Anna May Wong was the most famous Asian American actress of the 1930s. She was born in Los Angeles as a third generation American with her Chinese name, Wong Liu Tsong, meaning “frosted yellow willows.”

An Early Passion
Anna was infatuated with the movies early on and would skip school and use her lunch money to go to movie theaters. Anna, at the age of 9, despite her parent’s opposition, would beg filmmakers for parts, earning herself the nickname “C.C.C.” or “Curious Chinese Child”.

By the age of 11, Anna May had come up with her stage name, Anna May Wong, paying tribute to both her English and family names.
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Tags: " Cultural Warrior, "Curious Chinese Child, Anna May Wong, asian hero, fashion icon, First international Asian American movie star

You know, we often talk about the success stories of our heroes without talking about their pitfalls, their struggles, their hurdles.

Pat Morita,  better known as Mr. Miyagi, from the movie The Karate Kid, taught a generation of young people how to block a punch with  “wax on, wax off” while coaching “Daniel-san” karate and catching flies with chopstick.

Moving on to what you did not know.

Doctors told Pat Morita that he would not be able to walk when he was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis at the age of two. He spent the next nine years, enduring long periods in full body casts, in various Californian hospitals.

It took fusing four vertebrae in Pat’s spine for him to finally learn how to walk again at the age of 11. By this time, in the middle of WWII, his family had been sent to a Japanese internment camp in Arizona.
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Tags: Pat Morita, Wax off: Overcoming spinal tuberculosis, Wax on

Anna Sui is a New York-based Asian fashion designer known worldwide for her playful creations and whimsical runway shows. She was born and raised in Detroit, but relocated to New York City after graduating high school to study at Parsons School of Design.

While attending Parsons, Anna found a collaborator and close friend in Steven Meisel, who has gone on to become one of the world’s top fashion photographers. In 1980, Anna showed a mere 6 original pieces at the Boutique Show and immediately received an order from Macy’s department store, who in turn one used of her designs in a New York Times advertisement.

That same fateful year, Anna launched her own label out of her apartment. Recently, Anna was named by Time Magazine as one of this decade’s top 5 fashion icons, a designer who “never panders.” With boutique stores in the US, Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and a dozen stores in the planning stages for Western Europe, Anna has also added a cosmetics and shoes line. Check out her sites here and here. She continues to design from her NY offices.
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Tags: Anna Sui, Asian Heroes and Role Models, international fashion icon, Japan's top luxury fashion brand