Course:ASIA321/2022/Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh

Introduction

Some may wonder, "who is Michelle Yeoh?" You may know her as the female kung fu actress or heard of her from the film Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Golden Rings (2021). Michelle Yeoh is an influential female Malaysian actress who has starred in many action films and represented different Chinese characters in American movies, taking on roles of strong and independent women. After reading about Michelle Yeoh, you will realize she is not your average actress, as she is a very prestigious individual who has been resilient to whatever comes across her path in her career. She has brought fourth a new perspective of an asian women and transnational celebrity.

Biography

Michelle Yeoh is a Malaysian actress, model, and producer. She started her career in beauty pageants and later won the title Miss Malaysia in 1983 and would continue on to compete in Miss World 1983 to represent Malaysia. This would jump start her career in the film industry in Hong Kong specializing in martial arts films with her first lead role in Yes, Madam! (1985). She took a brief break from acting between 1987 to 1992 after getting married and returned to the big screen after her divorce with her first husband, Dickson Poon. Her first comeback film from retirement was a lead role alongside Jackie Chan in Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992). The film success gave her a name in Hong Kong cinema. She transitioned into the Hollywood scene with the film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) in the James Bond series. Later, she was recruited by Ang Lee to star in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001), which became an international success and won the academy awards for Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film. The film also earned Michelle several nominations for her performance for Best Actress. Her role in this film a lasting legacy for Asian representation in the entertainment industry. Her continuous film success led to her starring in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), playing Aung San Suu Kyi in biographical film The Lady (2011), guesting in Star Trek: Discovery (2018), acting as Eleanor Young, the powerful matriarch in the international box office hit Crazy Rich Asians (2018), and starring as Ying Nan in Marvel Cinematic Universe's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) to name a few.

Starring in over a dozen action films, Michelle Yeoh has become one of the most recognizable Asian actors in the world and is among the highest paid actresses in Asia. She is praised by her colleagues for her professionalism and work ethics. Her Shang-Chi co-star Simi Liu said, “I’d heard she likes wine, so I got her a bottle, and went up to her, and said, ‘Hello, Michelle. It is such an honour to work with you.' Then she literally just wrapped me up in a big hug and said ‘We’re going to have such a great time together!' That’s Michelle in a nutshell – she makes everyone so loved and included. She is such a wonderful spirit to be on set with – friendly, kind, goofy... she radiates amazing positive energy and lights up every single room that she is in.” With decades of experience in diverse roles under her belt, Michelle Yeoh has paved the wave for Asian representation and redefining roles for Asian women in film.

Life roles

From dancer to fighter

A ballerina since the age of 4, Yeoh’s original passion was in ballet, contemporary and jazz dance. She attended the Royal Academy of Dance in London, England to major in ballet, which is characterized by its fluidity and graceful control of movement. Not only does the artistic sport itself demand poise, but the image of a ballerina is also associated with ideas of feminine grace and romantic beauty. Even after a spinal injury and receiving medical advice to refrain from continuing her prima ballerina dreams, Yeoh still pursued her passion for creative movement and shifted her focus to dance choreography.

After watching action scenes being staged in The Owl vs Dumbo (1984), Yeoh was intrigued by the similarities she found between dance and fight choreography. Using her background in dance and the flexibility, rhythm and kinaesthetic awareness she cultivated, she was able to transition from dancer to fighter and pursue a new avenue in the field of acting.

Michelle Yeoh winning Miss Malaysia 1983

Beauty Queen: Miss Malaysia, Miss Moomba and Queen of the Pacific

In 1983, Yeoh won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant title. She went on to represent Malaysia at Miss World 1983 and attend more pageants in Australia as well, where she won the crown for Queen of the Pacific and Miss Moomba.

Yeoh’s feats as a beauty pageant queen in 1983 and her history as a ballet dancer largely shapes her celebrity image as beautiful, graceful and elegant. Though Yeoh’s stunts skills are arguably her best asset, her “beauty queen” image definitely helped attract casting offers and add to her roles. Whether it is Eleanor in Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) or Ying Nan in Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings (2021), the characters all have an air of grace and elegance to them that can be attributed to Yeoh herself. Her title and popularity as Miss Malaysia was also what provided her the opportunity to work with Jackie Chan in 1984, which essentially kick-started her acting career.

To break out of the poised image of the beauty pageant champion which she never truly desired in the first place since it was her mother who signed her up for it without her permission, Yeoh used her past dance training as a springboard to dive into the world of stunts. Her self-confessed tomboy personality began to clash with her "beauty queen" image, and this conflict contributed to her shift into films with more action roles and stunt opportunities.

Screen roles

Michelle Yeoh has starred in at least 53 films, 6 television series, 2 documentaries and voiced in 2 video games that were spin offs of the films Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008). She appears in English, Mandarin and Cantonese films, but starring in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) notably contributed to her international recognition. She mainly takes on the roles as an actress, although has been executive producer and producer of some tv series. She was announced to be the producer for the television series Billion Dollar Whale in 2018.

