I lived a life of extraordinary splendor, but my dreams of Hollywood were shattered. I had no home and country to live in during my lifetime, and no family funeral after my death.

She was born for movies, has experienced silent movies, sound movies, and color movies, and plays an indispensable position in the history of film development. Her handprints are on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but her name is rarely known in China. She is Anna May Wong.

In 1905, Anna May Wong was born in Los Angeles, USA. Her parents ran a laundry in Chinatown. Like most Chinese Americans in the United States at that time, Huang's parents worked hard and lived a humble life. Their only wish was to raise their eight children and let some of them take over the laundry. But the family never expected that their second daughter, Huang Liushuang, who seemed to be well-behaved and smart, wanted to enter Hollywood and become an actress!

When Wong was 9 years old, she watched her first movie with a tip from helping others do laundry. After that, she became very interested in the world on the screen. A movie dream came to her. Rooted in my heart.

Huang Liushuang’s father, Huang Shanxing, and his wife tried every means to prevent their daughter’s choice. After all, in the eyes of Chinese people in the early twentieth century, "acting" was not a glorious profession. More importantly, in that era, yellow people It is simply a dream to enter Hollywood.

In the early 20th century, there were no laws or police to protect the rights and interests of Chinese people. Chinese people could be beaten and scolded casually after leaving Chinatown. The Chinese in Hollywood movies of that era were either thieves or prostitutes.

As an adult Chinese man, Huang Shanxing hated the insulting stereotypes against Chinese people in Hollywood movies. He could not watch his daughter, who had been raised through hardships, join the enemy camp and help the Chinese people for a vain dream. Along with white people, they exclude yellow people.

However, unequal social norms, racial discrimination and traditional family values ??had no impact on Wong's love for acting. Instead, they strengthened her determination to pursue a career in film.

She has fantasized about being on the big screen countless times, hoping that by making movies she can have a future that all Chinese in Chinatown can't even imagine - a future where they are on equal footing with white people. Instead of staying in Chinatown to marry, have children, and run a laundry for the rest of your life.

After two years of working as a bit player in Hollywood, Anna May Wong finally got a role with lines. Subsequently, Anna Wong starred in several films, but they all appeared in insignificant supporting roles. It was not until 1922, when she was 17 years old, that she ushered in the real spring of her film career - "Death of the Sea".

In this movie, Anna May Wong dressed gorgeously and used just the right acting skills to successfully capture the attention of the audience and the mainstream media. American media praised her performance as extraordinary. The British media praised her performance as deep and restrained yet precise, reaching the level of a master. The Japanese media even published an article saying that Anna May Wong's acting skills are far superior to those of Japanese acting stars.

Because of her outstanding acting skills in "Death by Sea", Anna May Wong was selected by Hollywood superstar Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as the heroine of the new film "The Thief of Baghdad". In the film, Anna May Wong plays a Mongolian slave girl. This role is not outstanding, but Anna Wong still amazed the world with her bold nudity and meticulous performance. After the film was released, it was enthusiastically welcomed by American audiences and won the box office championship of the year.

Anna Wong succeeded. She became famous in Hollywood and received numerous film appointments. However, when Anna May Wong was being interviewed by newspapers and media about her views on Hollywood as an Oriental, her thoughts coincided with those of her father who had prevented him from entering the entertainment industry. Why are the Chinese on screen always bad guys and villains? It seems that I can only play prostitutes or women who sacrifice for love and have no social status. In the end, I can only die again and again in the film. She laughed at herself and said: Dying pitifully seems to have become my unique skill.

In 1929, Anna Wong was tired of the same stereotyped roles in Hollywood, so she moved to Europe and began starring in some European movies and operas. Anna Wong has a very high talent for languages. She can perform fluently in German and French in a short time, which invisibly brings her closer to European audiences. Because of her beautiful appearance and excellent acting skills, Anna May Wong has achieved great success in the European film industry.

The recognition and praise she received in the European film industry not only made Anna Wong happy, but also gave her the opportunity to return to Hollywood. In 1930, Anna Wong returned to the United States and while participating in the filming of the movie "The Dragon Girl", she performed 167 stage plays on Broadway in New York.

