Frank Chin | |
|---|---|
 Chin in 1975 | |
| Born | (1940-02-25)February 25, 1940 (age 85) Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Education | University of California, Berkeley University of California, Santa Barbara (BA) |
| Notable works | The Year of the Dragon (1974) Aiiieeeee! (1974) Donald Duk (1991) |
| Notable awards | American Book Award (1982, 1989, 2000)[1]1992 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction |
| Spouse | Kathy Change (divorced) |
Frank Chin (born February 25, 1940) is an American author and playwright. He is considered to be one of the pioneers ofAsian-American theatre.
Frank Chin was born inBerkeley, California on February 25, 1940. His grandfather worked on theWestern Pacific Railroad.[2] He remained under the care of a retiredvaudeville couple inPlacerville, California until he was 6.[3] At that time, his mother brought him back to theSan Francisco Bay Area and thereafter Chin grew up inOakland Chinatown.[3][4][5] He attended theUniversity of California, Berkeley, where he contributed to theCalifornia Pelican.[6] He graduated from theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara in 1965.[3] According to Chin, who had returned from a sabbatical working as the first Chinesebrakeman for theSouthern Pacific railroad, he intimidated a dean into graduating him with a bachelor's degree in English: "[I said] 'I want a decision by Friday' and he said, 'Well, I'm a very busy man,' and I said, 'You're a working stiff like me - you have a decision Friday and I don't care what it is. Either I've graduated or I haven't graduated because I have to get back to work.' Friday, I walked by the office and the secretary jumps up and says: 'You've graduated!' I said, 'That's all I want to know'."[7]
Early in his career, Chin worked as a story editor and scriptwriter onSesame Street[8] and as a reporter forKING-TV in Seattle.[7]
Chin is considered to be one of the pioneers ofAsian-American theatre. He co-founded theAsian American Theater Company with Filipino-American playwrightMelvyn Escueta in 1973. His playThe Chickencoop Chinaman was the first by an Asian-American to be produced on a major New York stage.[9] As an author, Chin has won threeAmerican Book Awards: the first in 1982 for his playsThe Chickencoop Chinaman andThe Year of the Dragon, the second in 1989 for a collection of short stories entitledThe Chinaman Pacific and Frisco R.R. Co., and the third in 2000 for lifetime achievement.[1] His full length novel,Confessions of a Number One Son: The Great Chinese American Novel, was written in the early 1970s, but was not published until nearly four decades later (2015) by Calvin McMcmillin, a literary scholar specializing in Asian American literature. The work is a sequel toThe Chickencoop Chinaman and follows the further adventures of Tam Lum, the original work's protagonist.[10]
Stereotypes of Asian Americans and traditional Chinese folklore are common themes in much of his work. Many of his works revolve around criticism of the racism in the United States. Frank Chin has accused other Asian American writers, particularlyMaxine Hong Kingston, of furthering such stereotypes and misrepresenting the traditional stories.[7] Chin also has been highly critical of American writerAmy Tan for her telling of Chinese-American stories, indicating that her body of work has furthered and reinforced stereotypical views of this group.[11] On a radio program, Chin has also debated the scholarYunte Huang regarding the latter's evaluation ofCharlie Chan in his writing.[12] This discussion was later evaluated on the activist blog "Big WOWO."[13]
In addition to his work as an author and playwright, Frank Chin has also worked extensively with Japanese American resisters of the draft in WWII. His novel,Born in the U.S.A., is dedicated to this subject. Chin was one of several writers (Jeffery Paul Chan,Lawson Fusao Inada, andShawn Wong of CARP, Combined Asian American Resources Project) who worked to republishJohn Okada's novelNo-No Boy in the 1970s; Chin contributed an afterword which can be found in every reprinting of the novel. Chin has appeared inJeff Adachi'sThe Slanted Screen, a 2006 documentary film about stereotypical depictions of Asian males in American cinema. Chin was also an instrumental organizer for the firstDay of Remembrance.
Chin is also a musician. In the mid-1960s, he taughtRobbie Krieger, guitarist forThe Doors, how to play theflamenco guitar.[14] After a stroke in 1990, he lost his ability to play the guitar and, temporarily, to laugh.[7]
Chin was married for five years to Kathy Chang in the 1970s. Kathleen Chang (October 10, 1950 – October 22, 1996), was better known by her performance nameKathy Change. She was a Sino-American political activist, writer, and performance artist.
The Year of the Dragon was an adaptation of Chin's play of the same name. StarringGeorge Takei, the film was televised in 1975 as part of thePBSGreat Performances series.
As an actor, Chin, appeared as an extra in the riot scene of themade-for-TV movie adaptation ofFarewell to Manzanar.[18][19] Chin was one of several Asian American writers who appeared in the movie;Shawn Wong andLawson Fusao Inada, who, like Chin were co-editors of the anthologyAiiieeeee!, also acted in the riot scene.
Chin would go on to criticize the movie in the May 1976 issue ofMother Jones.[20]
What's Wrong with Frank Chin is a 2005 biographical documentary, directed by Curtis Choy, about Chin's life.
Frank Chin was interviewed in the documentaryThe Slanted Screen (2006), directed byJeff Adachi, about the representation of Asian and Asian American men in Hollywood.
Chin wrote the script for the 1967 documentaryAnd Still Champion! The Story ofArchie Moore. Chin's script was narrated by actorJack Palance. Some of Chin's experiences would be worked into his first play, in which the protagonist is making a documentary about a boxer.
Chin researched and hostedChinaman's Chance (1972) anEne Riisna directed documentary focusing on the conditions of Chinatown communities in America. Interview subjects includedRoland Winters,Betty Lee Sung, andBen Fee.
Chin also directed a documentary short in 1972,The Last Temple about theTaoist temple inHanford, California, which dates back to 1893, and the effort to preserve and restore it.
Theatre Communications Group produced theLegacy Leaders of Color Video Project, a series highlighting influential figures in the American minority theaters. Set to be released in 2017, one of the episodes focuses on Frank Chin, his time with the Asian American Theater Company, and Chin's influence.[21]
In 2019,It Takes a Lunatic aNetflix distributed documentary aboutWynn Handman was released. Handman had produced Chin's two plays at the American Place Theatre, and Chin was one of the interview subjects.
Be Water, a 2020 episode of theESPN documentary series30 for 30 aboutBruce Lee, featured archival footage of Chin.
Archival footage of Chin being interviewed at the first Day of Remembrance appeared in thePBS documentaryBetrayed: Surviving an American Concentration Camp from 2022.[22]
