Popular Chinese actress, director Joan Chen’s past as dishwasher in US sparks lively debate online


Joan Chen sparked debate online as past dishwashing jobs in US resurfaced in media. - Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu/Weibo

BEIJING (SCMP): Renowned Chinese-American actress Joan Chen, an Oscar Academy Awards judge whose works have won nine Oscars, has reignited significant online discussions over her early struggles as a dishwasher in the US.

Born in Shanghai in 1961 to a family of medical professionals – her mother a pharmacologist and neurobiologist, and her father a former hospital dean – Chen’s journey into acting was serendipitous.

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