Margaret Chung and Her Little Jade Buddhas

by Maggie Murray

​Ambitious and deeply patriotic, Margaret Chung was the first practicing Asian American female physician. Coming from an impoverished background, Chung succeeded in medical school and started her own practice in the male-dominated field. When the Japanese invaded Manchuria in 1931, Chung became deeply invested in the war effort and assumed her role as 'Mom Chung.' and became the surrogate mother for hundreds of U.S. soldiers. Becoming 'Mom Chung' was not a straightforward journey but resulted from unwavering effort and determination. 

​Margaret Chung was born in 1889 in Santa Barbara, California. Her parents were staunch Christians, and her mother was involved in missionary work [1]. Born into poverty, Chung's early education was marked with numerous delays; Chung did not begin ninth grade until she was eighteen years old [2]. Despite early setbacks, a scholarship from the Los Angeles Times enabled Chung to attain her M.D. at the USC Preparatory Academy [3]. Perhaps to follow in her mother's example, Chung applied to be a medical missionary in China, but her application was denied on three separate occasions; Chung attributes her Chinese ancestry as the reason for her rejection [4]. Following her father's death in a tragic car accident in 1919 [5], Chung transferred to Santa Fe where she would gain a reputation as a celebrity physician [6].

In 1922, Chung relocated to Chinatown in San Francisco. Initially, Chung struggled to find patients in Chinatown due to her disregard for herbal medicines and the suspicions surrounding her sexuality [7]. Speculation surrounding Chung's sexuality was accelerated by her intimate relationship with Elsa Gidlow, a well-known lesbian author, and her choice of masculine dress [8]. Chung herself would never publicly disclose her sexuality. Eventually, Chung would find success, and in 1925, she helped found the Chinese Hospital in Chinatown [9]. 

The 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria increased Chinese Americans' passion for their ancestral nation [10]. In the United States, the Japanese invasion made the Chinese appear more sympathetic, which was a drastic change from the demonized image of the early period. However, Chinese Americans were still not perceived as equal to white Americans, and the image of Japanese Americans had rapidly deteriorated. 

Before she became 'Mom Chung,' Chung developed a friendship with an ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserves, Steven G. Bancroft, who, along with his six other housemates, became Chung's first sons: she would call them her 'Fair-Haired Bastards' [11]. Some scholars suggest that Chung's 'adoptions' were motivated by a desire to quell the rampant speculations about her sexuality. Despite being a childless, unmarried woman, Chung publicly fulfilled gendered expectations by assuming a 'maternal' role while granting herself more freedom and autonomy in her personal life [12]. Chung also routinely expressed interest in involvement in the war effort by applying to become a medical missionary in China [13] and a fascination with aviation [14]. While Chung's motivations were likely complex and multifaceted, her network of sons would continue to grow and reach well over one thousand by the 1940s. As Mom Chung, she would host dinners for her adopted sons where she would serve Chinese and American food together to symbolize a racially united America. However, Chung was well aware of the United State's pervasive racial prejudice. For these reasons, she specifically selected Chinese cuisine that would appeal to an American palette, for example, fried rice and chop suey [15]. 

“Mom Chung and her 509 ‘Fair-Haired Foster Sons,'” Real Heroes, February/March 1949, p. 9.

“A Woman Who’s Mother to 466 Sons,” San Antonio Light (San Antonio, TX), September 22, 1940, p. 58. Retrieved from NewspaperARCHIVE.

As Chung's network expanded, she would divide her 'sons' into different kin groups. The first group, the 'Fair-Haired Bastards' consisted of pilots willing to sacrifice their lives for the country; the 'Kiwis' were members who were not pilots but would contribute to the war effort through other means; and the Gold Dolphins (1943) were submariners who had sunk several enemy ships [16]. 


As a part of Chung's work as 'Mother Chung,' she was in regular correspondence with her sons. Once, she stated that she could only write 14 letters to her sons daily, though she regretted she could not respond more frequently [17]. Chung began to gain national recognition for her involvement in the war effort. Comics of her journey to becoming a physician presented her as a model of female patriotism. Particular attention was given to her 'jade buddhas,' sent to her sons as good luck charms and taken onto the battlefield [18]. 


Chung's patriotism was not limited to her maternal role. In 1942, she lobbied for the WAVES bill: Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services. The bill was successfully passed, and the Women's Naval Reserve was formed. However, Chung's application to the Reserve was never accepted. Despite having been instrumental in the organization's creation, Chung's Chinese ancestry likely prevented the passing of her application [19]. 


Chung's legacy would extend well beyond the end of World War II, and the impact she had on her adopted sons was made evident by their continued support of her [20]. In 1959, Margaret Chung passed away after a lifetime of achievements.




[1] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp. 19. 
[2] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp. 38. 
[3] Malea Walker, "Dr. Margaret Chung: First American Born Chinese Woman Physician: Headlines and Heroes," The Library of Congress, 31 May 2022. 
[4] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp. 49. 
[5] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp. 65. 
[6] Janice Otani, "Guide to the Margaret Chung Papers, 1880-1958 (Bulk 1942-1944)," Online Archive of California, 2002.
[7] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp. 88. 
[8] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp. 92. 
[8] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp. 104. 
[9] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp. 119-120. 
[10] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp.120. 
[11] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp.140. 
[12] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp.122
[13] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp.128
[14] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp.124 
[15] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp. 141. 
[16] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp.121. 
[17] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp.142. 
[18] Malea Walker, "Dr. Margaret Chung: First American Born Chinese Woman Physician: Headlines and Heroes," The Library of Congress, 31 May 2022. 
[19] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp.163. 
[20] Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005, pp.140. 


Bibliography 

Wu, Judy Tzu-Chun. Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastard. University of California Press, 2005.  
Otani, Janice. "Guide to the Margaret Chung Papers, 1880-1958 (Bulk 1942-1944)." Online Archive of California, 2002, oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt3f59n6hk/entire_text/.
Walker, Malea. "Dr. Margaret Chung: First American Born Chinese Woman Physician: Headlines and Heroes." The Library of Congress, 31 May 2022, blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/05/dr-margaret-chung/. ​

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