I’ve Got Beef with Yunte Huang. This Is My Diss Track.

setting the record straight on one scholar’s reckless claims

Summer 2024 was the summer of the diss track. Now, summer may be over, but I’ve got a diss track of my own to drop. As the author of Not Your China Doll, the most recent biography on Anna May Wong — Hollywood’s first Asian American movie star — I’ve been biting my tongue for more than a year and keeping my thoughts to myself about another biographer’s treatment of her. It’s time I finally speak my truth. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with a good old fashioned literary feud. (I’ll let you decide who’s Kendrick and who’s BBL Drizzy.) Stick with me, ’cause this is going to be a looong one.

I deliberated for months on how to convey what you’re about to read — and whether to say anything at all. I spoke to my husband, close friends, trusted colleagues, and even my therapist at length. I spent many nights in bed, mind racing, wondering what I should do. I asked myself, what would Anna May Wong do? Would she keep quiet or speak out about something she knew was wrong? In the end, I realized that I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t find the courage to speak up.

Some of you may already be familiar with the name Yunte Huang. He’s the author of Daughter of the Dragon, a biography of Anna May Wong that came…