List of Chinese Americans explained
This is a list of notable Chinese Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants who have made exceptional contributions to various facets of American society.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Chinese American or must have references showing they are Chinese American and are notable.
Arts
Dance
Fashion design
Literature
- Bette Bao Lord (包柏漪) – writer, novelist
- Eileen Chang (张爱玲, a.k.a. 张煐) – writer
- Kang-i Sun Chang (孫康宜) – writer and literary scholar
- Lan Samantha Chang – writer; director of the Iowa Writer's Workshop
- Victoria Chang – poet, children's writer, and essayist
- Ted Chiang (姜峯楠) – speculative fiction writer
- Frank Chin (趙健秀) – novelist, playwright, and essayist
- Marilyn Chin (陈美玲) – poet
- Ben Fee (张恨棠/木云) – writer and labor organizer
- David Henry Hwang (黃哲倫) – playwright
- Gish Jen (任璧蓮) – writer, novelist
- Ha Jin (哈金) – novelist, winner of the National Book Award for Waiting
- Maxine Hong Kingston – novelist, The Woman Warrior
- R. F. Kuang (匡灵秀) – fantasy novelist, The Poppy War
- Jean Kwok – writer, novelist
- Edward Michael Law-Yone – writer, journalist; father of Wendy Law-Yone
- Wendy Law-Yone – writer
- Chin Yang Lee - writer
- Gus Lee (李健孫) – writer
- Carolyn Lei-Lanilau – writer
- Yiyun Li (李翊雲) – winner of the 2006 PEN/Hemingway Award
- Ed Lin (林景南) – writer, first author to win three Asian American Literary Awards[1]
- Tao Lin (林韜) – writer
- Eric Liu (劉柏川) – author and speechwriter for former US President Bill Clinton[2]
- Malinda Lo – writer, young adult novels, Ash
- David Wong Louie (雷祖威) – writer
- Marie Lu (陸希未) – writer
- Ling Ma – writer, Severance
- Adeline Yen Mah (馬嚴君玲) – author and physician
- William Marr (馬為義,非馬) – engineer, poet, translator, and artist
- Chanel Miller – artist and author of Know My Name
- Anchee Min (閔安琪) – author, Red Azalea
- Celeste Ng (伍綺詩) – writer, novelist
- Lisa See – writer
- Sui Sin Far (水仙花) – late 19th/early 20th century Chinese-English American author and journalist
- Arthur Sze - poet
- Mai-mai Sze - writer and artist
- Amy Tan (譚恩美) – best-selling author, The Joy Luck Club
- Timothy Tau (謝韜) – writer, novelist, screenwriter, film director
- Jade Snow Wong (黃玉雪) – writer
- Shawn Wong – novelist, Homebase, American Knees; writer; professor
- Timothy C. Wong (黃宗泰) – sinologist, translator, and literary theorist
- Xu Xi (許素細) – English language novelist based in Hong Kong
- Geling Yan (严歌苓) – novelist and screenwriter
- Gene Luen Yang (楊謹倫) – graphic novelist, whose book American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award
- Laurence Yep (叶祥添) – two-time winner of the Newbery Honor
- Connie Young Yu – writer, historian, lecturer, and 2016 "Woman of the Year" California Senate District 13
- Judy Yung – writer
- Kat Zhang – author of young adult and middle grade novels
- Jenny Zhang – essayist, poet, novelist
- Jenny Tinghui Zhang – novelist
Theater
Visual arts
Business
Financial
Food
Industrial
- Ting Tsung Chao – founder of The Chao Group and Westlake Chemical
- Albert Chao – co-founder of Westlake Chemical, son of Ting Tsung Chao
- James Yuan Chao – chair of the Westlake Chemical Corporation, son of Ting Tsung Chao
- Allen Chao – founder of Allergan, plc pharmaceutical and medical device co.
- David T. Hon – founder and CEO of Dahon bicycle co.
