I don’t know about you, but I have definitely spent more time consuming media since the world moved into a virtual and hybrid era. Screens are now the way to see the world, and for the world to see ourselves. As BLM and Stop Asian Hate movements catalyzed national conversations on race, the norm is gradually shifting to include more diversity. While I was growing up, I experienced a combination of misrepresentation and lack of representation of my identities, but I am SO glad that harmful stereotypes, a.k.a. the danger of the single story, are being replaced by more complex and varied portrayals.
Since we are at the end of the year, I wanted to put together a non-exhaustive list of media I enjoyed from this year with Chinese/Chinese-American representation. These are just a handful, but I am grateful for them nonetheless due to their impact.
1. Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is a Chinese action role-playing game in the fantasy open-world of Teyvat, which is home to seven nations, representing seven elements. During the Traveler’s adventures, the second nation visited in the story is called Liyue, which is inspired by China. I know the game technically came out last year, but I didn’t start playing until the start of this year, and it definitely deserves a place on this list.
Seeing an international community learn how to pronounce names like Zhongli, Xiangling, Xingqiu, Keqing, and dozens of other characters and places was transformational, and a huge step forward from my experience with kids who claimed they could speak Chinese by making “ching chong” noises to me on the playground. I play in the Chinese voiceover, and it gives me a comforting feeling to see the Liyue characters appreciated and portrayed with a variety of personalities and stories.
The exceptional soundtrack from Genshin Impact blends the symphonic style with traditional Chinese instruments, and it truly helped me appreciate my culture more. And there were definitely bangers too: according to Spotify’s year in review, Rex Incognito from Zhongli’s trailer was my top track!
Lastly, the illuminated beasts and other characters that appeared in the cast taught me more about Chinese mythology and folktales, such as Qilin, Yakshas, Xiezhi, and Jiangshi. Despite the fiction available to me growing up, not all mythological creatures are from Greece and Rome…!
Besides the cultural representation, I praise Genshin for their thoughtful world-building (based on Gnosticism, if you’re interested), stunning visuals, smooth combat experience, and storyline, with lots and lots of lore to dig into.
My critique: I wish there was a greater diversity of body shapes and skin tones among the characters. And of course, the gacha, RNG, and time-gating can be… painful. Sometimes I see that community members can be toxic, but I personally have not encountered such people in co-op mode or in online groups. Because miHoYo does operate under Chinese censorship, there are many ships that are implied, but not necessarily canonical, which can be unsatisfying at times.
Have you played this game? Planning to download it? Let me know in the comments!
2. Word of Honor (山河令)
Word of Honor is a wuxia costume drama about two soulmates (ahem, MLM alert) with mutually redemptive arcs. There is no shortage of Chinese dramas, but I wanted to give this one a try because this past year, I had watched Heaven Official’s Blessing (天官赐福) and The Untamed (陈情令), which are both series (available on Netflix) based on novels by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu — so I was thriving on the xianxia/boy love genre.
Honestly, it is refreshing to sit through entertainment that has no English in it whatsoever. Even though I am most comfortable conversing in English, there is something about being immersed in a good story in my parents’ mother tongue, where I can understand most of the dialogue (subtitles go a long way too!). Similar to how many Americans were surprised that they weren’t the center of the world when Squid Game came out, I too am unlearning the Western gaze on my culture and identity.
Apart from the fact that the main characters are Chinese, gay, and outrageously flirtatious (how it got through censorship, who knows?), the story had well developed characters, themes on chosen family, plots around generational grudges and loyalties, and intense fight sequences. Forewarning about the tear-jerking endings: it’s easy to grow attached to the characters within the 36 episodes.
My main critique is the misrepresentation of a character with Dwarfism, whose entire character arc revolved around hating his disability and desiring a cure.
Watch on Netflix or YouTube! Do you have suggestions on what C-drama I should watch next?
3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
This list would not be complete without Shang-Chi, who made history this year as Marvel’s first Asian-lead superhero!
As someone who has been watching superhero movies since the late 2000’s, it was such a rich experience to see the integration of the MCU with the wuxia genre. It also felt true to the variety of Chinese-American experiences.
I had known Simu Liu from my one season of watching Kim’s Convenience, and his occasional posting in the Facebook group, subtle asian traits. According to my mom (and other mainlanders), his looks are pretty average, so it’s funny to her that lots of folks are melting over him. Regrettably, I did not know Tony Leung beforehand, because I grew up watching Western films, but his portrayal of Xu Wenwu is probably my favorite Marvel “villain” now.
This was done well! but there have been many other reviews that could speak more intelligibly on those details. I do have two (2) hot (?) takes…
Critique #1: The film should have been produced as “Shang-Qi,” because we are long past the Wade-Giles era of romanization, and it feels inconsistent in our time. If the awful “fu-manchu” character could have been rewritten to Wenwu, I think Marvel can make this small change. Yes, I know it’s easier for Western audiences to pronounce Chi, but my dad’s name is literally Qi, and he deserves that.