Her first ever movie she featured in was The Owl vs. Dumbo (1984). She did not have a major role in the film, but watching the male characters fight in the film sparked Yeoh’s interest in taking part in the action. Her athletic ability and martial arts prowess seen in films is not because of her knowledge of martial arts, but is instead attributed to her past dance training and sports experience. She has never actually taken martial arts before and took intensive training to prepare for her films. Her first role in an action film was playing the role as a Judo instructor in Jackie Chan’s film Twinkle Twinkle (1985). This was the start of her career as an actress in action films.

Stunt work: Risking her life

Yeoh has also engaged in a lot of stunt work aside from the fights in action films. Many of these stunts were dangerous to the point she could have been killed or severely injured. In the 1992 film Supercop with Jackie Chan, she was nearly killed in one of the stunts that required her to jump off the top of a moving truck to a convertible driven by Chan, both vehicles speeding down a highway.

In the first take, she failed to stay on the convertible, sliding off the hood onto the street. This was because the window was supposed to break, allowing for more space on the front. In the outtakes of Supercop, you can see that the windshield did not break and Chan was holding on to her before she slipped off. Luckily, she was not injured but unfortunately, a cast member who tried to help her had slid off the car as well and suffered a head injury. Despite this, she was willing to do the stunt again and she succeeded in her second attempt. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she talks about the nature of stunt filming in Asia. "In Asia at that time, we don't really do rehearsals, we don't have weeks of preparation. We learn the stunt and we do it."

She also performed many other dangerous stunts in the film including riding a motorbike onto a moving train and hanging off the side of a speeding truck. Her response to her action in the film was, “what was I thinking? I was swinging at the side of trucks. I was riding a motorcycle onto a moving train. I was doing the most insane stunts." She has suffered from injuries from some of her film stunts to the point where after suffering a spinal injury, she had to be casted to play in a role where she wouldn’t be involved in a lot of action. In recent years, she is still stars in action films but isn’t involved in as many dangerous stunts as before.

On playing characters similar to herself

A lot of the characters that Michelle Yeoh has been casted as can be described as wise, elegant and usually held a status of power. These characters were fierce, independent females who may closely relate back to Yeoh’s personal stature. In Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), she played as voicetress of the soothsayer, a wise and conserved individual who guided the main character on their quest. In the film Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), she played Ying Nan, a wise and sympathetic character. In some cases, the roles she played also impacted her personal life because she developed an emotional connection with them. For example, Eleanore Sung-Young in Crazy Rich Asians (2018). The film's focus felt familiar to her due to the rigorous social expectations, traditions and crazy wealth she experienced during her marriage to Dickson Poon. In an interview with You Magazine for the film, she recalls a memory of when she was invited to a casual dinner, only to find that everyone was dressed ready for a party. Even her own wedding she remembers as being extravagant.  

Film

Year	Title	Role
1984	The Owl vs Bombo	Miss Yeung
1985	Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars	Judo instructor
	Yes, Madam!	Inspector Ng
1986	Royal Warriors	Inspector Michelle Yip
1987	Magnificent Warriors	Fok Ming-Ming
	Easy Money	Michelle Yeung Ling (Ning)
1992	Police Story 3: Super Cop	Inspector "Jessica" Yang Chien-Hua
1993	The Heroic Trio	Ching / Invisible Woman / Number 3
	Butterfly and Sword	Lady Ko
	Executioners	Ching / San / Carol
	Holy Weapon	Ching Sze / To Col Ching
	SuperCop 2	Inspector "Jessica" Yang Chien-Hua
	Tai Chi Master	Siu Lin / Qiu Xue ("Autumn Snow")
1994	Shaolin Popey 2 – Messy Temple	Ah King
	Wonder Seven	Fong Ying
	Wing Chun	Yim Wing-Chan
1996	The Stunt Woman	Ah Kam
1997	The Soong Sisters	Soon Ai-ling, aka Madam Kung
	Tomorrow Never Dies	Wai Lan
1999	Moonlight Express	Sis Michelle
2000	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	Yu Shu Lien
2002	The Touch	Pak Yin Fay
2004	Silver Hawk	Lulu Wong / The Silver Hawk
2005	Memoirs of Geisha	Mameha
2006	Fearless	Ms. Yang
2007	Sunshine	Corazon
	Far North	Saiva
2008	The Children of Huang Shi	Mrs. Wang
	Babylon A.D.	Sister Rebeka
	The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor	Zi Yuan
2010	True Legend	Sister Yu
	Reign of Assassins	Zeng Jing / Xi Yu (Drizzle)
2011	Kung Fu Panda 2	Soothsayer
	The Lady	Aung San Suu Kyi
2013	Final Recipe	Julia Lee
2016	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny	Yu Shu Lien
	Mechanic: Resurrection	Mei
	Morgan	Dr. Lui Cheng
2017	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2	Aleta Ogord
2018	Crazy Rich Asians	Eleanor Young
	Master z: The Ip Man Legacy	Tso Ngan Kwan
2019	Last Christmas	Santa / Huang Qing Shin
2021	Boss Level	Dai Feng
	Gunpowder Milkshake	Florence
	Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings	Ying Nan
2022	Everything Everywhere All at Once	Evelyn Wang
	Minions: The Rise of Gru	Master Chow
	Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank	Yuki
	Avatar 2	Dr. Karina Mogue
	The School for Good and Evil	Professor Emma Anemone
2024	Avatar 3	Dr. Karina Mogue
TBA	Nezha	Yin Rong

