Miss Chinatown USA

Last updated
Miss Chinatown U.S.A.
Miss Chinatown USA pageant 2010.jpg
2010 contestants. Center, seated is Crystal Lee, winner of Miss Chinatown USA 2010 and Miss California 2013.
DateFebruary 23, 2024
Sponsor Thunder Valley Casino
WinnerTara Wong-Nash (2024)
1st Princess / Miss Chinese Chamber of CommerceGrace Zhang (2024)
2nd PrincessAlice Yu (2024)

The Miss Chinatown USA pageant, based on Chinese communities within the U.S., greets delegates around the country. The pageant has been an annual Lunar New Year event since 1958. The winners of this pageant represent the Chinese community and act as ambassadors promoting Chinese culture and heritage.

Contents

History

A local beauty pageant had been held by the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA) and the San Francisco Lodge around Independence Day since 1948, [1] :42 with Penny (Lee) Wong as the first winner (CACA). The 1948 pageant was held in Pleasanton. [2] Other winners included Lotus Wong (1948, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association or CCBA), Fanny Don (1949, CACA), Lena Jane Chin (1950), Dorothy Lee (1951), and Annie Chow (1952). [3]

Following the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the first official Lunar New Year Parade in San Francisco's Chinatown was held in 1953 to project that community as "patriotic, assimilated [and] compatible with American values". [4] That year Pat Kan, the daughter of noted Chinatown restaurateur Johnny Kan, [5] was chosen as "Miss Firecracker" [6] by non-Chinese reporters and posed with "nothing but a string of firecrackers". [1] :41 In 1954, the local beauty pageant was rolled into the parade as a contest to select the Festival Queen and the parade expanded into a multi-day event. [4] Chinese New Year Parade / Festival Queens included Bernice Woong (1954), [7] [8] Carolyn Lim (1955), [9] Estelle Dong (1956), [10] [11] and Ruby Kwong (1957). [12] [13] [14]

Karen Li, Miss Chinatown U.S.A. 2014 Miss Chinatown USA 2014 Karen Li.jpg
Karen Li, Miss Chinatown U.S.A. 2014

In 1958, the pageant was opened to seventeen competitors from around the United States and the first winner was June Gong, [16] :216 a 21-year old originally from Miami who previously had won the 1957 Miss New York Chinatown pageant and was runner-up for the 1957 Miss New Hampshire title. Gong was a senior majoring in Home Economics at the University of New Hampshire. [17] :5 Judges at the 1958 contest included Chin Yang Lee, Joseph Fields, Richard Pollard, Mrs. K. L. Kwong, Mrs. John Yu, and Sally Lee Thompson; [18] the judges since then have been a mix of prominent citizens, both Asian and non-Asian. [4] Throughout the years, proponents of Miss Chinatown claimed that this contest helped young woman overcome class divisions to receive necessary economic support to better themselves. [17]

Kem K. Lee was the first official photographer of the pageant and photographed the event until his death in 1986; he also covered the earlier pageants dating back to 1948. [3] In 1961, the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas announced plans to hold its own "Miss Chinatown USA" pageant, but changed the name of its contest to "Miss East Bay" after a protest from the San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SFCCC). [1] :58 That year, contestants included representatives from Durham, North Carolina, Fresno, California, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Minnesota, New York City, Phoenix, Arizona, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Whittier, California. [3]

Today, the Miss Chinatown USA pageant pulls contestants from all around the world as they advance past their city-level pageants. For example, the winner of Miss Chinatown Houston would win a sponsorship to compete in the Miss Chinatown USA pageant. [19]

Criticism

Miss Chinatown USA 2010, Crystal Lee Miss Chinatown USA pageant 2010 winner.jpg
Miss Chinatown USA 2010, Crystal Lee

The signature evening gown is a tightly fitted cheongsam , chosen by the New Year Festival's organizer, H.K. Wong, to exoticize the contestants as "the perfect blend of East and West" and draw tourists to Chinatown. [4] [1] :64 [17] :7 Although the earlier (1948–1953) local beauty pageant featured western dresses, author Chiou-Ling Yeh asserts the new pageant served to reinforce stereotypes: the choice of the cheongsam reinforced sexualized perception of Chinese women through its extra high-cut side slit, and early publicity emphasized the value of traditional, patriarchal ideals for female behavior, referring to the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. [1] :42–44 [20] :332 The winners were seen as cultural ambassadors to bridge the gap between Chinese-American immigrants and western society; in one instance, a restriction on the use of firecrackers in San Francisco was lifted after San Francisco Mayor George Christopher kissed the reigning Miss Chinatown in 1956. [1] :47–48

