How unfair representation led to the creation of a Chinese film studio in NYC

The past of the 1920s movie studio, the Great Wall Film Company

The past of the 1920s movie studio, the Great Wall Film Company 02:55

In grant of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we're taking a look backmost astatine however unfair practice successful aboriginal Hollywood led to the instauration of 1 of the archetypal Chinese American movie studios successful the country.

Frustrations with "one-dimensional," "demeaning" characters

Sandy Lee tin hint her family's past successful America backmost to the precocious 1860s. By the 1880s, her ancestors moved from San Francisco to settee successful New York City's Chinatown and opened a concern astatine 31 Pell St.

That aforesaid gathering is present an insurance company, inactive owned by her family.

Her grandfather, Harold Lee, became a prosperous businessman astatine the crook of the past century.

"He had a market store. He had a curio shop. He started to alteration people's wealth and it became a overseas exchange," she said.

In the 1920s, Chinese leaders wrote to the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, disappointed by yet different unfair portrayal of their assemblage successful film. 

"The representations of Chinese and Asians successful aboriginal Hollywood were truly similar benignant of one-dimensional and truly demeaning," said Herb Tam, Director of Exhibitions astatine the Museum of Chinese successful America.

In response, the committee told them to marque their ain movies if they wanted to alteration stereotypes. That's erstwhile Harold and his uncle Lee Kee Do founded and financed the Great Wall Film Company successful 1921.

"In the 1920s, they had a tiny colonisation here, but they inactive had the yearning for civilization and movie and art," Lee told Brooklyn newsman Hannah Kliger. 

"'Do-it-yourself' mentality"

The streets of the metropolis tin look astir unrecognizable much than 100 years later, but researchers say I.S. 281 Joseph B. Cavallaro on Cropsey Avenue successful Gravesend present stands connected the tract of the erstwhile studio. Some of its aboriginal films, distributed some successful the U.S. and successful China, were changeable retired of Southern Brooklyn.

"The movie institution the Lee household created is truly reflective of a benignant of 'do-it-yourself' mentality, and an entrepreneurialship wrong Chinese-American communities," Tam said.

The workplace yet moved to Shanghai, producing astir 2 twelve films successful a decade. Few inactive remain, astir were lost. The institution went acheronian with the onset of the Great Depression, but the Lee family's interaction successful the satellite of cinema continued with the instauration of the New York Chinese Film Exchange.

"My gramps besides bought a theatre close connected Park Row... and helium renamed it the Silver Star," Lee said. "It was a truly large deal. On the weekends, you would spell to the Chinese movies."

Movies stay successful the family's blood. A 1940s photograph shows Sandy's uncle Henry Lee perched connected a camera truck, shooting a quality reel. Descendants see movie accumulation designers, media researchers and TV executives, inactive making their people successful the satellite of media.

Have a communicative thought oregon extremity successful Brooklyn? Email Hannah by CLICKING HERE.

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