A Letter from Robert G. Lee to the Estate of A.H. Sarsfield Ward (Sax Rohmer)

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with deep ire and regret that I write.

It is my hope that this brief missive is regarded and accepted as a plaintive grievance against Mr. Ward’s crippling literary legacy to Asian-Americans and our great nation at large. Mr. Ward’s characterization of Dr. Fu Manchu is one of the most egregiously offensive racial depictions in our nation’s short history. His attempts to dismissively cast Dr. Fu Manchu as some sort of super-villain that just happens to be of Asian descent is insulting and short-sighted, as Fu Manchu was firmly embedded in the racial animosity and hatred memorialized by the bigoted paradigm of Yellow Peril. Historical context and antiquated attitudes neither absolve nor amend Mr. Ward’s horrific deeds.

I hope that you are horrified by the impermeable legacy of fear and loathing that Mr. Ward’s works have substantiated and fueled. Nearly a century after the publishing of the first Fu Manchu tale, Asian Americans continue to grapple with the same insidious stereotypes that Mr. Ward suggested, detailed and underscored. Fu Manchu was no mere fictional criminal – he singularly embodied the evil threat of Yellow Peril, substantiated unfounded fears, catalyzed the lowest common seeds of nationalism, propelled inaccurate and misguided notions of Asian masculinity, and mischaracterized an entire race and several nationalities.

In light of this sordid 100 year anniversary, I urge you to issue an immediate and resonant denouncement of these writings and the characterizations they portray. Further, pledge a substantive commitment of any and all financial proceeds from these works to organizations that labor stridently to ameliorate the injustices borne by Asian-Americans.

Robert G. Lee
Associate Professor, Brown University

Questions:

Have the characterizations of Asian-Americans evolved much since the early literary and film depictions of Fu Manchu?

Which historical institutions, practices and laws contribute to the persistent ‘otherness’ of Asian-Americans?