VOA标准英语--Novel Tells Tale of Asian American Entertainers

 

Novel Tells Tale of Asian American Entertainers

LOS ANGELES — Asian American entertainers are at the center of Lisa See's latest novel, "China Dolls."  It is set in the 1930s and ‘40s, in the network of nightclubs known as the Chop Suey Circuit.  VOA spoke¹ with the author about the real-life performers who inspired the story.

They were well-known names in the Chinatowns of San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles - names like Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie star, and nightclub entertainer Beatrice Fung Oye. Oye appeared in the 1945 film On Stage, Everybody.

Writer Lisa See says in that segregated² era, entertainment venues³ served different ethnic⁴ groups in clubs named for ethnic dishes.

“There was the Borscht Belt for Jewish entertainers and there was the Chitlin' Circuit for African American entertainers, and similarly there was what was called the Chop Suey Circuit for Chinese Americans - actually Asian, all Asian Americans. And what they would do, they would travel from club to club,” says See.

See’s novel "China Dolls" is the story of three female friends who become entertainers.  Although the book is fiction, they are inspired by real-life characters from the Chop Suey Circuit.

Like Oye, Asian American nightclub entertainer Anna Chang also made the transition to Hollywood. She appeared opposite Cary Grant in the 1932 short film Singapore Sue.

Lisa See says other ethnic stars included the dancers Dorothy Toy and Paul Wing.  They were billed the Chinese Fred Astaire and Ginger⁵ Rogers, the most famous dance couple of the day.

“Just incredibly talented, and if they had been white, or if it had been today, things might have been very different for them,” says See.

See says the nightclub era came to an end for Asian Americans and others after World War II.

“They got married, they moved to the suburbs, they got a lawnmower and a washing machine and a television. And it was when television came into people's homes that, right away, nightclubs started to die,” says See.

The rise of global entertainment and opening of Hollywood brought new opportunities, but the early stars of the Chop Suey Circuit paved the way for other Asian American entertainers.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

3 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。