- Noel Lee – founder and CEO of Monster Cable
- Cyrus Tang – scrap metal and furniture magnate
Internet
Technology
Other
Entertainment
Actors
- Awkwafina (林家珍) – actress and rapper
- Tyson Beckford – model and actor
- Ross Butler - actor
- Chloe Bennet (汪可盈) – actress and singer
- T. V. Carpio – actress and singer
- Tina Huang — stage, television actress
- Tia Carrere – actress, singer
- Flora Chan (陳慧珊) – actress
- JuJu Chan – actress
- Michael Paul Chan - actor
- Emily Chang - actress
- Louis Ozawa Changchien – actor
- Rosalind Chao – actress
- Zoë Chao – actress and writer
- Fala Chen – actress
- Hank Chen – actor and comedian
- Joan Chen (陳冲) – actress, The Last Emperor, director
- Lynn Chen – actress, Saving Face
- Kevin Cheng (鄭嘉穎) – actor and singer
- Cheng Pei-pei (鄭佩佩) – actress, known for films Come Drink with Me and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Karin Anna Cheung – actress, Angela, in Quentin Lee's feature film The People I've Slept With (2009)
- Feodor Chin – actor, writer, director
- Lori Tan Chinn – actress
- Annabel Chong – adult film actress
- Peter Chong – film and stage actor
- Tommy Chong, Canadian-American comedian, actor, writer, director, activist, and musician, part of comedy duo Cheech & Chong
- China Chow – actress, model
- Kelsey Chow – actress
- Michaela Conlin – actress
- Auliʻi Cravalho – actress and singer
- Tiffany Espensen - actress
- Roger Fan – actor
- James Hong – actor and director
- George Hu (胡宇威) – actor
- Kelly Hu – actress
- Madison Hu – actress, Bizaardvark
- Celina Jade – actress, singer and martial artist
- Malese Jow – actress and singer on Unfabulous and The Vampire Diaries
- Archie Kao – actor and model
- Lawrence Kao - actor
- Matthew Yang King - actor
- Michelle Krusiec – actress
- Nancy Kwan – first Chinese-born star in Western cinema[4]
- Brandon Lee (李國豪) – actor, son of Bruce Lee
- Bruce Lee (李小龍) – kung fu actor, son of Lee Hoi-chuen
- Jason Scott Lee – actor
- Michelle Lee – actress, martial artist and stuntwoman
- Peyton Elizabeth Lee - actress
- Shannon Lee (李香凝) – actress, and daughter of Bruce Lee
- Kaylani Lei – pornographic actress
- Al Leong - actor and stuntman
- Ken Leung – actor, Lost,
- Telly Leung - actor and singer
- James Hiroyuki Liao – actor
- Julia Ling (林小微) – actress, Chuck
- Dyana Liu – actress
- Lucy Liu (刘玉玲) – actress, Charlie's Angels, Kill Bill
- Liu Yifei – actress and singer
- John Lone – actor, most notable for his role as Puyi in The Last Emperor
- Jodi Long – actress
- Keye Luke – actor
- Tzi Ma (馬泰) – actor
- Byron Mann – actor, notable for playing the role of Ryu in Street Fighter
- Marie Matiko – actress
- Meiling Melançon – actress
- Matthew Moy – actor, 2 Broke Girls, most notable for the voice of Lars Barriga (Steven Universe)
- Olivia Munn – actress, model and television personality
- Irene Ng – actress, played the title character in Nickelodeon's The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
- Melissa Ng – actress
- Haing S. Ngor – actor; won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in The Killing Fields
- Julia Nickson-Soul – actress, most notable for playing the role of Co-Bao in
- Jimmy Ouyang (歐陽萬成) – actor, writer and comedian
- Will Pan (潘瑋柏) – singer and songwriter
- Janel Parrish – actress and singer
- Ke Huy Quan – actor and stunt choreographer; played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
- Chester See – YouTube personality, musician, and Broadway actor.
- Ivan Shaw – actor
- Freda Foh Shen - actress
- Parry Shen – actor
- Robin Shou (仇雲波) – actor, stuntman, martial artist
- Harry Shum, Jr. (岑勇康) – actor, dancer, and singer in Glee and Shadowhunters
- Soo Yong (岑勇) – Hollywood and television actress.
- Kaiji Tang (唐凯吉) – voice actor
- Will Tiao (刁毓能) – actor and producer
- Jennifer Tilly – actress, Bound (born in California)
- Meg Tilly – actress
- Chuti Tiu – actress, Desire, 24, Dragnet, Beautiful, The Specials; former America's Junior Miss (first non-Caucasian winner)
- Kiana Tom – actress, television host, and exercise instructor
- Lauren Tom – actress, The Joy Luck Club, "Julie" on Friends
- Jessika Van – actress, singer, portrays "Becca" on MTV's Awkward
- Garrett Wang – actor in
- Ming-Na Wen (溫明娜) – Macanese-born actress, ER, Mulan
- Samantha Win - actress, martial artist, stuntwoman and wushu taolu athlete
- Anna May Wong (黃柳霜) – first female Asian-American star of the screen
- Grace Wong (王君馨) – actress
- Michael Wong (王敏德) – actor
- Russell Wong (王盛德) – actor
- Victor Wong (黃自強) – actor
- Constance Wu (吳恬敏) – actress
- Daniel Wu – actor
- Jade Wu – actress, screenwriter, director
- Kevin Wu (吳凱文) – YouTube star, once #1 all-time most subscribed comedian
- Leonard Wu – actor, producer and writer
- Bowen Yang – actor and writer, Saturday Night Live
- Welly Yang – actor and artist
- Michelle Ye (葉璇) – actress
- Kelvin Han Yee – actor
- Gwendoline Yeo – musician and actress
- Keone Young – actor
- Eugenia Yuan (原麗淇) – actress and daughter of Cheng Pei-pei
- Catalina Yue – actress, singer, model
- Victor Sen Yung – actor, portrayed Hop Sing in Bonanza
- Nan Zhang (张楠) – actress, Gossip Girl
Directors
Musicians
