Join us for an in-depth look at the 1932 classic film Shanghai Express starring Anna May Wong. This drama filled film will have you on the edge of your seat as a group of hostages are held captive on a train in war-torn China. Following the screening of Shanghai Express, join Dr. SunAh Laybourn and Katie Gee Salisbury, author of Not Your China Doll, in a discussion delving into the groundbreaking career of Anna May Wong, the film’s star and the first Asian American woman to achieve significant recognition in Hollywood. Participants will explore Wong’s role in shaping the portrayal of Asian characters in early cinema and her impact on the industry’s representation of Asian American actors. The conversation will also address the challenges she faced due to racial stereotyping and how her work paved the way for future generations of Asian American performers. Additionally, the discussion will reflect on the film’s portrayal of China and its cultural implications, considering both historical context and contemporary perspectives. Movie buffs and novices alike will enjoy learning about how this classic film provides a new lens through which we can view modern day Hollywood. We recommend viewing this in tandem with our November 24th screening of Always Be My Maybe followed by a discussion led by Dr. SunAh Laybourn.
Dr. SunAh Laybourn is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Memphis. Her research examines questions of race, identity, and belonging. She is the author of Out of Place: The Lives of Korean Adoptee Immigrants (New York University Press, 2024). In 2023, Dr. Laybourn organized Memphis's first month-long celebration honoring Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Additionally, she is the host of WYXR 91.7FM’s Let’s Grab Coffee, a weekly radio show featuring experts from around the world, who are investigating our most pressing social issues and common curiosities (also available on Apple and Spotify).
Katie Gee Salisbury is the author of Not Your China Doll, a new biography of Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first Asian American movie star. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Believer, the Asian American Writers' Workshop, and elsewhere. She was a finalist for the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship in 2021 and gave the TED Talk “As American as Chop Suey.” She also writes the newsletter Half-Caste Woman. A fifth-generation Chinese American who hails from Southern California, she now lives in Brooklyn.
Food and drinks will be available for purchase.