Jade Snow Wong
Jade Snow Wong was a prominent Chinese American artist and author, born in 1922 in San Francisco, California, to immigrant parents. Growing up in Chinatown, she navigated the complexities of her dual heritage, attending public schools while also learning Chinese at night. Wong graduated from Mills College with a degree in sociology and economics, where she developed a passion for pottery and enamel work. Her artistic career began in a window studio in Chinatown, gaining recognition when her pieces were included in national exhibitions, and she published her autobiography, "Fifth Chinese Daughter," in 1950.
Wong's work not only showcased her artistic talents but also provided insight into the experiences of Chinese American immigrants, making her writing significant in educational settings. She was married to fellow artist Woodrow Ong, and together they became influential figures in the art community. Wong’s contributions to ceramics and her advocacy for Chinese American art helped pave the way for greater acceptance and recognition of Asian American artists. She continued to influence the art world until her passing in 2006, with her works displayed in various prestigious institutions across the United States.
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Subject Terms
Jade Snow Wong
Artist and writer
- Born: January 21, 1922
- Birthplace: San Francisco, California
- Died: March 16, 2006
- Place of death: San Francisco, California
Jade Snow Wong was an author and a significant Chinese American artist of ceramics and enamel who helped to advance ceramics as an art form. Through her memoirs, sculptures, and personal lifestyle, Wong made significant cultural contributions to the independence of Chinese American women, as well as helping to integrate the Chinese American community into the American community at large.
Areas of achievement: Art, literature
Early Life
Jade Snow Wong was born in 1922 in San Francisco, California, the fifth daughter of Chinese immigrants. Her parents had nine children in total, six girls and three boys. Wong’s family lived in San Francisco’s Chinatown; her parents, who operated a small overalls factory, spoke only Chinese. The building that housed the factory also served as the family’s residence.
Wong grew up in a traditional Chinese home in which unquestioning obedience to parents and older family members was required. During the day, Wong attended public schools, where classes were taught in English; in the evenings, she took classes at Chinese school, where she learned Chinese language and penmanship. In addition to studying, Wong had many duties at home, among them helping to prepare meals, doing household chores, and taking responsibility for younger siblings.
After nine years of study, Wong graduated from Chinese school. While she was completing her American high-school education, she worked as a domestic helper for several different American families in order to earn money to attend college. She found herself in a world that contrasted sharply with her life in Chinatown. Upon graduating from high school and lacking adequate funds to attend the state university, she enrolled at San Francisco Junior College (now City College of San Francisco). In sociology classes, she was introduced to different attitudes about family and the role of parents and children. This brought about a period of conflict between Wong and her parents, as she tried to meld the two opposing cultures that informed her world.
While completing her two years of classes at the junior college, Wong continued to work as a domestic helper in Caucasian households. During the summer that followed her graduation from San Francisco Junior College, she was given the opportunity to attend Mills College. Her experiences at Mills further convinced her that while she did not wish to sever her ties with her family, neither did she wish to accept all of the traditions and mores of her Chinese heritage. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Mills College in 1942 with a major in sociology and economics.
Life’s Work
During her senior year at Mills College, Wong took a course entitled Tools and Materials, in which she was introduced to the making of pottery and enamel and copper pieces. She found herself fascinated and continued her study in a summer class. Afterward, Wong took a secretarial job at the local shipyard, where she discovered that there would be little opportunity for advancement in the business world for a Chinese American woman. She then decided to pursue a career in writing.
While working at the shipyard, Wong published some of her research on problems arising in the war industry, then began work on an autobiography. She also decided to continue working in pottery. Unable to find a studio, she convinced the owner of the China Bazaar near Clay Street in Chinatown to let her set up her potter’s wheel in his window. Although many Chinatown residents disapproved of her project, Wong’s pottery appealed to nonresidents, and her business thrived. In 1947, a red enamel plate that she had made was included in the national show 100 Objects of Fine Design. One of her bowls became part of the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In 1950, Wong published her first book, Fifth ChineseDaughter, in which she recounts her experiences as the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Also in that year, she married Woodrow Ong, another artist living in Chinatown. The two artists worked together and expanded their pottery and enamel business, Ong spinning the copper forms for Wong’s enamel work. Wong and her husband had four children, two sons and two daughters.
Wong was asked to present a show of her work at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1952. The successful exhibition was subsequently shown at several other art institutes and museums. As a result of the success of Fifth Chinese Daughter, which was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection and was translated into several Asian languages, Wong and her husband were sent by the US government on a four-month speaking tour of Asia in 1953. In addition to working as artists, Wong and her husband established a travel agency and conducted many trips to Asia for cultural exchange.
In 1975, Wong published her second book, No Chinese Stranger. The following year she received an honorary doctorate from Mills College. When she and her husband moved their studio from Chinatown to Polk Street on Russian Hill, Wong stopped creating pottery but continued working in enamel and copper. In 2002, she was honored with a showing of her work at the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and Learning Center. Wong died on March 16, 2006, in San Francisco, California. Her work is exhibited at museums and art institutes throughout the United States, including the Smithsonian Institute.
Significance
With the memoirs Fifth Chinese Daughter and No Chinese Stranger, Jade Snow Wong provided an intimate look at the traditions, customs, and lifestyles that define the heritage of Chinese American immigrants and also enabled non-Chinese Americans to better understand the Chinese experience in the United States. Fifth Chinese Daughter in particular has proved to be a popular book in grade-school curriculums. Wong’s work in ceramics and enamel contributed significantly to the increase in recognition of Chinese American artists in the art world, as well as helping to further the acceptance of ceramics as a true art form. Moreover, Wong’s courage and determination in pursuing a career in the arts provided an important demonstration of independence for Chinese American women.
Bibliography
Wong, Jade Snow. Fifth Chinese Daughter. Seattle: U of Washington P, 1989. Print. Details Wong’s childhood in a traditional Chinese home and her search for both independence and her family’s approval.
---. No Chinese Stranger. New York: Harper, 1975. Print. Wong’s second memoir, covering her achievements as a potter and an enamelist, her work with her artist husband, and their family life.
Wong, Jade Snow, et al. Jade Snow Wong: A Retrospective; July 23–December 22, 2002. San Francisco: Chinese Hist. Museum of Amer., 2002. Print. Catalog of the exhibit, including pieces from the 1952 exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago, some pieces from Wong’s storefront studio, and commentary by Wong and other artists.
Yung, Judy. Unbound Feet: A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco. Los Angeles: U of California P, 1995. Print. Drawing from oral histories and interviews, places Wong in a broader context of Chinese American women seeking independence and the conflict with Chinese tradition.