- Jin Au-yeung – rapper, songwriter, actor
- Carmit Bachar – singer and member of the Pussycat Dolls
- Baiyu – singer, songwriter, actress, mtvU VJ
- Foxy Brown – rapper
- Dennis Ruowei Cao (曹偌伟) – a.k.a. One Child Policy, electronic musician
- Jaycee Chan – Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor
- Robert Chen – violinist, concertmaster of Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Chi Cheng – bassist of alternative metal band, Deftones
- Andrew Chou – member of hip-hop group Machi
- Chou Wen-chung - composer
- Dawen – singer, songwriter
- Leah Dizon – model and singer
- Khalil Fong – singer, songwriter
- Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul – singer and rapper member of the K-pop group, 2PM
- Hao Huang (pianist), composer, writer and professor at Scripps College
- Lucia Hwong – composer, musician, known for ethereal music and pipa (Chinese lute)
- Jon Jang – jazz pianist, composer, band leader
- Kelis – singer[5] 1/4 Chinese
- Fei Xiang (费翔) – a.k.a. Kris Phillips, pop singer and theater actor
- Larissa Lam – singer-songwriter, television host, music executive, film director
- Chihchun Chi-sun Lee – composer
- CoCo Lee – singer
- Dai-Keong Lee – composer
- Cho-Liang Lin – violinist
- Jenny Lin – pianist
- Joseph Lin – first violinist for Juilliard String Quartet
- Amber Liu – rapper and singer of K-pop group f(x)
- Kate Liu – classical pianist
- Justin Lo – Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor
- Zhou Long – winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Music
- Yo-Yo Ma (馬友友) – cellist
- Charles Mingus – jazz double bassist, composer, band leader
- Chino Moreno – vocalist and guitarist of Deftones
- Fats Navarro – jazz trumpeter
- Ne-Yo – R&B artist, 1/4 Chinese
- Richard On – guitarist-songwriter for rock band O.A.R.
- Will Pan – singer-songwriter, rapper and actor
- Saweetie – rapper[6]
- Bright Sheng – composer, conductor, and pianist
- Shunza – singer
- Tan Dun - composer
- Vienna Teng – singer-songwriter
- Kenneth Tse – classical saxophonist
- Sam Tsui – YouTube singer
- Mark Tuan – Taiwanese rapper of K-pop group Got7
- Lara Veronin – vocalist
- Wang Leehom – singer-songwriter, record producer, actor and film director
- Joanna Wang – singer
- Kiki Wong, guitarist of Smashing Pumpkins
- Chris Wong Won ("Fresh Kid Ice", 'The Chinaman") – Chinese Trinidadian rapper, member of 2 Live Crew
- Only Won – rapper, actor, martial artist, producer of Finding Cleveland
- Vanness Wu – actor, singer, director, producer
- Sophia Yan – classical pianist
- Catalina Yue – singer, songwriter, model
- Nancy Zhou – violin player
Other
Journalism and news media
- Ben Calhoun – radio journalist with This American Life
- Melissa Chan – journalist with ABC News (2002-2004) and Al Jazeera America (2013-2016)
- Sewell Chan – journalist, The New York Times
- Emily Chang – journalist from CNN
- Iris Chang (張純如) – historian and journalist, Thread of the Silkworm and The Rape of Nanking
- Jeff Chang – journalist, hip-hop historian
- Laura Chang – science editor, The New York Times
- William Y. Chang – founder of the Chinese-American Times newspaper
- Adrian Chen – investigative journalist, staff writer at The New Yorker
- Christine Chen – journalist and anchor
- Julie Chen – newsreader on The Early Show and host of Big Brother
- Anna Chen Chennault (陳香梅) – journalist, spouse of Claire Chennault, of the Flying Tigers
- Ron Chew – former editor International Examiner, founding member of Seattle Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association
- Howard G. Chua-Eoan – news director, Time magazine
- Connie Chung – became the second woman to co-anchor a major network national news broadcast
- Veronica De La Cruz – journalist, NBC News (2010–2014); alternating anchor on both Early Today on NBC and First Look on MSNBC
- Ben Fong-Torres (方振豪) – journalist, Rolling Stone
- Cindy Hsu – news reporter at WCBS-TV in New York City
- Weijia Jiang (姜偉嘉) - White House correspondent, CBS News
- Jennifer 8. Lee (李競) – journalist, The New York Times
- Melissa Lee – Emmy award-winning journalist, CNBC, NBC News, MSNBC, Bloomberg Television, CNN Financial News
- Portia Li (李秀蘭) – journalist
- Dion Lim – Emmy Award winning journalist
- Carol Lin – news anchor
- Sam Chu Lin (趙帝恩) – journalist, one of the first Asian Americans on network TV news
- Laura Ling – journalist, sister of Lisa Ling
- Lisa Ling (凌志慧) (1973-) – journalist, known for her role as a co-host of ABC's The View and host of National Geographic Ultimate Explorer
- Betty Liu – news anchor, Bloomberg Television
- Richard Lui – news anchor of MSNBC
- Chiang Nan (江南) – newspaper editor
- Kaity Tong – news anchor for WPIX-TV in New York City
- Edward Wong – journalist, former writer for The New York Times
- Sheryl WuDunn – Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author
- Jeff Yang – columnist for The Wall Street Journal
- John Yang – Peabody Award winning news correspondent and commentator for NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today, and MSNBC
- Angela Yee - radio personality at Power 105.1FM
- Al Young journalist, 1st Asian American Mainland U.S. newspaper sportswriter, editor, columnist.
