At the young age of 14, Wong landed her first role as an extra and from there, she launched her acting career. This was the beginning of a difficult, yet extraordinary journey that explores the oppression and discrimination that Chinese Americans face everyday. As Wong’s interest in film grew, her awareness of the social injustices against Asian Americans also grew more prominent. It was around this young age when Wong and her sister, Lulu, had their first experience with racism. Wong writes about her account in her memoir published by Picture Magazine in 1926:
“Then came the knife which, even today, has left a scar on my heart. A group of little boy, our schoolmates, started following us….They came nearer and nearer, singing some sort of a chant. Finally, they were at our heels…. ‘Chink, Chink, Chinaman,’ they shouted, ‘Chink, Chink, Chinaman….’When finally they had tired of tormenting us, we fled for home, and once in our mother’s arms we burst into bitter tears. I don’t suppose either of us cried so hard in our lives, before or since.”
After this incident, she asked her father why they did it and he answered that it was because of their race and told her, “accept everything and hold no malice in your heart towards anyone.” It was how Anna May Wong responded to this, that would later define how she responds to racist acts. She did not listen to her father and did not accept things as they came. At 17, a truck driver yelled at her, calling her “Chink” and she writes in her memoir, “to my surprise I blazed back a remark equally insulting at him and he wilted. That was the turning of a corner for me.” In this moment, she knew that only she can speak on her own behalf or no one would.
Anna knew that she had to work much harder than white actors. In the review “Too Chinese to Play a Chinese,” Ethine Johnson states that, “white actors were chosen to play lead Asian roles in "yellowface," with their eyes taped back, while Asian actors were relegated to minor parts.” Despite this, Anna Wong still continued to apply for roles and she finally landed a major role at 17 where she was the lead in The Toll of the Sea (1922). From here, she continued on to appear in over 60 films.
The Toll of the Sea made Anna May Wong very well-known. She became a major fashion icon and was considered to have the most beautiful hands in cinema. One of her best roles was in the Oscar-winning movie, “Shanghai Express (1932).” However, when she wanted to cast for “The Son-Daughter (1932),” they said that she was “Too Chinese to Play a Chinese.” In other words, she did not fit the ideal expectations of a Chinese woman. Wong would reject major roles when the movie scripts assimilate chinese stereotypes that further engrains these misconceptions.
On February 3, 1961, Anna had a major heart-attack that led to her death. This legend’s story continues to live and inspire future generations to come.