Ming Chu was born in Florida in 1914 and moved to New York City to stay with an uncle who ran a laundry and soon get swept up in the world of show business. At age fifteen, she moved downtown to live in a house sponsored by the Rockefellers for young women looking to catch a break and started modeling and dancing at clubs to pay the bills. She caught her lucky break when she was scouted by a Parisian director and contracted to perform in London. Her career skyrocketed in Europe after her run as “Miss China-America” in the Miss Universe pageant, and she soon became a headlining solo act under the name “Princess Ming Chu, Flower of the Orient.” She performed across the continent, graced the cover of newspapers, and met the likes of the King and Queen of Belgium, Prince Wilhelm of Germany, Walt Disney, Bob Hope, Orson Welles, and Jackie Gleason.
When World War II broke out, Ming Chu reluctantly returned to New York. She continued performing at the Roxy Theatre in NYC and subsequently in Las Vegas then again in Europe to entertain the troops. She would also act in several movies and released two rock and roll songs. Ming Chu’s career echoes that of her predecessor Anna Mae Wong more than her “chop suey circuit” contemporaries for the worldwide fame she was able to find in Europe, outside of the US’ more racially-charged confines.
1914年，赵明出生于佛罗里达，后来搬到纽约，和一个经营洗衣店的叔叔住在一起，不久她就在演艺圈崭露头角。15岁时，她搬到下城，住在洛克菲勒家族为那些开始在夜总会寻求做模特和跳舞新职业的年轻女性提供的一处房子里。幸运的是，她抓住了一个机会——被一名巴黎导演看中，她签约到伦敦演出。在以“中美小姐”的身份参加环球小姐选美比赛以后，她的事业在欧洲一飞冲天。很快她就以“东方之花——赵明公主”的名字领衔独舞。她在欧洲大陆各地演出，登上报纸封面，还会见了比利时国王和王后、德国威廉王子、华特·迪士尼、鲍勃·霍普、奥逊·威尔斯和杰基·格黎森等人。
二战爆发后，赵明不情愿地回到了纽约。她继续在纽约的Roxy剧院表演，随后在拉斯维加斯演出，之后又回到欧洲为军队表演。她还参演了几部电影，并发行了两首摇滚歌曲。赵明的职业生涯更像是下一个“黄柳霜”，而不同于她同时代的Chop Suey巡演团的演员们，因为她能够在欧洲——美国之外的一个更具种族色彩的疆域获得国际声誉。
Countdown to the TCS NYC Marathon on November 3, 2019: 216 Days.
2019年是美国第一条横贯大陆铁路建成150周年，为了纪念第一批华人来美建设这条铁路所做出的巨大贡献， MOCA将其2019 TCS NYC Marathon的活动命名为 MOCA Spike 150 – Running Forward With Our Stories！ 鼓励大家通过马拉松公益跑，全国线上接力，以及一天一个故事的方式讲述150个华人的历史故事，敬请大家持续关注， 讲出华人自己的故事，回顾过去，立足现在，展望未来，共同书写美国历史，使之更加充实完整。