Rose Chan

Rose Chan (1925 – May 26, 1987) was a cabaret dancer turned "Queen of Striptease" who has become something of a legend in Malaysia. Her brazen exploitation of her sexuality, predating Madonna, made her a controversial icon in her homeland. In the late 1970s, she received a RM3 million offer from an American publisher for her autobiography, but the deal fell through when she insisted on USD$3 million. Born Chan Wai Chang (陳惠珍) in Soochow, China, t... more

Rose Chan (1925 – May 26, 1987) was a cabaret dancer turned "Queen of Striptease" who has become something of a legend in Malaysia. Her brazen exploitation of her sexuality, predating Madonna, made her a controversial icon in her homeland. In the late 1970s, she received a RM3 million offer from an American publisher for her autobiography, but the deal fell through when she insisted on USD$3 million. Born Chan Wai Chang (陳惠珍) in Soochow, China, to acrobat parents, Chan was brought to Kuala Lumpur in 1931, at the age of six, by her adoptive mother. She had no formal education, save for eight months of schooling at the age of 12. Even at that young age, she demonstrated her entrepreneurial spirit by taking photographs for classmates, charging them 15 cents, and earning 10 cents a shot. Late for school on a few occasions because she had to collect the photographs from the shop, her mother stopped her schooling after the school complained. Still aged only 12 years, she started working in... less