Wang received widespread recognition for his first feature, "A Great Wall" (1985), a gently amusing, intelligent probe of a Chinese-American family visiting the land of their origins. The film, produced by the director's own Peter Wang Films company, was also notable as the first American feature to be shot in China). Wang drew on his background in electro-optics to make "The Laser Man" (1988), the story of a Chinese-Jewish laser specialist and his problems in finding a new job after he accidentally kills a friend during an experiment. Wang is also known as an essayist and short story-writer in Asia.