The Problem With Shang-Chi: Racism, Stereotypes, and Kung Fu

Although Hollywood has somewhat distanced itself from the perpetuation of Asian stereotypes such as the background comedy relief or the exotic Asian woman, it evidently still has quite a ways to go. Some of these modern-day stereotypes are harder to recognize as they are masked by a character's otherwise heroic, or desirable qualities. I believe Hollywood’s struggle comes from its audience, many times I feel like the movies I watch about my culture are not written for me but about me. However, this difference is significant as it oftentimes leads to a false sense of representation, especially for young and impressionable audiences. To be truly represented in film means to see aspects of your personal way of life, it is not seeing an unrecognizable and exterior perception of your culture projected onto the big screen, no matter how positive the light.  

Shang-Chi exudes a stereotype best described by Charles Yu in Interior Chinatown as “Kung Fu Guy.” “Kung Fu Guy” embodies not only the admirable and powerful traits aspiring actors seek but also the highest achievement one can possibly reach as an Asian in the industry. Yu’s satirical screenplay pokes at Asian stereotypes that seem to have Asian actors in a stiffening chokehold. His character, Willis Wu only ever aspired to play one role, a Kung Fu master. He describes the feeling of seeing this role for the very first time and wondering, “Who is that, that is not just some Generic Asian Man, that is a star, maybe not a real, regular star, let’s not get crazy, we are talking about Chinatown here, maybe A Very Special Guest Star, which for your people is the ceiling, is the terminal, ultimate, exalted position for any Asian working in this world, the thing every Oriental Male dreams of when he is in the background, trying to blend in. Kung Fu Guy.” After years of derogatory roles which portrayed Asian people as uneducated and somewhat inhuman, there was finally a persona that didn’t seem so bad; In fact, he was more than good, he was strong, brave and most importantly he was not cast aside, hidden under the shadows of another. Bruce Lee, to me, is the most notable “Kung Fu Guy.” He decorated the 1970s with his martial arts movies and set a new standard for Asian Men in film. 

So what is the problem with all this? After this new portrayal of a not weak, but strong Asian man was widely accepted it was then exhausted. There were not many other movies at the time that featured different personas other than the one Kung Fu Guy. After reading Interior Chinatown, I felt like Marvel’s 2021 movie was taking me back in time. 

The settings only added to the outdated-ness of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Marvel not only cast Simu Liu as an obsolete character but also depicted his “homeland” as this never-advancing world, unlike the West. This furthers the space between Shang-Chi’s two identities as if it were a legitimate fictional universe. When they finally return back to New York every aspect of his “cultural journey” remains in this fantasy land.  

Evidently, Interior Chinatown concludes when Willis Wu decides to break free from the stereotypes that came with his profession to just be a dad. He first becomes immersed in the anger of continuously not fitting into any of the available roles. As a result, he literally begins to break down the walls of the racist institution that wronged him. His character is a mere symbol of countless Asian males’ relationships with media like this film.

Hollywood taught us that this was “the ceiling” and that what young actors should aim to do is fill the hollowness of the uncast stereotypes written by Hollywood itself. What audiences always seem to forget is someone doesn’t have to have an unbearably inaccurate accent to be a movie stereotype. Portraying this role as if it is the epitome of “Asianess” is to say that we will never transcend our characters, not just on the screen, but in the greater scope of the world. Marvel could have done a better job of developing the originality of Shang-Chi as a character so that he resembled the audience more than the Asian male in previously profitable films. Validating a stereotype demotes the ideals of individualism, authentication, and separation that we need to be reminded to work against. Limited choices limit what one can imagine for himself. It is not to say that dreaming of playing a kung fu master is bad, but that it is okay to dream of even more.