Critique #2: Ugh, subtitles. Did not do the Chinese lines justice. For example, Wenwu delivers this heck of a burn: “小子，你对我说话尊重一点。我吃的盐比你吃的饭多” or “Kid, show more respect when you talk to me. I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice” was totally lost in translation. I felt like I was having a totally different experience than everyone else in the theatre. But at the same time, that also felt like a gift.
Speaking of the MCU, “Eternals” also came out this year. I’m still eagerly waiting for the film to become available on Disney+, but I have already heard that it has done a fantastic job of representing the Asian, Deaf/HOH, and LGBTQIA+ communities!!
4. Disney’s Launchpad: “Dinner Is Served” and “The Little Prince(ss)”
There was a series of six independent short films released on Disney+ this year, two of which featured Chinese/Chinese-American stories. These are the most “slice of life” pieces of media on my list.
“Dinner Is Served” is about a Chinese student attending an American boarding school who tries out for the maître d’ position, but experiences tokenization as an international student. Although I had a completely different experience as an ABC who went to international school in China, and then returned to America for college, I still experienced some sweating in my eyes to see the code-switching between family and school, and the defiance of the model minority myth at the end. Side note: the main actor has the same name as my dad, which I thought was very cool!
“The Little Prince(ss)” is about Gabriel, a feminine young boy who likes ballet and pink, and his friend, Rob. Their parents show a range of parenting styles and views on self-expression. I had heard the same expression Rob’s father had used on my brothers, roughly “boys don’t cry.” When Rob’s father confronts Gabriel’s family about his behavior, their response of acceptance and pride in their son reduced me to a puddle.
The other films in this series are called “American Eid,” “Growing Fangs,” “The Last of the Chupucabras,” and “Let’s Be Tigers,” and they all showcase diversity. Hopefully there will be more to come!
Have you seen these short films? I haven’t heard much discussion on this series. Let me know which one is your favorite!
5. Wish Dragon
Wish Dragon is an animated children’s film with a pretty lit cast, and it follows the Aladdin tropes of discovering a genie-teapot-dragon that grants wishes, and a boy that wants to get with a girl above his social class.
It didn’t have as big of an impact on me as the other entertainment on this list, but it was nice to see another piece of representation this year! When I was younger, I only had Mulan, and while she is inspiring, it hits differently now that there are options. Ahh. It’s heartwarming and wholesome.
6. New Gods: Nezha Reborn
Nezha is a very memorable character from Chinese mythology. I grew up watching a cartoon series about his legend, so it was epic to get a high quality, steampunk, superhero-style movie about a modern reincarnation! Light Chaser Animation Studios also released White Snake 2 this year, and produces high-quality films in general.
7. Sesame Street: See Us Coming Together Special
Ji-Young is the new neighbor on Sesame Street who loves to play her guitar and eat dukbokki! Even though it’s “for kids,” this episode hit deep for me, and it’s what my inner child needed. Ji-Young is Korean, and in this special episode, we also meet a lot of AAPI neighbors, including someone mentioned earlier on this list, and they talk about their careers, cultural foods, and experiences.
The way Ji-Young and her friends talk about her identity shows us that it is never early to talk about racism, cultural diversity, and how to support one another. I’m so grateful for the diverse faces that appeared in this episode and the direction that Sesame Street is heading in! Personally, I can’t watch this episode with dry eyes.
Honorable Mentions
“Raya and the Last Dragon” is a fantasy animation based on Southeast Asian cultures, and stars several East Asian voice actors. I acknowledge that relatively speaking, East Asians tend to get more representation, so it would be great to have more specific cultural narratives out there in addition to this pan-regional fantasy world. Overall, we still need to do more to represent Southeast, South, Central, and Western Asians. I thought it was a great movie overall!
Alina Starkov in Netflix’s “Shadow and Bone” is a mixed-race Grisha from fantasy regions based on China and Russia. Disclaimer that I haven’t seen the full series and can’t speak to its quality.
Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments!
Wrapping Up
Getting all of these summaries and thoughts into a post was a beautiful but emotional trip down the 2021 memory lane. I hope that you check some of these out if you haven’t already, and here’s to more diversity in the media in the years to come!
I can’t overstate how influential, for better or worse, media (social or otherwise) can be on mental health, body image, and sense of identity. I still feel that I am operating from a deficit of representation, but that gap is slowly healing.
Also … it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. Frankly, in order to cope with the emotional burden of existing as a nonbinary Chinese-American with mental illness, I found it necessary to protect myself from the spotlight for a bit. Right now, I’m feeling good, so no need for concern 🙂
I cannot guarantee regular entries in the future, but I love having the opportunity to share what’s on my mind, when it feels right for me.
I hope you are at peace wherever this may find you, dear readers.
Sun Requiem 