Additional criticisms of the pageant, including it being not truly representative of the Chinatown population, reinforcing Caucasian beauty standards, and perpetuating the model minority stereotype have arisen since its origins. [17] :6,13–17 Pageants affirmed the model minority stereotype by affirming the importance of education as well as how woman were expected to assimilate into society. Contestants also tended to be middle class woman, further pushing the ideal during the Cold War. [21] Additionally, by picking winners of the elite middle class, critics argued that the beauty queens were not representative of the Chinatown population. [17] Furthermore, participants were not even expected to speak Chinese, the only part of them that was distinctly Chinese was their bodies. [21] The Holiday Inn Chinatown sponsored one of the 1971 contestants; as a publicity stunt, she jumped out of a giant fortune cookie for the opening of the hotel, later drawing jeers and eggs when she rode on a float during the Lunar New Year parade. [4] [17] :14

Performance artist Kristina Wong has crashed numerous events in costume as the character "Fannie Wong, former Miss Chinatown 2nd runner up" since 2002; [4] parodying the stereotype of a quiet, demure Asian woman, Wong describes Fannie as a "cigar chomping, leg humping fast talking beauty queen" that was "often escorted out of venues". [22] Wong grew up in San Francisco idolizing Miss Chinatown, but admits she was "nervous because she did not know how she'd transition from being 'completely sexually repressed and totally awkward' to someone who was beautiful and self-assured. 'I felt like such an embarrassment to my family.'" [23]

Pageant rules

2008 contestants pose for photographers outside 947 Grant (2007) Curtseying for Mr. Tan (1056102341).jpg
2008 contestants pose for photographers outside 947 Grant (2007)

Eligibility is limited to unmarried United States citizens of Chinese descent between the ages of 17 and 26, [24] which means the entrant's father or mother must be of Chinese descent. [4] [25] Local Chinatown beauty contests were won by the contestant that raised the most funds or sold the most raffle tickets for their family association, but these rules were changed. [26] Initially, contestants were required to answer questions posed in Chinese, but by 1965, it was recognized that some, especially those who had not grown up in Chinatown, did not possess the necessary bilingual skills and the committee stopped factoring the Chinese language responses into the results. [1] :70 [17] :15As of 2014, the four scored segments are introduction, talent, swimsuit, and question-and-answer. [15] As of 2024, the swimsuit portion was replaced with a form & fitness section.

The winner of the Miss Chinatown USA title receives a US$10,000 scholarship [15] and, during her reigning year, travels to meet with family associations, officials, and politicians in the United States and abroad as a goodwill ambassador. [26] [27] [28] As a national pageant, the titleholder of Miss Chinatown USA also is eligible to enter the Miss Chinese International Pageant, a contest for women of Chinese descent not residing in China. [29] For instance, Ni Jiang won Miss Chinatown USA in 2008, then competed in Miss Chinese International in early 2009. [30]

The first runner-up for Miss Chinatown USA holds the simultaneous titles of First Princess and Miss Chinese Chamber of Commerce. [31] Third place is named Second Princess. [32] There is a separate award for Miss Talent, given to the contestant who receives the highest talent score. [15]

Venue

Great China (now Great Star) Theater, 2018 0299 Great Star (26728603777).jpg
Great China (now Great Star) Theater, 2018

The first Miss Chinatown pageant was held on February 15, 1958, at the Great China Theater. [18] The theater, now renamed as the Great Star, was completed in 1925 to stage Chinese operas and is still showing limited engagements and live performances. [33] Since then, pageants have been held at larger event locations in San Francisco, including the SF Masonic Auditorium (starting in 1959), [1] :57 [34] Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, [35] [36] and Hyatt Regency San Francisco. [37]

Traditionally, a separate coronation ball is staged at a separate venue after the pageant; in 2012, the coronation ball was held at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. [38] In 2020, the coronation ball was held at the InterContinental San Francisco. [39] For 2022, the pageant and coronation ball occurred on the same night, in the same venue. [37]

