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Yunte Huang

Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History Hardcover – Deckle Edge, August 30, 2010

by Yunte Huang (Author)

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Winner of the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Critical/Biographical Book and Shortlisted for the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography: "An ingenious and absorbing book…It will permanently change the way we tell this troubled yet gripping story." ―Jonathan Spence

On a balmy July night in 1904, a wiry figure sauntered alone through the dim alleys of Honolulu’s Chinatown. He strolled up a set of rickety steps and into a smoky gambling den ringing with jeers of card sharks and crapshooters. By the time anyone recognized the infamous bullwhip dangling from his hand, it was too late. Single-handedly, the feared, five-foot-tall Hawaiian cop, Chang Apana, had lined up forty gamblers and marched them down to the police station.

So begins Charlie Chan, Yunte Huang’s absorbing history of the legendary Cantonese detective, born in Hawaii around 1871, who inspired a series of fiction and movie doubles that long defined America’s distorted perceptions of Asians and Asian Americans. In chronicling the real-life story and the fraught narrative of one of Hollywood’s most iconic detectives, Huang has fashioned a historical drama where none was known to exist, creating a work that will, in the words of Jonathan Spence, “permanently change the way we tell this troubled yet gripping story.”

Himself a literary sleuth, Huang has traced Charlie Chan’s evolution from island legend to pop culture icon to vilified, postmodern symbol, ingeniously juxtaposing Apana’s rough-and-tumble career against the larger backdrop of a territorial Hawaii torn apart by virulent racism. Apana’s bravado prompted not only Earl Derr Biggers, a Harvard graduate turned author, to write six Charlie Chan mysteries but also Hollywood to manufacture over forty movies starring a grammatically challenged detective with a knack for turning Oriental wisdom into singsong Chinatown blues.

Examining hundreds of biographical, literary, and cinematic sources, in English and in his native Chinese, Huang has pursued the trail of Charlie Chan since the mid-1990s, searching for clues in places as improbable as Harvard Yard, an Ohio cornfield, a weathered Hawaiian cemetery, and the Shanghai Bund. His efforts to refashion the Charlie Chan legend became a personal mission, as if the answers he sought would reshape his own identity―no longer a top Chinese student but an immigrant American eager to absorb the bewildering history of his adopted homeland.

“With rare personal intensity and capacious intelligence,” Huang has ascribed a starring role to “the honorable detective,” one far more enduring than any of his wisecracking movie parts. Huang presents American history in a way that it has never been told before. 35 black-and-white photographs and illustrations

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date

August 30, 2010
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
ISBN-10

0393069621
ISBN-13

978-0393069624
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Editorial Reviews

From Bookmarks Magazine

Described as a "heady mixture of scholarship, essay and memoir" (Washington Post), Charlie Chan energetically deconstructs the social and cultural milieu of the fictional detective as it examines the people and events that contributed to his popularity. Huang interweaves a vast number of historical and cultural topics in this sprawling work, including the class system of prestatehood Hawaii, the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, the "Yellow Peril," American literature, and Hollywood. Critics praised Huang's extensive research, careful analysis, and his willingness to use his own experiences as a Chinese immigrant to examine racism, exploitation, and assimilation--a deeply personal but surprisingly cheerful journey into his past. As provocative as it is engaging, Charlie Chan will captivate fans of all genres.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* The Charlie Chan we know from the movies (played by Swedish actor Warner Oland) had two strands to his DNA: E. D. Biggers’ immensely popular Charlie Chan novels and the actual man on whom Biggers based his tales. The model for Biggers’ canny Honolulu detective was Chang Apana, who rose from Hawaiian paniolo (cowboy) in the 1890s to Humane Society officer to Honolulu cop and detective in the early twentieth century. Chang’s beat concentrated on the notorious gambling dens, scenes and seeds of drugs and violence in the labyrinth of Honolulu’s Chinatown. Huang, who was born in China and is a professor of English at the University of California, brings a wealth of perspective on the treatment of Chinese, both historically and in fiction, to this work. Readers will learn a great deal about how the Chinese fared as plantation workers in Hawaii, about Hawaiian history, about Chang, about Biggers, and about the meaning of the Chan oeuvre, both books and movies. Huang also works in his own story of immigrating to the U.S., which is both stirring and illuminating. This is a beautifully written analysis of racism and an appreciation of Charlie Chan and Chang Apana, made credible by Huang’s background. As Huang says, As a man from China, a Chinese man come to America, I say: ‘Chan is dead! Long live Charlie Chan!’ --Connie Fletcher

