One of the most talked-about scenes in James Cameron’s epic blockbuster Titanic is undoubtedly when Rose, played by Kate Winslet, survives by clinging to a floating door.
But what many don’t know is that this scene was inspired by a real survivor of the 1912 tragedy.
Recently, Steven Fong took to CBS News to tell the story of his grandfather, Fang Lang, one of only eight Chinese passengers aboard the doomed luxury vessel. Of those eight, six managed to survive, Lang being one of them. He did so by seeking refuge on a door.
The little-known survivor behind Titanic’s iconic door scene
Fong recalled that his grandfather never shared much about his journey; much of it remained shrouded in mystery. But a team of researchers, led by historian and author Steven Schwankert, was able to compile bits of his story along with the other surviving Chinese passengers. These findings became the subject of a 2020 documentary called The Six.
In it, Cameron, who also executive produced the documentary, revealed that Lang did, in fact, inspire Rose’s means of survival. There’s also a deleted scene from the movie that shows a Chinese man floating on a door.
History erased by racism
Schwankert and his team discovered that when Carpathia, the ship that transported Titanic survivors, landed in New York, all six Chinese men were forced to stay on board overnight due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited Chinese people from immigrating to the US. Because of this, the men—Lee Bing, Lang, Chang Chip, Ah Lam, Chung Foo, and Ling Hee —were rerouted to Cuba.
In addition, American press vilified these men, calling them “creatures” who had sprung into the lifeboats “at the first sign of danger” and concealed themselves beneath the seats (which the research team found to be physically impossible, as reported by the BBC) or even crossdressing to get aboard the lifeboats.
Of course, none of this was true. Lang himself would later row on the lifeboat that rescued him and help to ferry everyone on board to safety. Hardly the cunning cowardice portrayed by journalists at the time. But these accusations contrasted well against the “heroism” of their “Anglo-Saxon” counterparts. And of course, propagated anti-Chinese rhetoric.
Imagine surviving a horror wrought by nature, only to be forced to endure more atrocities created by your fellow man.
And yet, their legacy is finally getting the spotlight
That said, Lang seemed to not only survive this nightmare, but thrive. He eventually found his way back to America, opened a bake shop, and made a family.
Over in New York, his story lives on as the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) gears up to debut a play called Unsinkable, based on their saga, which will premiere in February 2027. Fong is helping facilitate the show by offering more information about his grandfather.
And that process, it seems, has been an adventure all its own.
“It’s such a surreal feeling, you know, being part of, like, this legacy, this big story that everybody knows about. We’re just so humbled by the opportunity to kind of add that to the story,” Fong said.