Television

Year	Title	Role
2015	Streike Back: Legacy	Mei Foster / Lieutenant Colonel Han Li Na
2016	Marco Polo	Lotus
2017–2020	Star Trek: Discovery	Captain Philippa Georgiou/Emperor Philippa Georgiou (mirror)
2018	Star Trek: Short Treks	Lieutenant Philippa Georgiou
2022	Ark: The Animated Series	Mei-Yin Li
TBA	American Born Chinese	Guanyin
TBA	The Witcher: Blood Origin	Scían

Documentary

Year	Title	Role
2008	Purple Mountain	actor
2012	Pad Yatra: A Green Odyssey	executive producer

Video games

Year	Title	Role
2003	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	Yu Shu Lien (voice)
2008	The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor	Zi Yuan (voice)

Substantive analysis of the celebrity's profession

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Yu Shu Lien prepared to fight inCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Everett Collection)

In 2000, Michelle Yeoh starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as Yu Shu Lien, a well respected and honourable martial arts warrior. In the film, Shu Lien is portrayed as dutiful and fulfils obligations of her role. Shu Lien and Li Mu Bai have deep feelings for each other but they do not engage in their feelings due to her loyalty to Shu Lien's dead fiancée who had been killed prior to the film storyline. Shu Lien holds strongly to her morals and is oppressed by her gender roles as she doesn't allow herself to be with Li Mu Bai due her loyalty to her decease fiancée. One of the five basic human relationship in Confucianism is the relationship between the husband and wife. Widow chastity was an ideal in Confucian practice that encourage women to be extremely loyal to their deceased husband and remain as widows for the rest of their lives. Women who practiced this was regarded as extremely honorable to both the husband's family and their entire clan.

This characteristics of Shu Lien contradicts Michelle Yeoh's personal life. She was previously married to Dickson Poon and retired from acting at his request. After a decade together they got divorced as Yeoh decided that she "couldn't be running around all over the world jumping off buildings if I was going to give my marriage 100%." She started dating Jean Todt and later gets engaged in 2005 but has not remarried since. She made the decision to end her marriage in order to continuing pursuing her career which defies the husband and wife relationship and social obligations of women in Confucian practice. She redefines the expectations of marriage for Asian women.

Crazy Rich Asians

Eleanor and Nick Young having a mother-son moment. SANJA BUCKO / WARNER BROS. (2017)

In 2018, Michelle Yeoh plays Eleanor Young. She is a strong, intelligent and beautiful woman who holds the Young family together. Coming from a commoner background, Eleanor struggled to gain the acceptance of Nick's grandmother when she first became a part of the family. Eleanor has made sacrifices and it extremely dedicated to maintaining her strong family status and image. She is not fond of Rachel (played by Constance Wu) who she deems as worthy enough for her son or family as Eleanor thinks she does not reflect or understand the same values of family and sacrifice. Eleanor reflects important themes of Chinese culture which is the importance of family, a parent's sacrifices for their children, maintaining culture and traditions and how matriarchs are the core of the family. Eleanor represents the Asian mother's ultimate sacrifice that puts her family first above everything else, she is a strong and grounded character who balances the family and without her the family would not be as successful as they are.

Michelle's real persona is completely different from her character, as mentioned in previous analysis her first marriage failed because Yeoh stated could not commit to her marriage the way her first husband wanted to. Eleanor's values family over everything, her character has made endless sacrifices to help family succeed while Michelle could not make that sacrifice in her first marriage. However, there are many similarities that overlap. Both Michelle and Eleanor had to work their way to the top and make sacrifices in different aspects. Eleanor's put in years and years of effort to finally be accepted into the Young family especially to Nick's grandmother who did not approve of her because of her former commoner status. While Michelle sacrifice her first marriage to continue her film career. Michelle has worked extremely hard in the film industry to find roles that portray strong women while being a representation for Asian faces in film. In an interview, Michelle gives her perspective on representation about the film: "I think all minorities are not happy to be whitewashed, or not happy that their stories are not told in a meaningful way. So that's why it's important." Another similar is the presentation of Eleanor, she is a force to be reckon with, not a pushover, extremely smart and elegant. Eleanor speaks in a very poise manner, she never yells or gets angry and she has very composed strength. These characteristics of Eleanor also reflects and almost synonymous with Yeoh's transnational profile. Yeoh has an image of being benevolence, strong, and hardworking and this is shown through her acting work and her public image. Yeoh's image is acknowledge as intelligent, elegant, articulate, and a beauty with brains.

