Americans are getting a brand new coin and it commemorates an important part of film history.
The U.S. Mint announced the new coin featuring Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, will go on sale next week.
The new U.S. quarter shows Wong’s face and manicured hand, surrounded by the bright lights of the marquee sign.
New U.S. quarter featuring Anna May Wong.Photo courtesy: U.S. Mint
You’ll be able to buy the coin starting on October 25 at 12 pm EDT.
In a statement to the Associated Press, the director of the U.S. Mint, Ventris Gibson, says Wong was chosen for being a “courageous advocate who championed for increased representation and more multi-dimensional roles for Asian American actors."
Wong was born in 1905 in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles.
According to the National Women's History Museum in the U.S., Wong started out as an extra in many movies before landing roles that were described as stereotypical Asian characters, including in Daughter of the Dragon.
The New York Historical Society says in the 1920s many people wanted to see Asian women playing stereotypes in films, including as passive young women (also known as Butterflies), as well murderous villainesses (or Dragon Ladies).
The historical society says Wong moved to Berlin in 1928 in the hopes that audiences would be more open to the idea of Asian actors playing more versatile roles.
In the 1930s Wong worked in films around the world and often returned to Hollywood. She worked on over 60 films throughout her career, including the famous film Shanghai Express in 1932.
Wong died of a heart attack in her sleep in 1961.
A special event will be held at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on November 4 at 7:30 pm to celebrate the new coin. There will also be a special screening of Wong's film Shanghai Express followed by a panel discussion. The event is free and open to the public, but registration beforehand is required.
Wong’s niece, who has the same name as the late film star, told the Associated Press she was stunned by the honour.
“There were so many talented artists with many different renditions. I actually pulled out a quarter to look at the size to try and imagine how the images would transfer over to real life,” Anna Wong told the AP.
The new U.S. quarter is the fifth coin in the American Women Quarters Program, a four-year- series that celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of women who have shaped history.
The mint will issue up to five designs each year from 2022 to 2025.
Along with Wong, the women chosen for the first year include poet Maya Angelou, Sally Ride who was the first U.S. woman in space, Wilma Mankiller who was the Cherokee Nation’s first female principal chief, and Adeline Otero-Warren, a leader in New Mexico’s suffrage movement.