- Anthony Yuen (阮次山) – journalist
Military
- Danny Chen (陳宇暉) – Private, United States Army Infantryman, was found shot to death after being racially harassed and beaten by his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan
- Arthur Chin (陳瑞鈿) – World War II pilot and fighter ace with Canton Provincial Air Force, National Revolutionary Army
- Larry Wu-tai Chin (金无怠) – CIA and Army translator and intelligence analyst 1944–1981, spy for China.
- David S. C. Chu – United States Army Captain (retired), Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (2001–2008), president/CEO of the Institute for Defense Analyses
- Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon – United States Navy Rear Admiral (Upper Half)
- John Liu Fugh – first Chinese American officer to be promoted to the rank of major general in the United States Army; first Chinese American to serve as Judge Advocate General of the Army
- Lau Sing Kee - United States Army; for heroism in World War I he became the first Chinese American to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the military's second highest award for valor.
- Wah Kau Kong – United States Air Force Second Lieutenant, first Chinese American fighter pilot
- Hazel Ying Lee (李月英) – first Chinese American woman to earn a pilot's license; flew for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II as a Woman Airforce Service Pilot (WASP)
- Kurt Lee – Major, US Marine Corps.; first Asian American Marine Corps officer, Navy Cross recipient[7] [8]
- Coral Wong Pietsch – United States Army Reserve Brigadier General, first female Asian American general officer
- Suzanne Vares-Lum (born 1967 - United States Army Major-General, served in Iraq War
- Francis B. Wai – United States Army Captain, only Chinese American to have been awarded the Medal of Honor
- Mun Charn Wong – United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, friend of Wah Kau Kong
- Ted Wong – United States Army Major General, Chief of the U.S. Army Dental Corps (2011–2014)
- Xiong Yan – student leader during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and now a chaplain in the United States Army
- James Yee – United States Army Captain and chaplain, formerly charged with sedition; author of the memoir For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire
- Jonathan A. Yuen – United States Navy Rear Admiral and commander of Naval Supply Systems Command
- Fang Wong – National Commander of The American Legion (2011–2012)
Politics and government
National politics
Congress
- Daniel Akaka – former US Senator from Hawaii; first Native Hawaiian US Senator; Democrat
- Judy Chu (趙美心) – first Chinese-American woman to serve as US Representative (2009–present); Democrat
- Charles Djou (周永康) – US Representative from Hawaii (2010–2011); Republican
- Hiram L. Fong (鄺友良) – former US Senator from Hawaii; first US Senator of Chinese ancestry; Republican
- Ted Lieu (劉雲平) – Democrat representing the 33rd District of California
- Grace Meng (孟昭文) – Democrat representing the 22nd District of New York
- David Wu (吳振偉) – first Taiwanese American US Representative, Democrat from Oregon
Local and state
- Wilma Chan – first Asian American California State Assembly Majority Leader (2002–2004); Democrat
- John Chiang – California State Controller (2007–present); Democrat
- Margaret Chin – member of the New York City Council representing Chinatown
- David Chiu – Democrat representing the 17th Assembly District, California State Assembly
- March Fong Eu – former Secretary of State of California (1975–1994), elected in 1974, she won reelection four times; United States Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia (1994–1996); Democrat
- Matthew K. Fong – California State Treasurer (1995–1999), adoptive son of March Fong Eu; Republican
- Allan Fung – Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island; Republican
- Tony Hwang – State Representative of the Connecticut General Assembly; Republican
- Ed Jew – former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Democrat
- Peter Koo – member of the New York City Council representing Flushing, Queens
- Ed Lee – Mayor of San Francisco (2011–2017)
- Harry Lee – longtime sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; first elected in 1979, he was re-elected six times and served 27 and a half years (Democratic)
- Susan C. Lee – Senator, Maryland Senate of Maryland General Assembly;first Asian American elected to Maryland Senate and first Chinese American elected to Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland General Assembly.
