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). [2] The 1948 pageant was held in Pleasanton. [3] 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). [4]

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". [5] That year Pat Kan, the daughter of noted Chinatown restaurateur Johnny Kan, [6] was chosen as "Miss Firecracker" [7] 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. [5] Chinese New Year Parade / Festival Queens included Bernice Woong (1954), [8] [9] Carolyn Lim (1955), [10] Estelle Dong (1956), [11] [12] and Ruby Kwong (1957). [13] [14] [15]

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, [17] :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. [18] :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; [19] the judges since then have been a mix of prominent citizens, both Asian and non-Asian. [5] 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. [18]

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. [4] 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. [4]

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. [20]

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. [5] [1] :64 [18] :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 [21] :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. [18] :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. [22] Additionally, by picking winners of the elite middle class, critics argued that the beauty queens were not representative of the Chinatown population. [18] Furthermore, participants were not even expected to speak Chinese, the only part of them that was distinctly Chinese was their bodies. [22] 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. [5] [18] :14

Performance artist Kristina Wong has crashed numerous events in costume as the character "Fannie Wong, former Miss Chinatown 2nd runner up" since 2002; [5] 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". [23] 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.'" [24]

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, [25] which means the entrant's father or mother must be of Chinese descent. [5] [26] 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. [27] 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 [18] :15As of 2014, the four scored segments are introduction, talent, swimsuit, and question-and-answer. [16] 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 [16] and, during her reigning year, travels to meet with family associations, officials, and politicians in the United States and abroad as a goodwill ambassador. [27] [28] [29] 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. [30] For instance, Ni Jiang won Miss Chinatown USA in 2008, then competed in Miss Chinese International in early 2009. [31]

The first runner-up for Miss Chinatown USA holds the simultaneous titles of First Princess and Miss Chinese Chamber of Commerce. [32] Third place is named Second Princess. [33] There is a separate award for Miss Talent, given to the contestant who receives the highest talent score. [16]

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. [19] 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. [34] Since then, pageants have been held at larger event locations in San Francisco, including the SF Masonic Auditorium (starting in 1959), [1] :57 [35] Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, [36] [37] and Hyatt Regency San Francisco. [38]

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. [39] In 2020, the coronation ball was held at the InterContinental San Francisco. [40] For 2022, the pageant and coronation ball occurred on the same night, in the same venue. [38]

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beauty pageant</span> Competition mostly based on physical attributes

A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now moved towards including inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, talent, character, and charitable involvement, through private interviews with judges and answers to public on-stage questions. Pageant titles are subdivided into Miss, Mrs. or Ms., and Teen – to clearly identify the difference between pageant divisions.

Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand-based Miss Universe Organization. Along with Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth, it is one of the Big Four beauty pageants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown, San Francisco</span> Neighborhood in California, United States

The Chinatown centered on Grant Avenue and Stockton Street in San Francisco, California, is the oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the largest Chinese enclaves outside Asia. It is also the oldest and largest of the four notable Chinese enclaves within San Francisco. Since its establishment in the early 1850s, it has been important and influential in the history and culture of ethnic Chinese immigrants in North America. Chinatown is an enclave that has retained its own customs, languages, places of worship, social clubs, and identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Hong Kong Pageant</span> Beauty contest

The Miss Hong Kong Pageant, or Miss HK (港姐) for short, is an annual beauty pageant organised by local Hong Kong television station, TVB. The pageant was established in 1946, and acquired by TVB in 1973.

The Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. This pageant is part of the Miss USA Organization, owned by Texas native Crystle Stewart, herself a Miss USA for 2008.

Melissa Ng Mei-hang is a retired American Hong Kong television actress born in China. She had been under contract to the television station TVB since 1996 after coming second in the Miss Chinese International Pageant, retiring from acting in 2007. Ng speaks fluent English with an American accent, Cantonese, and Mandarin. She currently resides in Hong Kong.

The Miss California competition selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss America competition.