Contributions to the professional field (cinema, film culture, and beyond)

Honours and influence in Malaysia and France

Michelle Yeoh’s success has earned her a multitude of honours both in Malaysia and France. In 2013, she received the Tan Sri title along with her Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (P.S.M). Honours of Malaysia are awarded to those whose actions or deeds have benefitted their community or the country. Yeoh’s career has inspired youth, positively impacted Malaysia’s reputation and subsequently highlighted Malaysia on the global stage.

Additionally, Yeoh was first admitted in the French National Order of the Legion of Honour as the entry Knight rank in 2007. She has since been promoted to the Commander rank in 2017, which is the mid-tier rank. Yeoh is also the first Malaysian actress to receive the title of Officier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, which signifies her contribution to the arts and culture scene in France.

A Transnational Icon: Breaking barriers and pushing boundaries in Hollywood

Eleanor strutting powerfully in Crazy Rich Asians.(SANJA BUCKO / WARNER BROS, 2017)

On a higher plane, Michelle Yeoh’s acting in her action works has established her name as one of the most successful Asian actresses on the international stage and in the Hollywood scene. Her tenacious efforts and successful filmography has eroded many barriers in the Western film industry and introduced more acceptance for actors of the Asian diaspora to be represented on the big screen. From her first on-screen fight as a cameo in Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985) to her work as the first ethnic Chinese Bond girl in Tomorrow Never Dies, she has used her natural athletic prowess to her advantage, paving a path for herself and proving her abilities in both acting and fighting as an Asian woman. Yeoh’s efforts in “pushing this East-West envelope” throughout her film career has inspired audiences and actors alike, giving hope and opening up opportunities to those of similar ethnic background.

Though it is Yeoh’s action works that propelled her to new heights, it was her continued efforts to challenge a diverse range of roles and her natural elegant grace that cemented her name on the international stage as a cinematic icon. For Chinese people, international achievements are not necessarily a feat that is continuously lauded in the mainland as the pinnacle of success because it is equally if not more important to be patriotic and make cinematic contributions in your home country too. International fame is more so a boost in morale and a form of global recognition that validates how Chinese talents are not inferior to that of the West. Since Yeoh had a solid filmography in Hong Kong cinema, her increased recognition meant positively boosting the reputation of Chinese national cinema as well as promoting Chinese culture and values. In an interview with GQ, Yeoh talks about her role as Eleanor in Crazy Rich Asians and how she took care to subvert the stereotype of the Chinese tiger mom villainess.

“I have to defend our cultural ideas and thoughts to the best of my ability, and I wouldn't be able to go home if I just played a villain tiger mom.” Yeoh’s intention here earns respect and praise from Chinese people for defending the honour of Chinese culture. With the expanding influence of Chinese culture and the watershed moment of Asian representation of Crazy Rich Asians, Yeoh’s career and tenacity is a testament that Asian actors can also have a seat at the table and not be relegated to the role of the token Chinese or Asian character. Her iconicity has pushed the boundaries of cinema in opening up opportunities for ethnically diverse actors in the global community.

Key societal, economic, political, moral, and historical forces that influenced the celebrity’s career

With the increase in opportunities for global collaborations in films, Michelle Yeoh was able to crossover from Hong Kong cinema into Hollywood along with other Chinese transnational stars like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Gong Li and Chow Yun-fat. Going international, Yeoh took on roles that did not reduce Asian identity into the stereotypical views perceived by the West. In her interview with the World Economic Forum in 2016, she describes the first roles offered when being in America was for being a girl in China town or asian prostitutes. Yeoh's experiences with racial and discriminatory behaviour in Hollywood films and industry also made her realize that this perception that old Hollywood films had of Asian people should not to continue. As a person of Asian descent, she wanted to help represent Asia in films so there would be a different perspective from the Russians and Americans in films at the time. From Yeoh’s observation, there are more American films seen within America compared to the more diverse films seen in Asia. She mentioned her experience of the American’s being unsure if the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) would not do well if they didn’t include a dubbed film. Surprisingly, they found that the audience didn’t care about the dub and found the original more entertaining. They enjoyed seeing the emotion that was brought out in the original with the actors and the language. Yeoh's participation as an Asian actress also helped build the reputation of Asian actors in Hollywood films, and as time passed, America’s connection with China grew politically and economically. Throughout history, women were always compared to men as being the weaker sex. Yeoh took this stereotype on by working hard to prove her male counterparts wrong. She showed people her bravery in her stunt work, her resilience despite injuries, and depicted that women are strong. This is why she purposely chose the characters that would help her present to the audience that there is more to this female Asian character on screen.

