Museum of Chinese in America

Arthur Dong begins this interview discussing the nightclub scene for Asian Americans during World War II and how there was a positive association with Chinese Americans and China that many of the US felt in contrast to a negative image of Japanese. He goes on to comment on the number of Japanese and Korean American (all American born) performers that masqueraded as Chinese American and reflects upon defying and performing stereotypes in regard to Chinese American performers and rolls in film. He goes on to mention the various reunions and legacies that have occurred since the China Doll Night Club and Flower Drum Song came out. He talks about methods of preserving history (through film and through collecting artifacts). A main focus of this interview is the depiction (and lack thereof) of Chinese Americans in media representations. He says he doesn’t want there to be a black and white, traditional and Westernized, view of Chinese Americans and he speculates that stereotypes about Chinese men and women may have gotten worse in part due to political tensions between China and the US. He discusses issues of Chinese (and Asian) American identity and agency how people’s performances professional and of their own identity can relate to issues of culture.