Cynthia Gouw is an American actress, model, and TV news anchor and host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Chinese Vancouver Pageant</span>

Miss Chinese Vancouver Pageant, also known as MCV and formerly branded as Miss Chinese (Vancouver) Pageant, is an annual beauty pageant organized by Fairchild TV that selects Vancouver's representative for the annual Miss Chinese International Pageant that is held in Hong Kong, organized by TVB. The current Miss Chinese Vancouver is Isabella Zhai (翟悦迪) winner of the 2023 pageant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade</span> Public celebration of the Chinese New Year

The San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is an annual event in San Francisco, California, United States. Held for approximately two weeks following the first day of the Chinese New Year, it combines elements of the Chinese Lantern Festival with a typical American parade. First held in 1851, along what are today Grant Avenue and Kearny Street, it is the oldest and one of the largest events of its kind outside of Asia, and one of the largest Asian cultural events in North America. The parade route begins on Market Street and terminates in Chinatown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss New York Chinese Pageant</span>

Miss NY Chinese, also known as Miss New York Chinese or Miss Chinese New York and formerly called Miss Greater Chinatown NYC Beauty Pageant, is a beauty pageant that selects New York City's representative to the Miss Chinese International beauty pageant held in Hong Kong each year. Notable winners include Michelle Ye and Fala Chen. Participants must be between the ages of 17 and 25 with a basic understanding of the Chinese language, among other requirements.

Miss Hong Kong 2007 pageant, the 35th Miss Hong Kong pageant was held in the Hong Kong Coliseum on 21 July 2007. Sixteen delegates competed for the title. Contestant #3: Kayi Cheung was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder, Aimee Chan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Universe 1961</span> 10th Miss Universe pageant

Miss Universe 1961 was the tenth Miss Universe pageant, held at the Miami Beach Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida, United States on 15 July 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristina Wong</span> American performance artist, comedian and actor

Kristina Wong is an American comedian known primarily for her work as a solo theater performer, performance artist, and actor. She identifies as a feminist and her work often tackles themes regarding race, sex, and privilege, often in conjunction with the Asian-American experience, through a satirical lens.

Miss Chinese International Pageant 1999 was held on February 14, 1999 in Hong Kong. The pageant was organized and broadcast by TVB in Hong Kong. Miss Chinese International 1998 Louisa Luk of San Francisco, USA crowned her Michelle Ye of New York City, USA as the 11th Miss Chinese International. The victory marked the first back to back winners for the United States.

Miss Chinese International Pageant 1998 was held on January 25, 1998 in Hong Kong. The pageant was broadcast live through TVB and was streamed for the first time in Malaysia. Miss Chinese International 1997 Monica Lo of Toronto, Ontario, Canada crowned Louisa Luk of San Francisco, USA as the new winner. Luk is the first winner from the United States and San Francisco's only winner, as of 2010.

Miss Los Angeles Chinatown has been a 54 year old time honored tradition and one of the most anticipated events in Los Angeles. Every year the contest crowns a select group of accomplished young women from the greater Los Angeles area of California as cultural ambassadors to the community. Every year the black tie gala garners an attendance of more than 500, including numerous notable public and business leaders. For the 2020 competition, in line with the changing times and modernizing what the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles (CCCLA) stands for, CCCLA is reinventing the contest. In addition to adding a Mr. Chinatown competition, Miss Chinatown will be a contest to showcase the next generation of leaders in the Chinese American community, role models who embody principles of equality, integrity, and vision. The reigning court's duty will ultimately be to serve the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal Lee</span> American computer scientist

Crystal Lee is a co-founder of the Silicon Valley startup LifeSite. Lee was the first runner-up in the Miss America 2014 pageant, Miss California 2013, Miss Chinatown USA 2010 and Miss California's Outstanding Teen 2008. She is currently the in-arena host for the Golden State Warriors.