Reception of the celebrity

The fandom of Michelle Yeoh haven’t changed their views of her since her rise to stardom. She still stands strong in her roles and is still recognized for her acting skills and martial art performances in films. Despite her injuries, she still takes on roles in action but isn’t involved in as many stunts as before. Since her appearance in Bond’s film she was recognized by the West, but her more recent appearance in Hollywood films helped raise her popularity.

In Western societies she may be perceived as the typical strong willed asian woman, but Chinese societies see her as otherwise. In many of her films she plays as a very strong independent individual, and many of her roles are made to be more westernized. She may be seen as one of the few asian women in film who broke the barrier in asian cinema, and when compared to other asian characters in Hollywood films she defies being the stereotypical asian female. This includes playings the strict yet caring mother or feisty martial arts female compared to the sexualized or soft personality Asian women. Therefore she may be seen as a role model for asian individuals living outside of Asia because she can be seen as someone they can relate to on screen, and a role model for some young girls. She may also be looked up to because of her beauty and elegant appearance.

People may also relate Michelle's own persona to the characters she plays. Michelle takes on a more masculine look in the films, compared to other female actors who may take on the more feminine look in action films. Many of the characters she plays has more masculine, classic or intense features. This sort of embodiment has also led to some discrepancy with how her audience perceives her when she is on screen. One would expect these characteristics coming from her characters knowing that she is the actor, yet when she plays as a more feminine character it comes as a shock. Her costumes are usually baggy or loose compared to being tight fit, and her characters are more independent and do not rely on the other characters to gain their achievements. Despite the strong and empowering characters that she plays, they are often seen as flat and static. For most of the characters she played in her early careers the characters aren't given much background, only being presented as a character that appears strong. The characters that she later plays have more depth and are more dynamic and play larger ties to the main character. This is be compared to the characters she played in the asian action films being any asian martial arts female, whereas in her more recent films (western), her characters are more dynamic and appreciated to larger audiences. This ties in with her ability to speak English to appeal to western audiences.

She also plays characters that are romantically unattached, parallel to Michelle's own personal life where she is currently not married but has a partner. Michelle may also be judged by some due to her inability to have children despite her many attempts with IVF. She has accepted and decided to not have children even though she adores them. Some may also be bothered by the fact she isn’t yet married to the man she is currently engaged to, Jean Todt, since 2005. People judge her on the media about her relationship her stepson Nicolas, saying how cute they are together.

There was also speculation on her production of the film version of Billion Dollar Whale. The book is about the 1MDB scandal regarding the former prime minister Jho Low. There were many mixed feelings about this in the media, debates on how this film would be shaming the government or be spilling information that they would not the Western society to see. The film was announced in 2018 but there has been no mention of the production since.

Critical literature review

Fighting for a Hong Kong/Chinese Female Identity: Michelle Yeoh, Body Performance and Globalized Action Cinema

This article argues how Michelle Yeoh represents Chinese female identity in western cinema, why her strength and skills in her martial art performances and masculine persona allows her to create an image of a strong un-sexualized female character. The paper argues how Michelle’s rise to stardom contributed to drawing an audience to Hong Kong cinema, as she can be viewed as a transitional mediation between the west and east. They do into detail how Michelle’s roles in film often go against the stereotypical representation of female asian women, often sexualized and feminized. Michelle takes on the look of being as equally as strong as men, demonstrating this through her physical skills and her more appearance in the films. Her ability to speak English also appeals to the West, although may not be taken very kindly by Chinese audiences because of her accent.

To support their argument, the article compares Michelle to other pan-asian celebrities, along with her performances in some of the films she was in (Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). They also emphasize her success playing in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), as she was the first bond girl to get a solo action sequence. This was breakthrough for female characters in Bond films who would normally play the typical in mistress in distress or feminine lover. Michelle also stands out among other martial art actors because of her physical skill, being just as good as the male martial arts actors despite the aid of wires to help in the action sequences. They also go into depth of how she represents the “face of hong kong”, where the women are not just pretty but are independent, and should not be sexualized for pursuing their goals. In comparison to the films she played in asian films, she takes on a more motherly figure in western films. She is often seen caring and defending for other characters while offering them advise. The article also mentions how Michelle may be used as a representative for those of asian descent to recognize their identity and ethnicity, while still taking on Western ideology.

The article is important for our study because it showcases how Michelle may be perceived by western and easter audiences, along with how and why she is a successful female actress in action films. It also supports how she is a resilient individual who does decides what she wants to appear as in her characters, but at the same time shows us that Michelle is not often seen playing the roles of feminine characters.