- John Liu – New York City Comptroller (2010–2013)
- Alex Wan – member of the Atlanta City Council, first openly gay and first Asian American member
- Shien Biau Woo (吳仙標) – Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (1985–1989), current president of the 80-20 Initiative; Democrat
- Michelle Wu (吳弭) – elected Mayor of Boston
- Leland Yee (余 胤 良) – former California State Assemblyman, current California State Senator
- Yiaway Yeh – mayor of Palo Alto, California; first Chinese American to hold the office[9]
- Mae Yih – Oregon State Representative (1977–1983), Oregon State Senator (1983–2003), first Chinese American to serve in a state senate; Democrat
Law and judiciary
- Norman Bay – former United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico (2000–2001); first Chinese American United States Attorney
- Denny Chin – judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (1994–present), first Asian American appointed as a United States district court judge outside of the Ninth Circuit
- Ming Chin – Associate Justice, Supreme Court of California
- Morgan Chu (朱欽文) – Partner, Chair of Litigation, former Co-Managing Partner of Irell & Manella; former president (2014–15) and board member (2009–15) of Harvard Board of Overseers
- Amy Chua – professor of law; author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
- Mary Anne Franks – professor of law, author of The Cult of the Constitution, president of Cyber Civil Rights Initiative
- Dolly M. Gee – federal district judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California
- Joyce Kennard – Associate Justice, Supreme Court of California
- George H. King – federal district judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California
- William F. Lee – co-managing partner of WilmerHale and fellow of the Harvard Corporation
- Ronald Lew – federal district judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California; first Chinese-American federal judge outside of Hawaii
- Goodwin Liu – Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California
- Brian Sun – trial lawyer
- Thomas Tang – judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; first Chinese American federal judge
- Jan C. Ting (丁景安) – professor of law; expert on immigration, national security, and taxation; 2006 Republican candidate for Senate (DE)
- Qian Julie Wang (王乾) – Lawyer and memoirist
- Delbert Wong – judge
Community and civil rights
- Grace Lee Boggs (陳玉平) – community activist in African-American community; leftist writer
- Chin Lin Sou – community leader
- Hung Wai Ching – community leader and businessman
- Goo Kim Fui (古今辉) – President, United Chinese Society in Hawaii, 1892–1898; played an instrumental role in uniting the Chinese and fighting for their rights during the anti-Chinese agitation in Hawaii in the 1880s
- Charles Goodall Lee – first licensed Chinese American dentist in the United States, financier of Chinese American Citizens Alliance in Oakland Chinatown, spouse of Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee
- Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee – first Chinese American woman voter in the United States
- Mabel Ping-Hua Lee – Chinese advocate for women's suffrage in the United States, community organizer in New York City's Chinatown, and leader of the First Chinese Baptist Church in Chinatown.
- Wong Chin Foo (王清福) – 19th-century civil rights activist and journalist
- Wong Kim Ark (黃金德) – his lawsuit established the principle of citizenship by virtue of birth on US soil
- Harry Wu (吴弘达) – human rights activist, focuses on Laogai prison camps and human rights in China
- Sherman Wu – civil rights activist, famous racial discrimination incident by university fraternity
- Xiao Qiang (萧强) – MacArthur Fellowship for human rights activism, publisher of China Digital Times covering rights and censorship in China, journalism professor
- John C. Young (容兆珍) – San Francisco Chinatown leader
- Helen Zia (謝漢蘭) – community activist and writer
Science and academia
Nobel Prize
- Chen Ning Yang (楊振寧) – 1957 Nobel laureate, Physics, Yang–Mills theory
- Tsung-dao Lee (李政道) – 1957 Nobel laureate, Physics
- Samuel C. C. Ting (丁肇中) – 1976 Nobel laureate, Physics
- Yuan T. Lee (李远哲) – 1986 Nobel Prize, Chemistry
- Steven Chu (朱棣文) – 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, US Secretary of Energy (2009)
- Daniel Chee Tsui (崔琦) – 1998 Nobel laureate, Physics
- Roger Y. Tsien (錢永健) – 2008 Nobel laureate, Chemistry
- Charles K. Kao (高锟) – 2009 Nobel laureate in Physics who pioneered the development and use of fiber optics in telecommunications
Mathematics award winners
Chemistry
Computer science
- Danqi Chen (陈丹琦) – AI professor at Princeton University working in Natural language processing, PhD from Stanford University, former student of Andrew Yao[11]
- Jianlin Cheng (程建林) – computer and data scientist; Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Missouri, Columbia
- Wen Tsing Chow (周文俊) – missile guidance scientist, digital computer pioneer
- Leon Chua – professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley
- Feng-hsiung Hsu (許峰雄) – IBM developer of Deep Blue, which beat World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in 1997
- Fei-Fei Li (李飞飞) – AI researcher, Stanford University professor
- Kai Li – Princeton University
- Ming C. Lin – former Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,[12] [13] now at U. Maryland.
- Andrew Ng (吴恩达) – AI researcher and entrepreneur: Google Brain, Baidu research, Coursera, Stanford University professor
- Carol E. Reiley: entrepreneur in health, robotics and AI, Andrew Ng's wife
- Pei-Yuan Wei (魏培源) – creator of ViolaWWW
- Wen-mei Hwu – professor at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign specializing in compiler design, computer architecture, computer microarchitecture, and parallel processing
- Andrew Yao (姚期智) – 2000 Turing Award recipient, Yao's principle, former professor at Princeton University
- Frances Yao (储枫) – computer scientist, researcher in computational geometry and combinatorial algorithms; wife of Andrew Yao
- Yuanyuan Zhou – Princeton University PhD, currently UC San Diego
Engineering
Mathematics
- Terence Chi-Shen Tao (陶哲軒) – child genius, Fields Medal winner (2006), professor (UCLA), MacArthur Fellow (2006), Crafoord Prize (2012), Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics (2014). He is the youngest participant to date in the International Mathematical Olympiad, first competing at the age of ten; in 1986, 1987, and 1988, he won a bronze, silver, and gold medal. He remains the youngest winner of each of the three medals in the Olympiad's history, winning the gold medal shortly after his thirteenth birthday. Tao received graduated from university at the age of 16 obtaining his bachelor's and master's degrees, received his PhD at the age of 20.
