An illustrated biography of Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American Hollywood star, and her hardships, triumphs, successes, and scandals, by the leading Anna May Wong expert

Leading Anna May Wong expert Shirley Jennifer Lim reveals the triumphs, setbacks, fame, and scandal of the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood. Wong’s dazzling talent is not in question, yet what often goes unsaid was her feat of perseverance in the face of cinematic and theatrical rejection as well as daunting societal barriers such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and racialized housing segregation. Her legacy spans through her 50-plus films, pathbreaking television series, sumptuous fashion looks, Broadway and vaudeville shows, iconic photographs, groundbreaking journalism, and global fame, making her one of the only Asian American actors to become a household name. Wong’s lack of obedience to a heteronormative lifestyle in conjunction with her wild sexual encounters, debauched night life, and friendships with cultural figures such as Walter Benjamin, Marlene Dietrich, Ramón Novarro, Vincent Price, Rosa Rolanda Covarubbias, Philip Ahn, Hedda Hopper, Carl Van Vechten, Evelyn Waugh, Blanche Knopf, and Paul Robeson, shed light on what it meant to be a trailblazing actress almost a century ago.

Anna May Wong will use the actress’s own personal correspondences, never-before-seen archival photos, and creative endeavors such as her writings published in the New York Herald Tribune and her self-made film about China (broadcast on ABC) to tell the story of the "World’s Most Beautiful Chinese” American woman who rose past the boundaries of the silent and studio eras of white Hollywood. A story of tenacity and determination, Anna May Wong will show the real woman behind the actress’s facade and inspire a new generation of writers, image creators, fashionistas, and television and film enthusiasts in the 21st century.

© 2026 Abrams Books (Ebook): 9798887072395

Release date

Ebook: 5 May 2026