However, the good times did not last long. When she heard that Hollywood had decided to cast an Australian actress to star in "The Good Earth," a movie about a Chinese woman, Anna Wong was completely disappointed with Hollywood. She finally understood that no matter how hard she worked and how good she was, she still couldn't change the discrimination against yellow people in Hollywood at that time.

At this time, she received an invitation letter from China. Huang Liushuang, who had already made a name for herself in the international film industry, suddenly realized that as a Chinese with black hair and yellow skin, she should I went back to my home country to see.

In order to learn more about Chinese culture, Huang Liushuang visited Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang and expressed her willingness to learn Peking Opera from the master. Mei Lanfang, who does not accept disciples easily, was moved by Huang Liushuang's sincerity. But the premise is that she must return to China.

Anna Wong made a decisive decision and turned down all the film contracts in the United States. She stayed in China and devoted herself to learning the essence of Chinese culture from the masters. This experience made her deeply fall in love with traditional Chinese culture, and she also found a sense of identity deep in her heart.

Huang Liushuang, who is famous overseas, soon became a guest at various luxurious dinners. She was even awarded an honorary doctorate by Peking University, the most famous university in China.

Picture | In 1936, Chinese-American actress Huang Liushuang in Hollywood returned to China for the first time

However, just when Huang Liushuang was preparing to return to the film industry, the Kuomintang media at the time gave her a head-on blow. . They published articles criticizing Anna Wong, believing that Wong was a disgrace to China. On the one hand, most of Wong's roles at the time were in sexy, coquettish roles. The Kuomintang believed that she was a puppet used by Hollywood to vilify Chinese people. On the other hand, Anna Wong was not married at the age of 31. In China at that time, it was very outrageous for a woman to do this.

Soon, the Nationalist Government put "Shanghai Express" starring Huang Liushuang on the banned list. Huang Liushuang became a street rat, and everyone shouted for beatings. When she went to Hong Kong to attend an event, someone in the crowd who greeted her shouted: Down with Anna May Wong - the clown who insulted China! The scene was very chaotic for a time, and Huang Liushuang burst into tears on the spot.

After that, Anna May Wong wore long skirts, no longer exposed her body on the screen, and began to lobby film producers to make films that showed a positive image of Chinese people.

During the Anti-Japanese War, Huang Liushuang traveled around to raise funds for charity and auctioned the dresses, jewelry and films she had collected for many years. All proceeds from the auction were donated to the American Federation to Aid China and the Bank of China Fund to rescue wartime refugees in China. However, the power of individuals is weak after all.

At the end of 1942, Soong Meiling visited the United States, and Hollywood made great efforts to organize a tea party for her attended by top Hollywood stars. As the only Chinese superstar, Anna May Wong was not invited because Soong Meiling's delegation specifically told not to invite Anna Wong, who insulted the Chinese.

At this time, although Huang Liushuang had won the honor, she still could not clear her name. She is patriotic, but ignored by her countrymen; she longs for love, but never marries.

Anna Wong is both independent and family-loving. The funny thing is: she supports the whole family, but their family is ashamed of her. The eight brothers and sisters in the family, except for her, all received higher education and became what Soong Meiling called New Chinese, and she borne all the expenses alone. Her parents still adhere to the old idea that "good girls don't sing in dramas" and don't understand her.

In love, she is also lonely. The traditional and conservative Chinese immigrants dare not marry her, and the professionals who combine Chinese and Western cultures look down upon her. The love tragedy on the screen was repeated in her real life.

In 1949, Huang Liushuang, who had a certain amount of savings, began to fade away. She wrapped herself up, passively avoided the world, and ended her life in depression.

Huang Liushuang died of illness on February 2, 1961. This unparalleled Chinese-American female star had no funeral or family offerings. Her body was buried next to her mother's tomb, without a single word engraved on the tombstone.

Anna Wong is an eternal myth in Hollywood, and her achievements are not inferior to any Chinese movie star. She encountered too many injustices and prejudices, but she still lived to be the cover of the times.

Text | Beibei