- Lenhard Ng – child prodigy who was once thought to be the "smartest kid in America". At age 10, he earned a perfect score of 800 on the math portion of what is now called the SAT, a feat considered to be a “remarkable achievement” when a high school junior or senior did it. Ng is a professor of mathematics at Duke University.
- Jeffrey Yi-Lin Forrest (林益) – professor of mathematics, systems science, economics, and finance at Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (Slippery Rock campus)
- Wei Zhang (张伟) – Professor of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Sun-Yung Alice Chang (张圣容) – professor of mathematics and former chair of the department at Princeton University
- Chen Wen-chen (陈文成) – professor of math at Carnegie Mellon, victim of Taiwan KMT persecution of dissidents (see White Terror)
- Shiing-Shen Chern (陳省身) – Wolf Prize, considered one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century; worked on differential geometry and topology; known for Chern-Simons theory, Chern-Weil theory, Chern classes
- Chia-Kun Chu (朱家琨) – applied mathematician, Fu Foundation Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics at Columbia University[14] [15]
- Chia-Chiao Lin (林家翹) – applied mathematician
- Tian Gang (田刚) – Princeton University professor emeritus, student of S.T. Yau
- Paul Tseng – applied mathematician, professor at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Washington in Seattle
- Paul C. Yang (杨建平) – Princeton University, husband of Alice Chang
- Shing-Tung Yau (丘成桐) – Fields Medal winner (1982); MacArthur Fellow (1984), Crafoord Prize (1994), National Medal of Science (1997), Wolf Prize (2010)
- Yitang Zhang – mathematician, known for establishing the first finite bound on gaps between prime numbers
- Stephen Shing-Toung Yau – Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago
- Mu-Tao Wang (王慕道) – Professor of Mathematics at Columbia University, received a PhD in Mathematics in 1998 from Harvard University
Medicine and biosciences
- Priscilla Chan (陈Priscilla) – Harvard-graduated pediatrician, Chan-Zuckerberg foundation
- Min Chueh Chang (張明覺) – co-inventor of the first birth control pill; made significant contributions to the development of in vitro fertilisation
- Gilbert Chu (朱築文) – biochemist and Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and Biochemistry at the Stanford Medical School; older brother of Steven Chu
- Yuan-Cheng Fung (馮元楨) – founder of modern biomechanics
- Lue Gim Gong (呂金功) – horticulturalist
- David Ho – scientific researcher and the Irene Diamond professor at Rockefeller University in New York City
- Alice S. Huang – virologist
- Lin He – biochemist, received the MacArthur Fellowship in 2009
- Yuet Wai Kan – pioneer of using DNA to diagnose human diseases, research enabled the Human Genome Project, recipient of Lasker Foundation award in 1991[16]
- Henry C. Lee – forensic scientist
- Sandra Lee – dermatologist and Internet celebrity as "Dr. Pimple Popper"; now star of the TLC series Dr. Pimple Popper
- Ching Chun Li – population geneticist and human geneticist
- Choh Hao Li (李卓皓) – biochemist, discovered growth hormone, beta-endorphin and isolated luteinizing hormone
- Min Chiu Li – first scientist to use chemotherapy to cure widely metastatic, malignant cancer
- Anna Chao Pai – geneticist
- Joe Hin Tjio – cytogeneticist, first person to recognize the normal number of human chromosomes[17]
- Chang Yi Wang – immunologist; NYIPLA Inventor of the Year Award in 2007 for her work on UBITh peptide immunogens
- James C. Wang – discovered DNA topoisomerases[18]
- Sam Wang, neuroscientist and author
- Shih-Chun Wang – neuroscientist and pharmacology professor
- Xiaodong Wang, biochemist best known for his work with cytochrome c, won the 2000 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, and 2006 Shaw Prize recipient[19]
- Leana Wen (温麟衍) – physician; director of Planned Parenthood, Health Commissioner of Baltimore, author
- David T. Wong – discovered drug Fluoxetine and atomoxetine, duloxetine and dapoxetine[20] [21] [22]
- Flossie Wong-Staal – virologist and AIDS researcher
- Junying Yu – stem cell biologist; recognized as one of the 2007 "Persons of the Year" by TIME magazine[23]
- Kang Zhang – ophthalmologist at the Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California, San Diego known for his work on lanosterol
Physics
- Sow-Hsin Chen – nuclear physicist
- Alfred Y. Cho – the "father of molecular beam epitaxy" and co-inventor of quantum cascade lasers
- Paul C. W. Chu (朱經武) – physicist, superconductivity
- Qian Xuesen (钱学森) – professor of aeronautics, a founder of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, exiled to China
- Frank Shu – professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley and University of California; San Diego and 2009 Shaw Prize recipient[24]
- Chien-Shiung Wu (吳健雄) – Manhattan Project scientist; considerable contribution to Nobel Prize work by Tsung-dao Lee
- Yang Yang, physicist, solar cells. Professor at UCLA. Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Physical Society, Materials Research Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, and Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.
