Miss Chinatown USA: History of San Francisco's World-renowned Pageant

The Miss Chinatown USA pageant is an age-old tradition that began in 1925. Its popularity skyrocketed after World War II, which coincided with a growing general interest from the American public towards Asian culture. At first, it acted as a hook for tourists and boosted the economy of San Francisco's Chinatown. Every year, hundreds of thousands of spectators line the streets during the Chinese New Year parade. One of the highlights of this parade is the Miss Chinatown float that features the contestants in traditional Chinese dresses, a style that originated from the Ching dynasty in the 1600's. The winner of this pageant has to have the perfect mix of beauty, intelligence, and talent. There are six judges for the different segments of this pageant: catwalk, talent, speech, question and answer. The audience is filled with a mixture of races and ages, confirming that this pageant has always and forever will be a bridge between the young and the old, and between the Chinese community and the rest of the world.

The first person I spot is Richard, a peer who I normally see at night clubs. I can hardly fathom why someone my age would devote a whole night of volunteering; until the performance begins. The contestants display a myriad of talents from piano playing to kung fu. When asked what attracted him to this event, he replied, "The people that I meet are truly amazing. It makes me proud that I live in a city that draws such talented people from all over the United States."
Contestants in the pageant stay for a week in San Francisco's Chinatown while preparing for the big night, a unique experience for those who are out of state. For contestants like June Gong, San Francisco Chinatown represented their first contact with a large population of Chinese Americans. Ghet Tran, Miss San Francisco Chinatown 1996, stated, "the pageants break the stereotype of Asian women being shy and demure, showcasing the wide variety of qualities such as intelligence, strength, ambition and charisma needed to win." No one breaks that stereotype more than Grace Maa, Miss Chinatown USA 1996. She served two terms as class president at Princeton University in 1999 and now works as a public speaker on health care issues throughout the United States. Her performance during the pageant, a dance that she choreographed, was graceful and expressive. It was modern dance mixed with ballet. The featured talents of this past decade's pageant are a far cry from its raffle selling roots, once the main determinant of who was crowned.
Looking through four decades of pageantry not only reveals differences in hairstyles and dress but also the types of questions asked of the contestants. Here is one of the questions asked of a contestant in 1972: "If you dressed informally to a formal party, what would you do." The next contestant was faced with a similar inquiry: "If you found your hem falling during a public appearance, what would you do." These questions may lead the audience to assume that the extent of these women's knowledge lay in topics pertaining to their appearance. To the pageant's credit, the contestants were also asked what their goals were. The answers that women provided tended to correlate with gender roles of their day. For example, Irene Ung expressed an interest in international marketing but was quick to follow up with "Someday I'll want to get married and have children."

Contestants also addressed criticisms from feminists. One contestant mentioned enjoying having her cigarette lit and having doors opened for her. Pageant supporters as well as contestants during the 1960's seemed to see feminism as a radical way of life rather than a movement for equality. For pageant supporters during the late 1960's, feminism and the pageant were worlds apart. H.K. Wong, the first to suggest the Miss Chinatown pageant, also had ideas of what qualities the queen should possess: "She must have respect for first the father, then brother, then husband." If women were in the public sphere, they had to be presented as having close family ties and their motivations had to lie in supporting the community. The 1927 pageant queen, Ella Dong, wowed the crowd by her dedication to teaching, hoping to one day teach in China. Both the 1925 and 1927 pageant served as fundraisers for institutions central to the well being of the community: the local hospital and church.

In the face of brooding waters during the Red Scare, festival organizers clung to antirevolutionary values and distanced themselves from Communist China. One publication for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce read, "The Confucian doctrine of the dignity of man makes [the Chinese] a pacifist race…For this reason, 'revolution' has no appeal to the Chinese mind." A second route was to identify with Taiwan, otherwise known as the Republic of China (ROC). David Lei organized a display of artifacts from the Han period which he purchased from Taiwan. ROC officials were always invited to the festivities and the wife of the consul even judged the pageant a few times.