As of 2012, 21.4% of the population in San Francisco was of Chinese descent, and there were at least 150,000 Chinese American residents. The Chinese are the largest Asian American subgroup in San Francisco. San Francisco has the highest percentage of residents of Chinese descent of any major U.S. city, and the second largest Chinese American population, after New York City. The San Francisco Area is 7.9% Chinese American, with many residents in Oakland and Santa Clara County. San Francisco's Chinese community has ancestry mainly from Guangdong province, China and Hong Kong, although there is a sizable population of ethnic Chinese with ancestry from other parts of mainland China and Taiwan as well.

Sexuality, including same-sex sexuality, and other non-normative forms of sexuality have been central to the history of Chinatown, San Francisco. San Francisco's Chinatown, founded in 1848, is the first and largest in the United States. San Francisco was shaped by early Chinese immigrants, who came from the Guangdong province of southern China. These immigrants gathered in the Bay Area in order to join in the California Gold Rush and to build railroads in the American west. San Francisco's Chinatown made room for these early Chinese immigrants to live, and the area turned into a "bachelor society", where female prostitution was pervasive because of the Chinese Exclusion Act. As a racialized immigration region, Chinatown was viewed as an immoral place with the characteristics of "vice", "sluttery" and "sexual deviance" for a long time. These traits were incompatible with the mainstream culture and dominant norms of American society. From the mid-19th century, the state problematized Chinese female prostitution with the subject of sexual transmission, and the government began to go against industrial prostitution in Chinatown, as well as Chinese immigration. As the sex industry grew throughout the Bay Area, the government had to stop the anti-prostitution and anti-immigration law in the beginning of the 20th century. Just like the Castro district and other areas, Chinatown developed its own sexual industries and provided a variety of sexual entertainment to both immigrants and white visitors.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Yeh, Chiou-Ling (2008). "Three: Constructing A 'Model Minority' Identity | The Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Beauty Pageant". Making an American Festival: Chinese New Year in San Francisco's Chinatown . Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 56–74. ISBN   978-0-520-25350-6 . Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  2. "America's First Miss Chinatown Finally Gets Her Jeweled Crown". The San Francisco Standard. 2023-04-17. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  3. Lam, Joseph (15 July 2020). "Heels, lipstick and a painted crown: Miss Chinatown 1948 and other beauty queens on pageant's early years and being Chinese in the US" . South China Morning Post. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Otani, Janice; Gilgan, Amy (2007). "Finding Aid to the Kem K. Lee Photographs and Other Materials, 1927-1986" (PDF). The Ethnic Studies Library, University of California, Berkeley. The Regents of the University of California. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chao, Eveline (April 7, 2021). "Launched during the Cold War, Chinatown's pageants were about much more than beauty". CNN Style. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  6. "Miss Chinatown: Origins". ChineseParade.com. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  7. Crump, William D. (2008). "San Francisco Chinese New Year". Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 215216. ISBN   978-0-7864-3393-3.
  8. "Chinese New Year Festival Souvenir Program". Ming Sing Printing & Lithographing. 1954.
  9. Tom, Lawrence; Tom, Brian; Chinese American Museum of Northern California (2013). Locke and the Sacramento Delta Chinatowns. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Press. p. 113. ISBN   978-0-7385-9670-9 . Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  10. "Chinese Begin Celebration of the New Year". Santa Cruz Sentinel. AP. January 24, 1955. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  11. "Chinatown Queen". Shin Nichibei. February 11, 1956. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  12. "Chinese Word for It". Shin Nichibei. January 12, 1957. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  13. "Ruby Kwong is Chinatown Queen". Santa Cruz Sentinel. AP. January 28, 1957. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  14. "SF Chinatown Welcomes 'Year of the Rooster'". Santa Cruz Sentinel. AP. January 30, 1957. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  15. "Miss Chinatown". Shin Nichibei. January 30, 1957. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Cypress Falls senior named Miss Chinatown USA". Houston Chronicle. February 25, 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  17. Crump, William D. (25 April 2014). "San Francisco Chinese New Year". Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 215–216. ISBN   978-0-7864-3393-3.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wu, Judy Tzu-Chun (Fall 1997). "'Loveliest Daughter of our Ancient Cathay!': Representations of Ethnic and Gender Identity in the Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Beauty Pageant". Journal of Social History. 31 (1): 5–31. doi:10.1353/jsh/31.1.5. JSTOR   3789855.
