Jadin Wong
黄美玉

17 May 2019
Jadin Wong at Leon & Eddi's NY in 1941, Courtesy of Wally Wong, In memory of Jadin Wong, Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Collection
1941年黄美玉(Jadin Wong)在纽约Leon & Eddi's夜总会,Wally Wong捐赠,纪念Jadin Wong,美国华人博物馆(MOCA)馆藏

A number of top-notch Asian American performers would start their careers at Forbidden City, including the inimitable Jadin Wong. She was born in 1913 and began dancing at age five and ran away from home at 17 to pursue her dream. She began headlining as a dancer at the Forbidden City in 1938. Her brassy wit, showgirl glam, and sensational dancing would make her a national sensation, landing her a feature in Life magazine and inspire the role of Madame Liang in Flower Drum Song.

Jadin performed for the troops during World War II; even jumping out of a plane going down in German territory and sneaking through the Black Forest to make her evening performance with Bob Hope for one performance. At the China Doll nightclub in New York City she was the first female Asian American performer in New York. She would eventually transition to comedy and Asian talent management. An unstoppable firecracker of a personality, Jadin Wong not only defied stereotypes to pave the way for Asian entertainers but actively dedicated the rest of her career to supporting emerging Asian talent until her passing in March 2010 at the age of 96.


许多顶尖的亚裔美国演员都是在“紫禁城夜总会”开启他们的职业生涯的,包括独一无二的黄美玉(Jadin Wong)。她出生于1913年,5岁开始跳舞,17岁离开家去追求自己的梦想。1938年,她开始以舞蹈演员的身份成为“紫禁城”的门面。她大胆的智慧,女性的魅力,和精妙的舞技使得她成为了轰动全国的人物,登上了《生活》杂志的特写版面,并启发了音乐电影《花鼓戏》中Madame Liang这一角色。

Jadin在二战期间为军队表演,甚至从一架飞机上跳下来,进入德国境内,并偷偷穿过黑森林,和鲍勃·霍普一起为军队进行了一场夜场演出。在纽约的中国娃娃夜总会,她成为了第一位在纽约演出的亚裔美国女性。最后,她转型到了喜剧和亚裔演员经纪管理领域。作为一个个性十足、势不可挡的响当当的人物,黄美玉(Jadin Wong)不仅打破陈规,为亚洲艺人表演铺平了道路,而且她一直积极投身于支持亚洲新兴人才的事业,直到她在2010年3月以96岁高龄与世长辞。

Countdown to the TCS NYC Marathon on November 3, 2019: 216 Days.

2019年是美国第一条横贯大陆铁路建成150周年,为了纪念第一批华人来美建设这条铁路所做出的巨大贡献, MOCA将其2019 TCS NYC Marathon的活动命名为 MOCA Spike 150 – Running Forward With Our Stories! 鼓励大家通过马拉松公益跑,全国线上接力,以及一天一个故事的方式讲述150个华人的历史故事,敬请大家持续关注, 讲出华人自己的故事,回顾过去,立足现在,展望未来,共同书写美国历史,使之更加充实完整。

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