. 1. (Film). A Band Apart.
[30]	McG. (Director). (2000). Charlie’s Angels. (Film). Columbia Pictures.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Isabelle Fortaleza Tan. (2022). The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day. English Language, Literature & Culture, 7(3), 84-88. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Isabelle Fortaleza Tan. The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day. Engl. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2022, 7(3), 84-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Isabelle Fortaleza Tan. The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day. Engl Lang Lit Cult. 2022;7(3):84-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13,
  author = {Isabelle Fortaleza Tan},
  title = {The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day},
  journal = {English Language, Literature & Culture},
  volume = {7},
  number = {3},
  pages = {84-88},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ellc.20220703.13},
  abstract = {Chinese women have been appearing and starring in American films for over a century. However, the type of portrayals of Chinese women on screen, starting from the 1920’s up until now, have evolved greatly. This investigation’s objective is to analyze how the portrayal of Chinese Women in American films evolved from one-dimensional stereotypes, such as the “Dragon Lady” and the “Lotus Blossom”, to the complex and varied roles offered to Chinese Women today— ranging from princesses to multiverse travelling mothers. The investigation will also examine the historical contexts that brought the harmful and overtly sexualized “Dragon Lady” and “Lotus Blossom” stereotypes to fruition, such as the Page Act of 1875 which prohibited the entry of women of any “oriental” descent into the US, assuming most of them to be prostitutes. This investigation will be done by using landmark films with Chinese women-played roles spanning one century, starting with the 1922 film The Toll of The Sea to the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once, to analyze how the portrayals have transformed. The investigation eventually comes to the conclusion, that while the portrayals of Chinese women in Hollywood initially resulted from Western misconceptions and over-sexualization of the East, these prejudices were eventually mostly shed, leading to more nuanced and varied Chinese-woman played roles in Hollywood. Compared to the roles available for Chinese women in the 1920s, modern roles for Chinese women are significantly more diverse, with Chinese women now being portrayed as princesses, warriors, mothers, romantic leads, martial artists, and more.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day
AU  - Isabelle Fortaleza Tan
Y1  - 2022/09/21
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13
T2  - English Language, Literature & Culture
JF  - English Language, Literature & Culture
JO  - English Language, Literature & Culture
SP  - 84
EP  - 88
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-2413
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13
AB  - Chinese women have been appearing and starring in American films for over a century. However, the type of portrayals of Chinese women on screen, starting from the 1920’s up until now, have evolved greatly. This investigation’s objective is to analyze how the portrayal of Chinese Women in American films evolved from one-dimensional stereotypes, such as the “Dragon Lady” and the “Lotus Blossom”, to the complex and varied roles offered to Chinese Women today— ranging from princesses to multiverse travelling mothers. The investigation will also examine the historical contexts that brought the harmful and overtly sexualized “Dragon Lady” and “Lotus Blossom” stereotypes to fruition, such as the Page Act of 1875 which prohibited the entry of women of any “oriental” descent into the US, assuming most of them to be prostitutes. This investigation will be done by using landmark films with Chinese women-played roles spanning one century, starting with the 1922 film The Toll of The Sea to the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once, to analyze how the portrayals have transformed. The investigation eventually comes to the conclusion, that while the portrayals of Chinese women in Hollywood initially resulted from Western misconceptions and over-sexualization of the East, these prejudices were eventually mostly shed, leading to more nuanced and varied Chinese-woman played roles in Hollywood. Compared to the roles available for Chinese women in the 1920s, modern roles for Chinese women are significantly more diverse, with Chinese women now being portrayed as princesses, warriors, mothers, romantic leads, martial artists, and more.
VL  - 7
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Isabelle Fortaleza Tan

Upper Secondary Division, Gyeonggi Suwon International School, Suwon-si, South Korea

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Isabelle Fortaleza Tan. (2022). The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day. English Language, Literature & Culture, 7(3), 84-88. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Isabelle Fortaleza Tan. The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day. Engl. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2022, 7(3), 84-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Isabelle Fortaleza Tan. The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day. Engl Lang Lit Cult. 2022;7(3):84-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13,
  author = {Isabelle Fortaleza Tan},
  title = {The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day},
  journal = {English Language, Literature & Culture},
  volume = {7},
  number = {3},
  pages = {84-88},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ellc.20220703.13},
  abstract = {Chinese women have been appearing and starring in American films for over a century. However, the type of portrayals of Chinese women on screen, starting from the 1920’s up until now, have evolved greatly. This investigation’s objective is to analyze how the portrayal of Chinese Women in American films evolved from one-dimensional stereotypes, such as the “Dragon Lady” and the “Lotus Blossom”, to the complex and varied roles offered to Chinese Women today— ranging from princesses to multiverse travelling mothers. The investigation will also examine the historical contexts that brought the harmful and overtly sexualized “Dragon Lady” and “Lotus Blossom” stereotypes to fruition, such as the Page Act of 1875 which prohibited the entry of women of any “oriental” descent into the US, assuming most of them to be prostitutes. This investigation will be done by using landmark films with Chinese women-played roles spanning one century, starting with the 1922 film The Toll of The Sea to the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once, to analyze how the portrayals have transformed. The investigation eventually comes to the conclusion, that while the portrayals of Chinese women in Hollywood initially resulted from Western misconceptions and over-sexualization of the East, these prejudices were eventually mostly shed, leading to more nuanced and varied Chinese-woman played roles in Hollywood. Compared to the roles available for Chinese women in the 1920s, modern roles for Chinese women are significantly more diverse, with Chinese women now being portrayed as princesses, warriors, mothers, romantic leads, martial artists, and more.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Evolving Portrayal of Chinese Women in American Film from the Silver Screen to Modern Day
AU  - Isabelle Fortaleza Tan
Y1  - 2022/09/21
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13
T2  - English Language, Literature & Culture
JF  - English Language, Literature & Culture
JO  - English Language, Literature & Culture
SP  - 84
EP  - 88
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-2413
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20220703.13
AB  - Chinese women have been appearing and starring in American films for over a century. However, the type of portrayals of Chinese women on screen, starting from the 1920’s up until now, have evolved greatly. This investigation’s objective is to analyze how the portrayal of Chinese Women in American films evolved from one-dimensional stereotypes, such as the “Dragon Lady” and the “Lotus Blossom”, to the complex and varied roles offered to Chinese Women today— ranging from princesses to multiverse travelling mothers. The investigation will also examine the historical contexts that brought the harmful and overtly sexualized “Dragon Lady” and “Lotus Blossom” stereotypes to fruition, such as the Page Act of 1875 which prohibited the entry of women of any “oriental” descent into the US, assuming most of them to be prostitutes. This investigation will be done by using landmark films with Chinese women-played roles spanning one century, starting with the 1922 film The Toll of The Sea to the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once, to analyze how the portrayals have transformed. The investigation eventually comes to the conclusion, that while the portrayals of Chinese women in Hollywood initially resulted from Western misconceptions and over-sexualization of the East, these prejudices were eventually mostly shed, leading to more nuanced and varied Chinese-woman played roles in Hollywood. Compared to the roles available for Chinese women in the 1920s, modern roles for Chinese women are significantly more diverse, with Chinese women now being portrayed as princesses, warriors, mothers, romantic leads, martial artists, and more.
VL  - 7
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download