- Nai-Chang Yeh – physicist specialized in condensed matter physics; Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Fellow, American Physical Society
- Shoucheng Zhang – Stanford physicist
- Chen Ning Yang (楊振寧) – 1957 Nobel laureate, Physics, Yang–Mills theory
- Tsung-dao Lee (李政道) – 1957 Nobel laureate, Physics
- Samuel C. C. Ting (丁肇中) – 1976 Nobel laureate, Physics
- Steven Chu (朱棣文) – 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, US Secretary of Energy (2009)
- Daniel Chee Tsui (崔琦) – 1998 Nobel laureate, Physics
- Charles K. Kao (高锟) – 2009 Nobel laureate in Physics who pioneered the development and use of fiber optics in telecommunications
- Xiaoxing Xi (郗小星) – Physicist at Temple University]
Economics, Finance, Statistics, OR
Social sciences
Humanities
University administration
- Jim Chen – professor and former dean at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law
- Stephen Z.D. Cheng – Professor and former Dean in the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at the University of Akron, member of National Academic of Engineering
- David Jung-Kuang Chiu – former Director of Asian Studies and Dean of University Advisement, Hofstra University
- Way Kuo – President and University Distinguished Professor of the City University of Hong Kong, University Distinguished Professor and former Dean of Engineering at the University of Tennessee
- Robert C. T. Lee (李崇道) – former president of National Chung Hsing University, veterinarian and brother of Tsung-dao Lee
- Wallace Loh - Former President of University of Maryland College Park [28]
- Chang-Lin Tien – Chancellor of University of California, Berkeley (1990–1997)
- Frank H. Wu – Chancellor and Dean of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (2010–2015)
- Rose Tseng - Chancellor emerita of University of Hawaii at Hilo [29]
- Henry T. Yang – Chancellor of UC Santa Barbara
- Honggang Yang - Dean Emeritus of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Nova Southeastern University [30]
Earth Sciences
Sports
- Nathan Adrian (倪家骏) – Olympic medal winner, swimming
- Shayna Baszler – professional wrestler and mixed martial artist
- Johnny Chan (陳金海, 陳強尼) – professional poker player
- Michael Chang (張德培) – youngest male tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament
- Ray Chang – baseball player
- Karen Chen (陳楷雯) – figure skater
- Nathan Chen (陳巍) – figure skater, 2022 Olympic gold medalist
- Tiffany Chin (陳婷婷) – figure skater and 1985 U.S. national champion
- Brian Ching (程拜仁) – soccer player for Houston Dynamo and the United States national team
- William Kwai-sun Chow - martial arts instructor
- Mark Chung – first American-Chinese soccer player to play for the United States national team
- Patrick Chung – Strong Safety for the New England Patriots
- Amy Chow (周婉儀) – gymnast and Olympic medal winner
- Norm Chow (周友賢) – UCLA Bruins offensive coordinator
- Julie Chu (朱慧雯) – Olympic medal winner, ice hockey
- Mark Foo – professional surfer
- Christina Gao (高昊) – figure skater
- Chau Giang – poker player
- Eileen Gu (谷爱凌) – Free style skier and Olympic gold medalist
- Rudy Gunawan (郭宏源) – badminton player
- Tony Gunawan (吳俊明) – badminton player
- Ivana Hong – gymnastics
- Jerry Hsu – skateboarder
- Michelle Jin (米歇尔·金) - professional bodybuilder
- John Juanda – poker player
- Phillip King – tennis player, brother of Vania King
- Vania King – tennis player who won both the 2010 Wimbledon Women's Doubles and 2010 US Open Women's Doubles titles
- Jonathan Klinsmann – soccer goalkeeper for LA Galaxy
- Theodore Ku-DiPietro – soccer player
- Karen Kwan – former figure skater, sister of Michelle Kwan
- Michelle Kwan (關穎珊) – Olympic medal winner, figure skating[31]
- Alice Lee – chess player, FIDE Master
- Jeremy Lin (林書豪) – professional basketball player, NBA (NY Knicks, Toronto Raptors, etc.), Linsanity
- Corrie Lothrop – gymnastics
- Tyson Mao – speedcuber
- Kim Ng (伍佩琴) – Major League Baseball executive
- Karlee Perez – professional wrestler known as Catrina and the WWE as Maxine (Chinese ancestry)
- Chuck Sun – professional Motocross racer
- Kevin Tan (谭凯文) – Olympic medal winner, gymnastics
- Ed Wang – professional American football player
- Lisa Wang – rhythmic gymnastics
- Kevin Wong – professional beach volleyball player and Olympian
- Raymond Wu (吳紹綱) – professional poker player
- Don Yee – sports agent
- Al Young – World Champion drag racer
- Jennifer Yu (于潤荷) – U.S. women's chess champion in 2019 and 2022
- Caroline Zhang (张圆圆) – figure skater
- Rose Zhang - professional golfer on the LPGA Tour
Other
Astronauts
Gang leaders and criminals
Crime victims
- Bow Kum – her murder was the precipitating event for infamous New York Tong war
- Vincent Jen Chin (陳果仁) – beaten to death in 1982 racial hate incident by two White men considered by Chinese-American advocacy groups to be miscarriage of American justice
- Wenjian Liu – first Chinese American officer in the New York City Police Department to die in the line of duty in 2014
- Betty Ong (鄧月薇) – flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, alerted ground crews and kept the world informed of the hijacking in progress
Religious leaders
Other
- Bei Bei Shuai (帅贝贝) – Prosecuted for murder and feticide due to a pregnancy loss after a suicide attempt.