List of Miss Chinatown USA titleholders

YearMiss Chinatown USAOrigin City & State
1958June Gong周轉娣Miami, FL
1959Leona Lee李麗卿Honolulu, HI
1960Carole Ng吳惠芳San Francisco, CA
1961 Irene Tsu 諸慧荷New York, NY
1962Darrah Lau劉淑卿Honolulu, HI
1963Shirley Fong鄺秋娥Honolulu, HI
1964Josie Leong梁雁玲Sacramento, CA
1965Mary Tom譚雅倫Jamaica, NY
1966Jacquelyn Chun陳韻媛Honolulu, HI
1967Marilyn Lew劉嫚蘭San Francisco, CA
1968Betty Wong黃珍瓊Sacramento, CA
1969Carole Young楊小薇San Francisco, CA
YearMiss Chinatown USAOrigin City & State
1970Marion Lee李金燕Honolulu, HI
1971Linda Shen沈元元Minneapolis, MN
1972Trudy Young容蓮愛Honolulu, HI
1973Sandra L. Wong黃艷愛Oakland, CA
1974Pamela Fong鄺素蘭Sacramento, CA
1975Jeannie Fung馮亦明San Francisco, CA
1976Linda Sue Chun陳桂媛Honolulu, HI
1977Sandra L.Q. Mew繆麗昆Honolulu, HI
1978Stephanie Ann Lee李儀寶San Francisco, CA
1979Glenda Tang鄧靜雯Columbia, SC
YearMiss Chinatown USAOrigin City & State
1980Ronda Ching程慧珍Honolulu, HI
1981Rose Chung張艷珍San Francisco, CA
1982Stephanie L. Shiu邵小媚Lemoore, CA
1983Sandra Young楊碧聯Honolulu, HI
1984 Cynthia Gouw 吳義菊Westwood, CA
1985Audrey R. Liao廖瑞曼Baltimore, MD
1986Amy Mae Woo胡丁美Sunnyvale, CA
1987Crystal Lee Kwok郭錦恩San Francisco, CA
1988Sylvia Shim沈睡蓮Honolulu, HI
1989Lisa Chen陳毓英Montebello, CA
YearMiss Chinatown USAOrigin City & State
1990Evelyn Ding丁嘉靜Houston, TX
1991Jennifer Tung滕廣霞Rodeo, CA
1992 Melissa M. Wu 吳美珩San Francisco, CA
1993Melissa Yeh葉貞靖Spring, TX
1994Ivy Hsu許慧馨San Jose, CA
1995Jamie Chou周潔明Berkeley, CA
1996Grace Maa馬友慈Belle Mead, NJ
1997Lori Young楊兆妍Honolulu, HI
1998 Gwendoline Yeo 楊時賢San Francisco, CA
1999Karen Chen陳 媛Union City, CA
YearMiss Chinatown USAOrigin City & State
2000Jennifer Lin Hong項德慧Pearl City, HI
2001Pamela Woon溫美玲Seattle, WA
2002Andra Chung張 慧Cupertino, CA
2003Darah Annette Dung鄧貴美Honolulu, HI
2004Shan Chen陳 珊New York, NY
2005Carol Chen陳盈璉Dallas, TX
2006Louise Suzanna Wu吳如意Fremont, CA
2007Betty Hsu徐仁惠San Francisco, CA
2008Ni Jiang蔣 妮Bellevue, WA
2009Cindy Wu
(aka:Cindy Yen)
吳欣雲/
袁詠琳
Houston, TX
YearMiss Chinatown USAOrigin City & State
2010 Crystal Lee 李萬晴San Francisco, CA
2011June Quan關蓮珠San Francisco, CA
2012Steffi Hu胡瑞欣Sugar Land, TX
2013Leah Li李卓兒Mercer Island, WA
2014Karen Li李凱若Houston, TX
2015Rose Li李思佳Houston, TX
2016Stephanie Wong黃嘉穎Millbrae, CA
2017Karen Lynn Yang楊開潤Sugar Land, TX
2018Jasmine Lee李萬莉San Francisco, CA
2019Katherine Wu吳沛琳San Francisco, CA
YearMiss Chinatown USAOrigin City & State
2020Lauren Yang楊若潤Sugar Land, TX
2021Event cancelled
2022Crystal Lee李詩濤Castro Valley, CA
2023Ashlyn Tsui徐莊婕Redwood City, CA
2024Tara Wong-Nash黃美華Foster City, CA