However, revolution was just what protesters had in mind when the Holiday Inn Hotel sponsored a contestant in the late 1960's to promote their grand opening in Chinatown. A group of activists rallied for better housing. The Chinese population in 1970 was almost 60,000, thanks to the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments. Yet Chinatown itself was being dwarfed by the growing financial district. On August 4, 1977, police officers had to evict 55 tenants from the International Hotel amidst protesters who opposed the conversion of this hotel into an office building. Activists were concerned that the city officials as well as the Chinese Chamber of Commerce were too busy looking for profit rather than caring for the welfare of the community. As much as merchants promoted the image of Miss Chinatown, activists scorned her and called for a more accurate portrayal of Chinese American women, one that did not ignore daily hardships. Interestingly enough, they turned to working women in the People's Republic of China for inspiration. Liberal newspapers regularly featured stories on women in China and America who actively sought change, whether it be through protest or taking new responsibilities. Critics of the pageant rejected pacifism, as promoted by festival organizers in their ties to Confucianism. They wanted to bring attention to the garment workers who worked long hours for low wages and the overcrowded tenement buildings that had only one restroom per four units.

The call for community betterment did not fall upon deaf ears. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce allowed the 1969 street fair to be run by community organizations instead of merchants. Pageant queens called attention to community centers that needed funding. This rise in social awareness and changing gender roles could be seen in the topics chosen by contestants in the 1970's. Arleen Chow chose to speak about balancing a career with motherhood. Patricia Moy's platform was sexual liberation, a speech delivered while wearing a revealing halter top. It is no surprise that a bathing suit segment was added to the pageant during this time.

Rose Chung, winner of the 1981 Miss Chinatown pageant, credits her victory as the first step in launching her many achievements such as serving as the president of the San Francisco General Hospital Chinese Employee Association and being a member of the Republican Central Committee. She has witnessed the evolution of this pageant, as she became involved in organizing this event in the following years. She commented that contestants in recent years have been "more confident, are interested in being newscasters or entertainers, so they participate in events such as this to gain exposure and confidence and develop their public speaking." This reflects a more individualistic approach to pageantry, one that focuses more on personal achievement rather than community solidarity.

In fact, part of the appeal of the Miss Chinatown pageant nowadays is the spoils of commercialization. Sharon Kwok, the 1988 First Princess, became a model for Vitasoy, a popular brand of beverages sold in Chinese supermarkets. The same year, she placed second runner up at the Miss Chinese International pageant. Then followed a decade of acting in films in Hong Kong. She now hosts events such as the Asian Legal Business Awards and Bentley automobile promotions.

Following in her footsteps, Louisa Luk, Miss San Francisco Chinatown in 1997, received diamond and pearl jewelry from various Chinatown jewelers as part of the prize. She went on to take the Miss Chinese International title the following year, where she was immediately offered a two year contract with Hong Kong Television Broadcast, one of the largest television networks for entertainment and news. She opted instead for a one year contract with Asia Television.

The popularity of the Miss Chinatown pageant has inspired similar programs to be launched. Advertisements from realtors, banks, bakeries, and other businesses composed 80% of the Miss Asian America pageant booklet for 2005, as opposed to 50% in 1982. The Miss Asian America pageant welcomes contestants of Asian origin, not only those of Chinese ancestry. Mr. Asian America was created by the Bay Area Chinese Students Alumni Association in the hopes of breaking "the stereotypes of Asian men as nerds and without talent" Corporations in various countries such as Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines have followed suit, seeing a lucrative venue for advertising.

Winners of this pageant are given roundtrip tickets to Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Hotels, transportation, and tours are also included. Both Miss Chinatown and Miss Chamber of Commerce represent the United States when attending functions abroad. Closing statements of pageant queens always highlight the trip as a once in a lifetime learning experience where lasting bonds were made. These trips clearly foster a sense of heritage and connection with the larger Chinese community, one that reciprocates in the form of greater social awareness. Pageant organizers put together the task of consolidating the national Chinese community through an ingenious combination of a celebration of beauty and culture. As Grace Maa puts it, despite Miss Chinatown being unable to represent all Chinese American women, this pageant draws "attention to the Chinese community and their needs." The ideal Miss Chinatown is very different from the one that H. K. Wong envisioned, yet this pageant still serves its original purpose of unifying the community.