Where is Anna May Wongs family from?
Anna May Wong was the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, appearing in over sixty films during her career. In addition to her roles in silent films, television, and the stage, Wong was cast in one of the first Technicolor films. Her legacy, which is internationally recognized, continues to influence entertainers all over the…
Anna May Wong was the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, appearing in over sixty films during her career. In addition to her roles in silent films, television, and the stage, Wong was cast in one of the first Technicolor films. Her legacy, which is internationally recognized, continues to influence entertainers all over the world.
Due to discrimination in the domestic industry, she relocated to Europe to work in English and German films. Her given name, Wong Lew Song, translates literally as “Frosted Yellow Willows,” but it has also been interpreted as “Second-Daughter Yellow Butterfly.” Her family gave her the name Anna May in English. She was born on Flower Street in downtown Los Angeles, in an Irish and German-dominated neighbourhood one block from Chinatown, where her father ran the Sam Kee Laundry.
Where is Anna May Wongs family from?
Anna May Wong was born on January 3, 1905, in Los Angeles, California’s Chinatown. Her birth name, Wong Liu Tsong, means “Frosted Yellow Willows,” and she was the second of eight children. Her family gave her the English name Anna May. Her ancestors were from Taishan, China, but her grandfather immigrated to the United States in the 1850s. He opened a store in California near the site of the 1848 gold discovery. Sam Sing, Wong’s father, was born in California in 1858.