Review

Inthis original, deeply personal account, Huang illuminates every conceivable aspect ofChan and his place in American culture.... vibrant narrative.... Multilayered, provocative and highly accessible.

The most interesting story may be Huang 's own. He comes to see Chan as 'both the racist heritage and the creative genius' of his adopted nation 's culture.

A virtuoso of curiosity.... Huang digs up fascinating research on everything from the demographics of capital punishment in Honolulu to the origins of The Manchurian Candidate.... a work of exhaustively researched popular history that reads like a dime-store romance. --Pico Iyer"

Starred Review. This is a beautifully written analysis of racism and an appreciation of Charlie Chan and Chang Apana, made credible by Huang's background. "

Excellent and very sympathetic...You don't need to be a fan of Charlie's to enjoy Huang's narrative, maybe because he's told so many stories here, all of them intriguing...All this the lives of Biggers and Apana, Charlie s career in novels, movies, TV shows, cartoons, and comic books is told in the context of an America in the throes of nativism. Asian-Americans then were held in the same suspicion and contempt directed today at Arabs and Latinos, a fact that gives this story a lamentable but inescapable currency. --Sarah Ball"

It's a story so engaging on so many levels that, as with any good detective book, you won't want to put it down. --Elinor Lange"

In this original, deeply personal account, Huang illuminates every conceivable aspect of Chan and his place in American culture.... vibrant narrative.... Multilayered, provocative and highly accessible. "

[A] fascinating examination of Charlie Chan that is many books in one.... Huang's personal reflections are welcome interludes in this most compelling work. "

[A] fascinating cultural survey full of engaging tangents.... one of Huang's greatest accomplishments is his vivid narration of the history of Chinese immigration to the United States.... In the style of say, Louis Menand, Huang is that rare literary scholar with the light touch of a popular historian.... Huang's book is perfectly timed for the era of YouTube and Netflix and so hopefully will reintroduce what was created, with all its wisdom and imperfection. "

Huang presents an absorbing study of art taking on a life of its own. "

From the Back Cover

Praise for Charlie Chan

“An ingenious and absorbing book that provides a convincing new mode for examining the Chinese experience through both Chinese and Western eyes. It will permanently change the way we tell this troubled yet gripping story.” ―Jonathan Spence, author of The Search for Modern China and Return to Dragon Mountain

“Huang’s deft and witty recounting of how Hollywood transformed a real-life detective from Hawaii into one of the most recognizable―and problematic―racial icons in movie history tells us much that we need to know about America’s engagement with race and identity in the twentieth century. Race was clearly more than black and white, a thing to keep in mind as we move through our increasingly multicultural century.” ―Annette Gordon-Reed, author of The Hemingses of Monticello

“Provocative and unique, Charlie Chan expands the yellowface debate with mischievous humor and a compelling sense of irony. In bringing the actual Honolulu detective, Chang Apana, and his distorted Hollywood reflections to vivid life, Yunte Huang opens up important historical perspectives that have gone previously unexamined.” ―Jessica Hagedorn, author of Dogeaters and editor of Charlie Chan Is Dead

“A significant work of American history written in a stimulating and masterful way. Most impressive is Yunte Huang’s ability to create a nuanced cultural and racial history out of the fictional Charlie Chan.” ―Peter Kwong, author of The New Chinatown

