His best known works include Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985), Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989), the Amy Tan literary adaptation The Joy Luck Club (1993), Chinese Box (1997), and A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (2007).

Wang was born and raised in Hong Kong, and named after his father's favorite movie star, John Wayne.

[3] Chan Is Missing (1982), Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985), and Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989) established his reputation.

[5] He won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September 2007 for A Thousand Years of Good Prayers.

[6] He is married to former Miss Hong Kong and actress Cora Miao, and lives in San Francisco and New York City.