Preforming Chinatown: Hollywood, Tourism, and the Making of a Chinese American Community

Roosevelt House, along with the Asian American Studies Program, is pleased to present a discussion with Dr. William Gow about his new book, Performing Chinatown: Hollywood, Tourism, and the Making of a Chinese American Community. He will be joined in conversation by Dr. Charles Tien, Director of the Asian American Studies Program and professor of political science at Hunter College. 

In Performing Chinatown, Gow examines how Chinese Americans in Los Angeles leveraged performances in Hollywood films and Chinatown tourist attractions to shape perceptions of race and national belonging during the Chinese exclusion era (1875-1965). Drawing on oral history interviews, archival research, and family collections, the book traces the relationship between Los Angeles Chinatown and Hollywood, demonstrating how everyday Chinese Americans used performance to shape dominant perceptions of Asian Americans.