“Yunte Huang’s gripping Charlie Chan is an exploration of the celebrated Chinese detective of popular fiction and film. Himself a brilliant sleuth, Huang follows a trail of clues that leads to Honolulu and the deeply impressive career of Chang Apana, the Chinese-born detective on whom the character was based. From here the story fans out to encompass a great swath of the social and literary cultures of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the tangled experience of Asian immigration to the United States, and the tormented history of American race relations. Huang writes with rare personal intensity and capacious intelligence.” ―Stephen Greenblatt, author of Will in the World

About the Author

Yunte Huang is a Guggenheim Fellow and a professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of Transpacific Imaginations and Charlie Chan, which won the 2011 Edgar Award and was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography. Having come of age in China as a student in the time of Tiananmen, Huang now lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (August 30, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393069621
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393069624
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.48 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #478,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #70 in Nursing Long-Term Care
- #109 in Pacific Islanders Biographies
- #152 in Mystery & Detective Literary Criticism

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Yunte Huang

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YUNTE HUANG is a Guggenheim Fellow and a Professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of "Inseparable," "Transpacific Imaginations," "CRIBS," and "Charlie Chan," which won an Edgar Award and was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. He is also the editor of "The Big Red Book of Modern Chinese Literature." Born in China, Huang now lives in Santa Barbara, California.

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4 star		24%
3 star		5%
2 star		4%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Getting to Know the Man behind the Charlie Chan Stories and Movies

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2021

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Like many who grew up in the 1950's and 1960's, I enjoyed the adventures of the fictional detective known as Charlie Chan. I did not know, however, that there really was a policeman whose adventures in law enforcement in Honolulu at the beginning of the twentieth century served as inspiration for great fictional detective. His name was Chang Apana (1871-1933). He stood only five feet tall, but at times carried a bull whip with him as he patrolled Honolulu's Chinatown.

The story of how Chang Apana became the inspiration for author Earl Derr Biggers' fictional character, Charlie Chan, is the subject of Yunte Huang's CHARLIE CHAN: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE HONORABLE DETECTIVE AND HIS RENDEZVOUS WITH AMERICAN HISTORY (New York: W. H. Norton & Company, 2010). Yunte Huang is a distinguished scholar and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of a number of books praised for their scholarship and readability.

Professor Huang used both archival materials and extensive reading in secondary sources to tell the story of both Chang Apana and Earl Derr Biggers, creator of Charlie Chan. He documents how Biggers’ creation one the most popular icons American popular culture through novels, and even more through movies. The book includes an extensive bibliography, which, together with the chapter notes and index, makes the book both enjoyable to read as well and a good source for one interested in a serious study of American popular culture during the first half of the twenty-first century.

Readers who have seen many of the Charlie Chan movies will no doubt enjoy “A List of Charlie Chanisms” in Appendix I. There are 56 of these gems including:
“Every maybe has a wife called Maybe-Not.”
“The fool questions others, the wise man questions himself.”
“Learn from hen—never boast about egg until after egg’s birthday.”
“Trouble, like first love, teach many lessons.”
Appendix II contains a list of 47 Charlie Chan films produced between 1926 and 1949. Charlie Chan was played by 5 different actors over the years: George Kuwa (1926), Kamiyama Sojin (1927), E. L. Park (1929), Warner Oland (1931-1937), Sidney Toler (1938-1946) and Roland Winters (1947-2949).

In conclusion, I agree with Jonathan Spence’s (author of The Search for Modern China and Return to Dragon Mountain) assessment of Huang’s Charlie Chan: “An ingenious and absorbing book that provides a convincing new mode for examining the Chinese experience through Chinese and Western eyes. It will permanently change the way we tell this troubled gripping story.”

One person found this helpful

Helpful

none

One of the best books I've ever read!

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2016

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Absolutely great read! Enjoyed the history and all the research the author did to put this magnificent book together. Didn't want it to end. This is one book that will never be sent to the used book store. A lot more history than I ever knew or imagined but what a ride. Was never aware of all the negative aspects of no-Chinese playing Chinese and the racist sentiment that evolved from these films. I always just enjoyed them for what they were a good mystery. Never delved into the social impact and the analysis of stereotypes of the actors and the parts they played. I had a multi-cultural childhood and never associated the stereotypes portrayed with real people. I always knew it was just a movie but I laughed and enjoyed the efforts of all the actors to entertain me and I appreciated all their efforts. I never dissected the characters deeper meanings and all and I still don't. Movies are entertainment and I enjoy them as such, similar to reading books. Great effort on the author's part!

