Zing Tsjeng examines a Hollywood stereotype that has seen East and Southeast Asian actresses typecast as cold, crafty and even vicious characters, from Anna May Wong's trailblazing appearances in the 1920s, to Lucy Liu's fierce turns in Charlie's Angels, Ally McBeal and Kill Bill.
But how is a new generation of Asian-American filmmakers, in films such as Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell, subverting the trope of the Dragon Lady?