Notes and References
- Streetside Chat with Author Ed Lin, TaiwaneseAmerican.org, http://taiwaneseamerican.org/ta/2012/05/24/streetside-chat-with-author-ed-lin/
- Book: Tewari. Nita. Alvarez. Alvin. Asian American psychology: current perspectives. March 6, 2011. September 26, 2008. CRC Press. 978-0-8058-6008-5. 117–.
- Web site: Haven Lin-Kirk . March 23, 2024 . Roski School of Art and Design . en-US.
- Web site: Nancy Kwan: Hong Kong's Gift to Hollywood. Marlin Home. Entertainment. nancy-kwan.com.
- Web site: Rock On The Net: Kelis. rockonthenet.com.
- Web site: Saweetie: I love my Filipino side!. The Philippine Star.
- Web site: Veterans History Project Explores Integration of the U.S. Armed Forces Through the Service of Asian-Pacific American Veterans . Jeffrey. Lofton . Jamie Stevenson . May 18, 2010 . News from the Library of Congress . Library of Congress . February 14, 2011.
- News: Heroes visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps . Cpl Christopher Duncan . Quantico Sentry . January 30, 2009 . February 14, 2011.
- Web site: Yeh, Scharff to lead Palo Alto council in 2012. Gennady. Sheyner. paloaltoonline.com.
- Web site: Alphabet Energy. Thermoelectrics for waste heat recovery . Alphabetenergy.com . July 30, 2011.
- Web site: Danqi Chen's Homepage. cs.stanford.edu. May 6, 2019.
- Web site: Faculty Biography: Ming C. Lin. People. Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. February 3, 2010.
- http://www.cs.unc.edu/People/Faculty/Honors/lin.html Faculty Honors: Ming C. Lin
- Web site: faculty directory at Columbia University. July 11, 2019.
- Web site: Columbia University News Release.
- Web site: Diagnosis of genetic diseases by DNA technology – The Lasker Foundation. Lasker. Foundation. The Lasker Foundation. October 15, 2012. September 9, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130909172537/http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/1991_c_description.htm. dead.
- News: Joe Hin Tjio . London . The Guardian . Pearce . Wright . December 11, 2001.
- Unwinding the DNA Topoisomerase Story: the Work of James C. Wang. Nicole. Kresge. Robert D.. Simoni. Robert L.. Hill. June 1, 2007. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 282. 22. e17. 10.1016/S0021-9258(20)64989-4. www.jbc.org. free.
- Web site: The Shaw Prize . August 1, 2007 . June 21, 2006 . The Shaw Prize . February 21, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090221022806/http://www.shawprize.org/en/laureates/2006/life/Wang/announcement.html . dead .
- Web site: drug discovery@nature.com. nature.com.
- Web site: Scientist Who Developed Prozac Receives International Honor - IU Communications - School of Medicine . September 17, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120825015159/http://communications.medicine.iu.edu/newsroom/stories/2011/scientist-who-developed-prozac-receives-international-honor . August 25, 2012 .
- Web site: The Faith of a Scientist. spu.edu.
- Person Of The Year 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071221163959/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/article/0,28804,1690753_1690758_1693587,00.html . dead . December 21, 2007 . Time . December 19, 2007.
- Web site: The Shaw Prize – Top prizes for astronomy, life science and mathematics. shawprize.org. November 26, 2012. June 20, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090620004952/http://www.shawprize.org/en/laureates/2009/index.html. dead.
- https://www.chase.com/online/private_client/expert-perspectives-anthony-chan.htm
- Web site: Betty Lee Sung. Chiamonline.com. April 15, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923202626/http://www.chiamonline.com/People/QU/bettyleesung.htm. September 23, 2015. dead.
- Web site: Alumni Profile: Rebel With a Cause. March 2006 . U. of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. April 16, 2015.
- Web site: Wallace D. Loh .
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-y-tseng-567b2930
- Web site: SelectedWorks - Honggang Yang .
- News: Washingtonpost.com: Chinese Americans Bask in Kwan's Spotlight . The Washington Post . February 28, 1999.
- News: July 10, 1904 . These Chinese Tots of Chicago Go to School the Year Round . 38 . The Inter Ocean . Chicago . March 22, 2022 . Newspapers.com.