  19. 1 2 "Dozen Chinese Beauties Seek Queen Title". San Bernardino Sun. AP. February 5, 1958. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  20. "Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Pageant • Chinese New Year Festival & Parade". chineseparade.com. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  21. Yeh, Chiou-ling (2002). "18 | Contesting Identities: Youth Rebellion in San Francisco's Chinese New Year Festivals, 1953–1969". In Cassel, Susie Lan (ed.). The Chinese in America: A History from Gold Mountain to the New Millennium. Walnut Creek, California: AltaMira Press. pp. 329–350. ISBN   0-7591-0001-2.
  22. 1 2 Beck, Fanni (2018). "Miss Chinatown USA". Central European University Nationalism Studies Program: 45 via CDU eDT collection.
  23. Wong, Kristina (2021). "Fannie Wong, Former Miss Chinatown 2nd Runner Up". Kristina Wong. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  24. Ip, Florence (April 9, 2004). "Kristina Wong: Not Your Ordinary Funny Woman". UCLA International Institute. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  25. Leong, Kathy Chin; Evans, Dick (October 2020). "Miss Chinatown". San Francisco's Chinatown. Heyday. ISBN   978-1-59714-520-6 . Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  26. "2022 Miss Chinatown USA Pageant Application" (PDF). Chinese New Year Festival and Parade. July 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  27. 1 2 "Miss Chinatown USA comes to Seattle's Lee Association". Northwest Asian Weekly. August 5, 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  28. "President Chen Meets with Miss Chinatown USA 2006" (Press release). Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan). August 24, 2006. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  29. Walsh, Austin (February 27, 2016). "Miss Chinatown comes home for Lunar New Year: Pageant winner to be honored during annual Millbrae celebration". San Mateo Daily Journal. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  30. Jordan, Douglas R. (2016). "Miss Chinatown USA Pageant". In Lee, Jonathan H.X. (ed.). Chinese Americans: The history and culture of a people. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, LLC. p. 407. ISBN   978-1-61069-550-3 . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  31. Ng, Assunta (January 8, 2009). "Miss Chinatown triees to break into Hong Kong". Northwest Asian Weekly. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  32. Richards, Sam (February 25, 2010). "Lafayette's Kristina Owyoung 'First Princess' at 2010 Miss Chinatown USA pageant". Oakland Tribune. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016.
  33. "Sandra Young Named '83 Miss Chinatown USA". East West: The Chinese-American Journal. Vol. 17, no. 8. San Francisco, California. February 23, 1983. p. 1.
  34. Knight, Heather (June 8, 2021). "Historic S.F. theater, where Bruce Lee used to watch opera, reopens this weekend in Chinatown". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  35. Chong, Raymond (January 26, 2020). "Memories of first Miss Oakland Chinatown Pageant". AsAm News. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  36. "SOUTHWEST AIRLINES® CHINESE NEW YEAR FESTIVAL AND PARADE IS CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF THE PIG (Lunar Year 4717), IN SAN FRANCISCO, FROM FEBRUARY 2 THRU MARCH 3, 2019" (PDF) (Press release). San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce. 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  37. "Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Pageant". Northwest Asian Weekly. February 20, 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  38. 1 2 "2022 Thunder Valley Casino Resort Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Pageant & Coronation Ball" (PDF). San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce. 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  39. Spotswood, Beth (February 15, 2012). "Crashing The Miss Chinatown Coronation Ball". Culture Blog. San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012.
  40. "SOUTHWEST AIRLINES® CHINESE NEW YEAR FESTIVAL AND PARADE IS CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF THE RAT (Lunar Year 4718), IN SAN FRANCISCO, FROM JANUARY 18 THRU MARCH 1, 2020" (PDF) (Press release). San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce. January 15, 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.

Sources