4 people found this helpful

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Andrew Maile

A great relaxing read.......

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2016

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A very pleasant read, a great way to relax one's mind....The author makes you appreciate how the lives of Biggers, Chang (the real life Honolulu cop), and Warner Oland (the reel life Honolulu cop) all intertwined in the early 1930's. Plus, he skillfully allows the actual events of life and politics at that time to be an excellent backdrop for consideration as the reader takes in all the fun of the stories. The history of Hawaii, and it's transformation into an American territory, and eventual state, are also showcased.
Plus, there are some great tidbits for the movie buff in all of us.......Jon Hall's real name, Rita Hayworth's first movie moment, just to name a few.

2 people found this helpful

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Steve Hurl

A well-written study of Chinese and American cultural interaction

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2014

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Charlie Chan: The Untold Story provides a comprehensive look at the world that spawned the great detective character Charlie Chan. The somewhat discursive nature of the work was no drawback for me, as I enjoyed the frequent thumbnail historical sketches. These greatly added to my understanding of Asian-American cultural development. I had only fragmentary knowledge of the history of Chinese and other Asiatic peoples within the context of American history, and this book helped me solidify that knowledge and to make connections between actual history and cinematic history.

This book is not really a critique of the films or the novels, although they are dealt with frequently in these pages. It's more of a social history, and in many places, it's fascinating. The life of Chang Apana, the historic Honolulu detective who inspired the original Charlie Chan novels and films, runs as an important thread throughout the book. The life of author Earl Der Biggers, the history of Hawaii, and early Hollywood are also chronicled, but always within the larger cultural/historical context.

Fans of the Chan movies or novels will gain appreciation, or at least a good understanding, of the world which gave us these movies and novels. Modern eyes and ears often see offensive racial stereotypes embedded in the Chan works, they are there to be sure, and author Yunte Huang does not apologize for them at all (in fact, he reviews some of the cultural criticism directed at the Charlie Chan icon), but there is much more than meets the eye, and Charlie Chan: The Untold Story supplies the greater, deeper context that can lead to a fuller, more balanced understanding of 20th century American society.

5 people found this helpful

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Nora M Qudus

A good history book that is also enjoyable to read

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2018

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Everyone who ever loved Charlie Chan and everyone who knows some of the history of the Chinese in the US should read this book. I enjoyed it and it filled in some gaps in my knowledge of history. If you like Charlie Chan, if you like knowing the truth about history then this book is for you.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Penny Farthing

Detecting at its best

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2014

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It wasn't what I expected as I thought it would be solely about the actor who was famous for playing Charlie Chan. I was more than halfway through before the author got round to that.
However, it gave the full history of the Charlie Chan character - the author who wrote the stories; the detective on whom the character was based; the filming of the books plus the different actors who played him, several of whom only did the one film.
All in all a very good book, packed with information and a book I shall be returning to many times, I should think.

N. Griffiths

Prompt seller

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2018

Verified Purchase

A fascinating read and shows a new perspective on the character which has been overlooked.
The seller dispatched the item promptly and the product was in better condition than I expected for a former library book.

Mark

A great read in so many ways

Reviewed in Canada on August 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

This is a great story, masterfully told, about the pop culture phenom that was Charlie Chan. But more importantly, it gives indelible insight into Hollywood's not always "honorable" portrayl of the Asian man. A fascinating tale on many levels.

Dr. DNA

fluent but...

Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2017

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If only the author had kept himself out of it, I might've finished reading his eloquent study of Biggers and his cultural misfit, Inspector Charlie Chan.

Ernest Rovet

Who knew

Reviewed in Canada on February 20, 2014

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I learned of this book while reading Leportes essays on American history. I had no idea this fascinating scholarship existed. Thank you Jill and Amazon.

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