Yue-Sai Kan is a Chinese-American television host, producer, author, entrepreneur and humanitarian.
35 Facts About Yue-Sai Kan
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Yue-Sai Kan created Yue-Sai WaWa, a line of dolls with distinct Asian features, aimed at fostering cultural pride in Asian children.
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Yue-Sai Kan is a prolific author, with nine best-selling books in China covering topics such as television production, beauty, and etiquette.
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Yue-Sai Kan is known for her philanthropic work, including substantial donations to the UN World Conference on Women, the creation of scholarship programs, and chairing charitable organizations.
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Yue-Sai Kan has been recognized for her work with numerous awards and honors, including being featured on a government-issued Chinese postage stamp, the only living American to receive such recognition.
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Yue-Sai Kan continues to serve as a cultural ambassador and holds positions in several international organizations.
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Yue-Sai Kan was born in Guilin, China and grew up in Hong Kong.
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Yue-Sai Kan's father Kan Wing-Lin was a respected traditional Chinese painter and calligrapher.
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In 1968, while studying as a piano major at Brigham Young University in Hawaii, Yue-Sai Kan entered the Narcissus Flower Beauty Pageant sponsored by the local Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
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Yue-Sai Kan became the second runner-up, and as part of her duties traveled around the world.
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Two years later, the bilingual television series "One World" produced and hosted by Yue-Sai Kan aired on China's national television network CCTV, with a weekly viewership of 300 million, giving many Chinese their first glimpse of the outside world.
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Yue-Sai Kan's broadcast captivated the entire nation and made her a household name in China.
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At that time with broadcasts in both China and the US, Yue-Sai Kan was the most watched woman in the world.
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The popular series "Mini Dragons" and "Doing Business in Asia", which Yue-Sai Kan produced and hosted, were broadcast on PBS and fed the West's growing hunger for information of the East.
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Yue-Sai Kan has filmed in more than 25 countries, created thousands of programs, and been viewed all over the globe.
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Yue-Sai Kan encouraged Chinese women to be proud of their image, and was an early entrant to the cosmetics industry in China.
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Forbes reported that Yue-Sai Kan "is changing the face of the Middle Kingdom, one lipstick at a time".
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In 2008, Kan created a new East-meets-West lifestyle retail brand, the House of Yue-Sai, selling a variety of fine home furnishings, bedding, tableware, lighting, decorative accessories and unique gifts, and jewelry.
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Yue-Sai Kan has written nine best-selling books in China, dispensing advice about television production, beauty and etiquette to the modern Chinese.
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In 2009, Yue-Sai Kan published Exquisite Spaces, 25 Top Interior Designers of the World, a coffee table book featuring design philosophies and tips from world-class designers, and their works.
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Currently, Yue-Sai Kan is a member of the Committee of 100 which is composed of outstanding Chinese Americans.
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Yue-Sai Kan sits on the board of the Ellis Island Honors Society and Prince Albert of Monaco's Philanthropy Round Table.
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Yue-Sai Kan is a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's International Council.
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In early 2018, Yue-Sai Kan became co-chair of China Institute in America, a century old non-profit organization dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding of China through programs in education, culture, art, and business.
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In 2006, Yue-Sai Kan started serving as Chairman of the Invitation Committee of the Shanghai International Film Festival, the largest film festival in Asia.
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Yue-Sai Kan's title changed to SIFF International Ambassador in 2015.
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Yue-Sai Kan secured the attendance of nearly 50 international A-list filmmakers, including Oliver Stone, Daniel Boyle, Tom Hooper, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Quincy Jones, Halle Berry, Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, Adrien Brody, Claire Danes, Hugh Grant, Meg Ryan, Sophie Marceau.
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Since 2011, Yue-Sai Kan has been serving as the National Director of Miss Universe China.
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Yue-Sai Kan stated that the three aims of the Pageant during her administration are supporting education and charity, and creating a positive image of Chinese women.
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Yue-Sai Kan mentored seven Miss China titleholders, all of whom represented China well at the Miss Universe Final Pageant.
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Additionally, Yue-Sai Kan turned the Miss Universe China Final Pageant into the most glamorous charity ball gathering the who's who in Shanghai each year.
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Yue-Sai Kan is the first and only living American featured on a government-issued Chinese postage stamp which was issued in 2002.
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Yue-Sai Kan received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor as an outstanding Chinese American immigrant and the Ban Ki-moon Award from Asia Initiatives.
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In 2016, Yue-Sai Kan received the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Award in recognition for her achievements in the business world.
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In 2020, Yue-Sai Kan listed her Manhattan Townhouse for $28 million.