Shang Chi and the Everlasting Foreigners
Written By Rulin Guan
This article discusses the experience of Asian immigrants when immigrating and adapting to Western countries and societies, whilst exploring the social issue and impact of racism. Although we wish for our representation to be as accurate as possible, the experiences described may not be relatable for everyone. The article will also contain minor spoilers from the movie Shang Chi: The Legend of The Ten Rings
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When we think of Australia, we think of three things. Kangaroos, barbecuques… and diversity. Every time there is some sort of important speech about Australia, it’s always mentioned how diverse of a country we are. And yet, it seems as if the more that cultures are shared, the more racism we see.
I was born in China, but spent most of my life growing up in Australia. And although I looked like your average Asian Immigrant, I was more endorsed in Australian culture than anything else. This definitely had its fair share of problems. Back at my old school, in a small, unrecognizable suburb, I experienced this first hand. Getting told to “go back to China”, or “speak English” by my classmates got old quickly - it happened on a monthly basis. Whenever I got the chance to see my few friends that were also Chinese, I would banter with them in Mandarin, only for it to result in the shouts of multiple “Karens” - “You’re in Australia, speak English!”. It only stopped once I moved schools, to Uni High.
Finally, it felt as though we were finally being educated on prejudice, and the topic of racism wasn’t shunned, but addressed. Moving into Uni High also introduced me to a, much more might I add, diverse environment, where I could meet people similar to me and share my culture openly. Still, there were troubles I confronted. I still face prejudice, I still get made fun of for speaking Mandarin, I’m still…different. At this point, the message is clear: there are still people here who do not welcome my culture and language, even in this “multicultural” society. But the thing is, I don't particularly feel home in China either.
Whenever I go to China for a holiday, I live in a hotel, I’m just...visiting briefly. Whenever I talk to locals they instantly recognise me as an outsider due to my informal speech and spending most of my time on TikTok instead of 抖音 (Dǒuyīn - the Chinese TikTok). They don’t know exactly where I’m from, and they don’t seem mildly interested in it either. I’m just some whitewashed foreigner with an Asian face.
Just when I thought my frustrated mentality would reach rock bottom, a magical gem appeared in my life. When Shang Chi was announced and promoted as this legendary movie to represent the Asian community, I was absolutely hyped for this Marvel blockbuster film. I was imagining this man who was trapped in a new world of unacceptance and prejudice, along with his own world which no longer cares about him. It was envisioned to be the exaggerated representation of many Asian-American or Asian-Australian groups and what they have experienced in the Western world. However, it wasn’t as spectacular as I imagined. The biggest letdown was how we got a film that strictly emphasises on the exotic and fantasised aspects of China instead of Asia as a whole. This might be the only major flaw from this beautifully crafted film.
Don't get me wrong, this film was a massive hit for Hollywood since they created their first Asian lead superhero film to ever hit the silver screen. There’s blood-boiling fight sequences that made me rise up from my seat. The plot is amazing with the complex emotions of the dynamic from different characters. And the movie just has a nice vibe to it. The first act was perfectly choreographed. It displays the life of Shaun living an ordinary life in the United States. He’s doing the usual Asian-American activities on the list. Chilling at bars, tagging along with friends at late night karaoke, disappointing your parents; the usual. This sequence even addresses racial comments that the characters experienced.
“He comes up to me and says, ‘Wassup Gangnam-Style’, and then I say I’m not Korean idiot!'' This movie already directly addresses racism that Shaun has faced. During this scene I felt a sense of relatability, a Chinese dude experiencing racism in a world he grew up in.
However at the exact moment this story enters act two, it completely ignores the Asian-American experience and focuses solely on China. For the rest of the film, the producers attempted to create this mythologised and magical Chinese world. The American aspect of Shaun was completely changed and all we are left with is Shang Chi. The story tries to be a more Chinese film than an Asian-American movie, resulting in the uselessness of the first third of the film that creates this Asian-American identity.
Another problem is how this movie never challenges Shang Chi’s differences as a man growing up in the States. Despite living in San Francisco for the majority of his life, he is still portrayed as a mostly Chinese character. And apparently, this is somehow normalised?
This reminds me of another famous star. Anna May Wong, an absolute inspiration for Asian-American actresses. It may not be that surprising today to have a diverse ethnic community of celebrities. However, May Wong was an acknowledged American actor during the 1920’s! She was even the first Chinese-American actress to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was without a doubt that her recognition for talented acting and beauty made her a reputable woman. However as famous as she is, an aspect to her life that was rarely recognised was her identity. She was almost never perceived as American. Despite being born and raised in LA, posters and magazines always referred to her as Chinese. Her cinematic roles only consisted of stereotypical ‘Dragon Lady’ identities. An oriental woman not for men to empathise with, but for them to take advantage of.
“Whenever Hollywood talks about Asians, it’s frequently an exercise in flirtation with the exotic and foreign.” —Accented Cinema
The more different, more alien they are, the more charming and seductive they appear to be. Due to this over-fetishisation, the appearance of an Asian-American actor on screen will always cause the film to highlight their differences. Dragon Ladies are usually portrayed by an Asian female actress who has a pretty face, thin body and all the features to appear sexy. Such an exaggerated typecast choice is to let the audience focus on the actress's jaw dropping body, instead of actually investing into her character.
In an ironic turn of events, Anna May Wong visited China for the first time ever in 1936. With her 5’7 stature, a fluent American accent, and strange Western attire, she was immediately recognised as a foreigner by locals. It’s quite ironic because she is now an outsider to both worlds. America perceives her as an exotic woman that is over sexualised in the media, and China categorises her as a foreigner. To this day, Anna May Wong’s experiences and emotions are still being felt by Asian-Westerners - an outsider to both words.
As an ethnic Chinese dude being raised in Australia, I’ve learnt to conform and thrive within the Western community more. When someone asks me where I’m from and I say Melbourne, they’ll ask again “No where are you really from?” This question has been asked to me, and has more than likely been asked to many Asian-Australian’s in this school.
It’s important for me to say that the specifications with Shang Chi’s more fantasised side isn’t considered offensive. Many second generation immigrants like myself are fascinated with their cultural background and are excited to reconnect with their roots, so it is a relatable theme. But it nevertheless feels like a cliché trope. This movie is saying Chinese-Americans are more Chinese than American. Especially with the oppression of the Asian community in the last few years, this is sadly not enough.
Being everlasting foreigners, people will only see our differences. This makes people less willing to understand us - sympathise with us - even talk to us. It can make people more justified to attack us, and leave behind a nightmarish scene of agony. Only when we set aside others' differences, will there be no imaginary cultural barrier to stop us from communicating with one another.
Shang Chi is an amazing movie, its intention is good-hearted, and it does its best to humanise Asian immigrants. In that case, I'm satisfied. But putting all the effort to show how we are different in order to further alienate our ethnicity, may not be as helpful today. Marvel has accomplished cultural appreciation with Black Panther, and it achieved even better with Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Marvel will definitely humanise Shang Chi more effectively in future sequels to better represent Asian Immigrants.
Unfortunately, money always wins. With mainland China being the most popular film market right now, it’s understandable why Marvel wants to represent China more than it wants to represent Asian Immigrants. Nonetheless I am beginning to feel more at home in this Western world. I am trying my best to fit into my birthplace of China, and my home of Australia, I belong to both worlds. Asian-Australians are both Asian and Australian. We are a part of this beautiful country. Why go so far into the past and search for our unique cultures, when we all share the same culture here.
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