Reading Ambiguity and Ambivalence: The Asymmetric Structure of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

This article talks about the performance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and how the actors in the film had to put in effort into their parts. There were mixed feelings about the film itself because many of the actors were not professionals with some of the actions in scenes, including how Michelle wasn't not a real martial artist. Despite this, the actors in the film were resilient, including Michelle who stood out with her skill. There was also criticism about the actors' pronunciation, as not many of them had local accents to the parts they played, including Michelle who had a more Malaysian English accent than Mandarin. Because of her skills she was placed in the more enterinian parts of the films, action sequences. Even though she was not professional in martial arts and there was the use of wires in the filming, the film still managed to be a success because of how the film was designed. Normally action films are fast paced, but as one critique mentioned in the paper, the film was lower paced and felt more engaging. To support their argument the authors of the paper included quotes from actors and actresses in the film and critique reviews, along with parts of the script that stood out towards the characters. This article is important for our biography because we see that there are individuals who recognize her skills despite the use of wires to aid her, along with the hard work she put into filming on set.

The Warrior Women of Transnational Cinema: Gender and Race in Hollywood and Hong Kong Action Movies

This article talks about how Hong Kong cinema shifted after the signing of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that reflected the unique and distinct local popular culture that was emerging at the time that strayed away from Confucian morals. During the mid-1980s, "gunplay genre" was a rising sub-genre within action films, set in modern Hong Kong exploring the themes of brotherhoods with choreographed gun battles between cops and gang members. This was a very male dominated genre but a cycle of female actresses would soon take over the genre. The first gunplay film with women was Yes, Madam (1985) starring Michelle Yeoh. Michelle's casting was based on the industry need to create an internationalize and diversify martial arts in film during a time when the racial assumption was that it was only a Chinese based form of combat. Michelle training in dance allowed her to "pick up martial arts choreography and perform it gracefully, quickly mastering an impressive array of skills and demonstrating her proficiency with traditional Chinese weapons like the staff, rope dart, and sword." This allowed her to stand out and be on par and even surpass some of the dominating male actors in the genre. After her performance in Police Story 3 (1992) with Jackie Chan, this launched Michelle Yeoh's career in the martial arts genre into superstardom as she was praise for her skills being comparable with Jackie Chan. Her image became as what Leon Hunt refers to as "high impact/high risk aesthetic" of corporeal authenticity which measures martial arts performance in relationship to "stuntwork and physical risk as much as fighting ability" She was able to show her authenticity and dedication as an action star through her stunt work.

Another aspect of this article focuses on the lack of feminine traits and female hero identity. Yeoh's characters wore costume in gender-neutral clothes and natural looking make up that did not emphasized her body or physical beauty. Her characters often took on masculine traits which is influenced by traditions of Cantonese opera where women would often portray male characters. The action genre lacked exploration into the female identity and they were more closely associated with male heroic traits. This would allow Yeoh to claim spaces in the action genre that was usually dominated by men. Yeoh's also used this image in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) as a new Bond Girl but she carries over her masculinized image as she is not portrayed as a sex symbol. Bond girls are historically presented as erotic and for the white male gaze. Her image in the film helped present a new image of Asian femininity which is based on physical abilities rather than sexuality. Yeoh's career has shown that she doesn't allow herself to be sexualized or stereotyped and her values on being recognized for her skills and performance is very evident in praises in her earlier work.

Mediating Action and Speech: Michelle Yeoh's Star Discourse

Michelle Yeoh ability to act in multiple languages has made her a transnational star. This article reflects on how Yeoh's linguistics abilities was able to help her crossover between the Chinese and English film industry which makes her stand out among other Chinese stars that enter the transnational space. Michelle is a Malaysian-born Chinese who learned English and Malay growing up. Her training as a ballerina in London developed her British-accented English. While her film career in Hong Kong and China allowed her to pick up Cantonese and Mandarin. Her experience and background has allowed her to developed a unique persona within the Chinese-Anglophone network. For her role in The Lady (2011), she played Aung San Suu Kyi, "a democracy fighter in Burma's political scene." She spent over 200 hours studying Suu Kyi's speeches and learning Burmese under a dialect coach. Her convincing performance showcases her hard work that goes into her linguistic abilities: "Unlike the Mandarin language, which highlights the mastery of the distinct sounds, the Burmese language, as Yeoh perceives, depends on the flow of articulation to eventually determine the emotional value of the speech. Language learning is "sheer hard work" that demands from her "discipline" and diligence," as much as acrobatic stunts do." Yeoh is closely associated with the term hard work as she was able to transitioned her dancing skills into perfecting martial arts choreography. The effort she makes to put a more convincing performance in the speech scene of the film attributes to her successful of her career overall. Her efforts makes her more flexible and valuable in the entertainment than of her peers within the same space. The next film this article analyzes is Crazy Rich Asians (2018) where she plays Eleanor Young. While the film itself was a box-office success and a major Hollywood film of an all Asian cast after The Joy Luck Club (1993) there was a lot of criticism in the lack of Singaporean-sounding characters. Many of the characters, including Yeoh's character had British-accented English which "alludes to an upper-class status while showing no hints of grounding the narrative firmly in a distinctive locality." Her role as the strong matriarch who had to make sacrifices for her family to succeed is a representational cliché of Asian female characters. Her character's attributes of being intelligent, elegant, classy etc; also reflect Yeoh's real life public persona.