Progress in Miss Chinese International

YearRepresentativeRepresenting
City & State
Placement/Progress in MCIPlacement in MCUYear in MCU
1988Tammy LeeSeattle, WA1st Runner-UpTammy Lee (Miss Chinese Chamber of Commerce 1988) competed as Miss Seattle Chinatown 1988.
1989Yu Ping FanSeattle, WATop 5Yu Ping Fan (unplaced in MCU 1989) competed as Miss Seattle Chinatown 1989.
1990No Pageant Held
1991Deanna LeungSeattle, WADeanna Leung (unplaced in MCU 1990) competed as Miss Seattle Chinatown 1990.
1992
1993Stephanie ChangSeattle, WATop 12Stephanie Chang (Miss Chinatown USA Third Princess 1992) competed as Miss Seattle Chinatown 1992.
1994I-Man ChaoSeattle, WA2nd Runner-UpI-Man Chao (Miss Chinese Chamber of Commerce 1993) competed as Miss Seattle Chinatown 1993.
1995Susan ChaoSeattle, WASusan Chao (unplaced in MCU 1994) competed as Miss Seattle Chinatown 1994.
1996 Melissa M. Wu San Francisco, CA1st Runner-UpWinner1992
Winnie Young Hong Kong, HKTop 10Winnie Young (Miss San Francisco 1991) competed as Miss Hong Kong 1995.
Wen SunSeattle, WAWen Sun (unplaced in MCU 1995) competed as Miss Seattle Chinatown 1995.
1997Jamie ChouSan Francisco, CAWinner1995
1998Louisa LukSan Francisco, CAWinnerMiss San Francisco (2nd Runner-Up)1997
1999Alice TamSan Francisco, CAMiss San Francisco (2nd Runner-Up)1994
Yan WangSeattle, WAYan Wang (unplaced in MCU 1998) competed as Miss Seattle Chinatown 1998.
2000Karen ChenSan Francisco, CAWinner1999
2001Valerie FooSan Francisco, CAMiss San Francisco (2nd Runner-Up)2000
2002Pamela WoonSeattle, WAWinner2001
Michelle LumSan Francisco, CA3rd Princess2001
2003No Representative
2004No Representative
2005Annie ChangSan Francisco, CATop 5Miss San Francisco (2nd Runner-Up)2004
Fala Chen New York, NY1st Runner-UpFala Chen (Miss Chinese Chamber of Commerce 2003) competed as Miss Chinese New York 2005.
2006No Representative
2007Louise WuSan Francisco, CATop 10Winner2006
2008No Representative
2009Ni JiangSeattle, WATop 5Winner2008
Louisa LiuSan Francisco, CAMiss San Francisco (2nd Runner-Up)2007
2010Amy ChuSan Francisco, CAMiss San Francisco (2nd Runner-Up)2009
2011No Pageant Held
2012No Representative
2013Samantha Ark ChinSeattle, WASamantha Ark Chin (unplaced in MCU 2010) competed as Miss Seattle Chinatown 2007.
2014Amanda LeeSan Francisco, CAMiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce (1st Runner-Up)2012
2015Leah LiSeattle, WATop 3 in National CostumeWinner2013
Shirley LiuSan Francisco, CAMiss San Francisco (2nd Runner-Up)2014
2016No Representative
2017Stephanie WongSan Francisco, CATop 10
Top 4 in Talent Performance
Winner2016
2018Rose LiNew York, NYWinnerRose Li (Miss Chinatown USA 2015) competed as Miss Chinese Beauty 2017 (formerly known as Miss Chinese New York).
Elisa Santos-KoSan Francisco, CATop 10
Live Audience Most Liked Performance Award (Miss Talent)
Miss San Francisco (2nd Runner-Up)2017
2019Stephanie WangHonolulu, HI1st Runner-UpStephanie Wang (Miss Chinatown USA Second Princess 2017) competed as Miss Chinatown Hawaii 2017.
Maggie HuangSan Francisco, CAMiss San Francisco (2nd Runner-Up)2018
2020Pageant deferred to 2021

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Sources