Outside of acting, Yeoh transitions her linguistics abilities to actively participates in global humanitarianism. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme that advocates for responsible consumption and production while also speaking on other significant issues that affect the planet and people. Her Asian identity has also allowed her to cross the boundary of otherness which allows her to "oscillating and mediating between the West and Asia." This allows her to become a voice for the Chinese and Asian community in Hollywood: "Yeoh embodies her celebrity agency by reiterating the Asian experience and intensifying the Asian ties in her stardom." (40) She portrays intelligence and eloquent when she speaks which is evident in her both her acting work, public appearances and humanitarian work. Her linguistics abilities makes her flexible and stand out within the entertainment space which has allowed her to become a transnational star.

Michelle Yeoh: Under Eastern Eyes

In his article, Williams argues that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is highly problematic for its shallowness. He contends that Ang Lee’s film is designed to address the Western audience and introduce them to the diversity of the wu xia pian martial arts genre not limited to Bruce Lee films. However, the result is a cinematic product that does not effectively explore the dynamic conventions within the genre.

Williams goes through Yeoh’s filmography to summarize the plots, analyze the dominant themes, introduce her characters, and highlight the nuances of how each role she has played is affected by her personality. He demonstrates how the characters are embedded with fragments of Yeoh’s star persona and personal beliefs about femininity. Yeoh’s refusal to adhere to the “normal Jackie Chan girl” trope demonstrates her sensitivity to social codes and her intention to stand her ground. explores how Yeoh’s understanding of femininity for its complexity and the social constraints for women informs her performance, adding depth to her characters and shaping the overall films to give them their poignancy. Moreover, he evidences Yeoh’s “self-assured prowess… as a professional independent woman” with quotes pulled from interviews and news articles.

Williams' work lends to the critical biography of Michelle Yeoh in that it corroborates upon her “recognizable classical beauty image” and expands on Yeoh’s personal perspective of her relationship between the Eastern and Western markets. Through detailing the anglicized evolution of her name, the similarities between her roles and her personal life, and focusing on Western reception of Chinese culture and femininity, William’s reading on Yeoh’s performances as “fictional variants of contemporary tensions facing Eastern females” broadens the feminine focus of the biography.

Star Construction in the Era of Media Convergence

Dorothy Wai Sim Lau studies how new technology enables the dissemination of material and heightens global participation in discourse and star-making. Specifically, she focuses on the emerging role of amateurs and their cultural production on video-sharing platforms such as Youtube and draws connections between amateur creative efforts and the reconfiguration of Chinese icons in the global media-scape.

Lau studies Youtube’s amateur-friendly operation structure and its affordance for professional-turned amateur creatives to exercise their creative freedom and be exploited for their created content. She executed her studies through conducting a survey on Youtube by searching keywords and running analytics, examining content such as interviews and fan-made videos of Yen and combed through user commentary and online chat exchanges. In addition, she integrates media studies, Asian American studies and East Asian cinema studies to contextualize debates concerning Chinese stardom. In this way, she points out ways in which media convergence and an increasingly participatory digital landscape supports a co-creative star-making culture, presenting how fans and grassroots can shape star persona and impact the real lives of Chinese celebrities.

In her chapter, Lau speaks to the growing visibility of Chinese stars and the way in which they “engineer their screen identities stemmed from the martial arts cinema.” She identifies the “pan-Chinese” and “pan-Asian” network that consists of Hong Kong film talents co-opted by Hollywood. By describing the marketing of a stylized and exoticized construction of Chineseness to overseas audiences, Lau presents how the Chinese icons and their wuxia image were capitalized upon as a visual spectacle and emphasizes the existence of complex layers within the liminal genre of transnational cinema.

This new transnational film culture invites Chinese stars like Yeoh to shuffle between various film industries. This shuffling introduces the delicate balancing act of maintaining loyalty and achieving honour for the East while gaining respect and recognition from the West. Yeoh’s biography must be informed by the media and fandom’s role in maintaining her celebrity image all the while being critically evaluated against the background context of transnational cinema.

Critical debates

Gender

From the reviews on Michelle Yeoh, we can see that many of the authors can agree that her skills and strong-willed persona drove her rise to stardom. She played more ‘masculine’ Asian female characters who were self-sufficient, strong martial artists. Her later roles were further developed and given more depth and dimension. Yeoh’s choice to be presented as a more masculine female shows her boldness and stance on expressing her gender beliefs. She never saw it necessary to appeal to the male gaze to gain the audience's attention, as she believes it would be better if she matches the male energy in the film. A strong yet elegant woman is someone they should respect, placing more power towards the character and building the character's own persona— this persona being similar to Michelle Yeoh herself.

This ideal may be compared to that of the actor Zhang Ruifang who played Li ShuangShuang in Li Shuangshuang (1962), where both women see that genders should be equal, and the importance of hardwork. Zhang Ruifang embodied her character and during her time at the beginnings of communism, her character was exceptionally unique. Yet we still see that she carries the feminine side of being a housewife. Yeoh believes that her characters should be seen as equal to men, and she would strive to make her performances just as powerful and entertaining as those of the male Hong Kong martial artists. Female martial artists were common during the time of her early career, but Michelle Yeoh stood out because of her determination to succeed in her role and her natural beauty and elegance. She mentions in a meeting with Word Economic Forum in 2016 about her experiences being a female in a male dominant film industry, “They won’t take you seriously because you are a girl... These guys had to understand that you are just as tough as them and you have to take them on…"

She would often embody characters that were elegant and charming, yet fierce and stern. If she were to play a character that was more feminine, it would be a shock for the audience and may not be taken well. Her presentation as being feminine has shown the West that not all Asian females are dainty and fetishized, but should be given respect for being a woman and the hardships they endure. This is because most Asian women in Western films were only seen in “China towns” and were prostitutes with bad english and heavy Chinese accents. In the more modern Western films, she would be used to present motherly or wise characters who guide the main characters. In an interview in 2016 with TimeOut, she responds to a question asking her about her feelings towards men vs. females in martial arts. “The truth is that male actors have always dominated the martial arts world and old traditional views and values are of woman staying at home to take care of family [persist]. I would say we might need to work harder and try harder to succeed. There’s no sacrifice if you’re doing something you love or are passionate about.”

A balancing act between the East and the West

Being multilingual is a strength that Yeoh uses to her advantage while navigating transnational cinema; she is able to speak English, Cantonese and Malay. However, Yeoh cannot read Chinese and has to rely on pinyin, the phonetic notation system. Yeoh learned her lines for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) phonetically as she speaks very little Mandarin. While Yeoh is still greatly respected, recognized and celebrated, her inability to speak Mandarin is a point of awkwardness for Chinese people. On a Chinese online forum, a netizen inquires about why Chinese people sound so 别扭 (awkward) speaking Chinese while raising Michelle Yeoh in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) as an example.

“杨紫琼那汉语听着要多恶心多恶心！！” (Roughly translates to: "To listen to Michelle Yeoh’s Mandarin, so disgusting, so disgusting!!”)

Notably, the actress also rarely posts on her Weibo blog, and most of her posts are written in English. Yeoh herself recalls how she was not recognized as 'pure Chinese' due to her Malaysian roots during her first time visiting Hong Kong, being discriminated against and called a ‘banana’ for ‘not being Chinese enough.’ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) as a film is also frequently criticized for not being Chinese enough.

This debate of ‘enough Chineseness’ connotes patriotism, knowledge of Chinese culture, and language speaking capabilities. Although Yeoh has consistently verbalized her faithfulness to her roots and remembering to honour where she is from, for the Chinese population, the cost of international fame risks the loss of mainland Chinese recognition as ‘pure.’ Furthermore, this debate is only intensified with the social forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase of Asian hate crime since they stimulate a need for more positive texts about China and consequently, a more ‘pure,’ authentic representation of Chinese culture.

Within the emerging genre of transnational cinema and the increased representation of Asians abroad, the question of this balancing act will always be present because of the inherent tension in liminality. It will never be ‘Chinese enough’ because that in and of itself is impossible— it would just become Chinese. This genre of film and this new diaspora of people who blend multiple cultures should be understood as a new and unique identity.

Conclusion

Michelle Yeoh is an actress that has gained super stardom in both the West and Asia by showcasing incredible physical ability and redefining the roles of Asian women in how they are portrayed in film. Her dedication to her stunt work and learning martial arts that allowed her to stand out among her male colleagues. While her linguistic skills was one of the reason she received criticism for, she was able to overcome it and make it her strength which makes her stand out in the entertainment industry as a transnational celebrity. Her ability to perform in various languages has given her a persona that is able to blend into the Western and Asian entertainment market in both fulfilling her roles as an actress and as a public figure. She is aware of stereotypes that exist for Asian women in film and redefines roles for women in her unwillingness to be sexualized. She carefully chooses roles of strong female characters to give each character she plays more meaningful stories and development that can better tell the story of Asian identity.

This resource was created by Course:ASIA321.