In Taipei People, Pai Hsien-Yung (Kenneth Pai) captures a hauntingly beautiful snapshot of Chinese identity through the lives of Waishengren, mainland Chinese like Pai who fled to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War.

Often bourgeoisie or military, many Waishengren brought cultural artifacts over to Taiwan that still remain on the island. However, Pai’s stories hold one treasure above all: memories of youthful romance and revolution. This treasure hypnotizes Pai’s characters into a state of inertia — they are unable to put down the past to confront the present. To them, a life in Taiwan or in the West could never surpass their memories of the mainland. Pai does not pass moral judgement on the cause of his characters’ displacement — little is said about Communist forces or of the native Taiwanese. His fourteen short stories focus on these exiled Chinese spirits who stubbornly hold onto the dreams of an aborted republic.

Pai’s people are my people — my maternal grandfather arrived in Taiwan as a young Nationalist Party official tasked with managing the Japanese handover while my paternal grandfather evacuated the mainland as a Republic of China air force mechanic. My image of them is patched together solely from the perspective and experiences of their dutiful children — my parents.

One grandfather’s temperamental brilliance lives on in my mother’s wistful smile as she recalls how he pushed her to graduate top of her class but refused correspondence for years after she opted not to attend Stanford’s business school. The other’s sturdy handicraft survives in my father’s steady hand which built the dental practice that supports our family. Separated from my ancestors by oceans of time and space, I never had the opportunity to be regaled by their dalliances, daydreams, and regrets. Thankfully, Pai’s vivid artistry and Patia Yasin’s nuanced co-translation have helped me fill a crucial void in my family history. Their stories offer a brief glimpse into the private lives of my ancestor’s peers: socialites, taxi girls, and retired military men from across China who while away their days dreaming of the mainland. Each toast of Kaoliang liquor, each playful barb traded over mahjong tiles, and each retelling of a well-worn war story breathes more life into my grandparents’ memory.

“Don’t forget that you will always be Chinese.” No statement was emphasized to me more during my childhood. But as the world is presented with a Chinese culture drastically different from the one my grandparents sought to preserve, I find myself constantly questioning what being Chinese means to me in 2020. Who dictates the direction of Chinese identity? How will I convey my heritage to my future children? While Pai’s vignettes do not provide me with all of the answers, they offer intimate insight into my past that frees me to determine my own future.

Don’t worry world. America’s got this.

The United States— coming off a big game 7 series-clinching W from the Cold War— was the unquestioned leader of the free world. Each summer we tuned in to reaffirm that message and see how courageous Americans would pull the world’s ass out of the frying pan once again.

Science fiction disaster films like Armageddon and Independence Day were perfect mechanisms to deliver this message of American Exceptionalism. The stakes are naturally ratcheted up to a global scale, and each character is responsible for representing the views of an entire nation. These circumstances create a unique situation for filmmakers to illustrate their version of the global hierarchy. What countries are included in the group destined to save the world? Who will be the protagonist nation’s closest allies? Who will stand in their way? Who will be left out of the picture? And most importantly: which country will save the day?

In episode 23 of The Electric Image Express, Mazy Yap and Eric Lee join us to examine how the People’s Republic of China answer these questions in China’s first science fiction epic: The Wandering Earth. The Wandering Earth shares the same crazy science, unnecessary melodrama, and national message as Armageddon, and is worth watching just to observe who the CCP approved as friends and potential allies: A Chinese astronaut gets help from his Russian cosmonaut buddy to uncover a hidden plot. Chinese military race to an Indonesian station to deliver a crucial payload.

Don’t worry world. China’s got this.

Sci-fi epics in general mirror their real life space programs— the scale, skill, and technical resources needed are restricted to a few select countries. A successful domestic production gives that country’s movie industry a certain level of prestige.

For better or worse, inclusion in the Hollywood version of these movies as crew members, rival factions or even outright villains shows your country is influential enough to occupy space in the American collective conscious. Japan and China are the two Asian nations that have occupied the most Hollywood sci-fi screen time, neatly coinciding with their real life threat perceived by Americans to the USA.

Japan reached its economic prime in the 1980s: affordable, well-made Japanese electronics began flooding the US market lining the pockets of cash-flush Japanese businesses who started aggressively purchasing US property. Some of this cash also found its way to Japanese animation studios, allowing them to churn out daring new cyberpunk stories like Akira (which we revisited in episode 15) and Ghost in the Shell. The exportation of commodities, cash, and culture began to seep into the minds of Americans. Blade Runner is the movie that best encapsulates this phenomenon, setting the tale in a dystopian 2019 Los Angeles rife with Japanese and Cantonese influences.

“どうぞ” the ramen cook says to Deckard, asking him to please take a seat.

Fast forward 20-odd years and China supplants Japan as the representative Asian sci-fi power at roughly the same time the PRC’s GDP overtakes Japan’s. Here are some key movies in the time frame and the relevant characters involved:

* Sunshine (2007): Saneda Hiroyuki and Michelle Yeoh are part of an international crew aboard the Icarus II that tries to restart the sun.

* The Dark Knight (2008): Ng Chin Han plays corrupt businessman Lau who unsuccessfully tries to escape Batman by fleeing to Hong Kong.

* Inception (2010): Ken Watanabe plays Saito, the Japanese businessman backing the dream thieves’ reverse-heist.

The Lau Effect: China overtakes Japan in GDP and in Hollywood

After 2010, China overshadows Japan in the genre. Chinese characters quickly evolve from side plots and environmental obstacles (like the Tiangong space station Sandra Bullock and George Clooney try to use to escape back to Earth in Gravity (2013)) to key plot drivers (rescue space crew in The Martian (2015)) and antagonists (General Shang and the Chinese military in Arrival (2016)).

By the time American viewers are watching Sandra enter the Tiangong, the majority already have an unfavorable view of China. I couldn’t help notice the tonal shift between the helpful space crew of The Martian who tap into their humanity to save Matt Damon and the belligerent and hardheaded Chinese military in Arrival coinciding with a change to a presidential administration with a more confrontational strategy with China. (Trade wars, COVID, Huawei, Tik Tok etc.) Where Japan is associated with tech futurism, China’s portrayal more closely resembles the Russians in Cold War fears of the past.

These portrayals are not necessarily troublesome by themselves, but can be problematic if constantly delivered by the hands of mainly White Hollywood creators as they can exacerbate economic-induced xenophobia with roots all the way back to the Yellow Peril and veer into Techno-Orientalism:

“The phenomenon of imagining Asia and Asians in hypo- or hyper-technological terms in literary, cinematic, and new media representations, while critically examining the stereotype of Asians as both technologically advanced and intellectually primitive, in dire need of Western consciousness-raising.”

However if we tie this back to The Wandering Earth, we can see that lazy writers of any culture can produce problematic stereotypes at the highest level: The only Western character with any meaningful lines is Tim, a stereotypical bumbling idiot inserted for comic relief.

“Hi, I’m Tim. I’m half Chinese half Australian but my hair is bleached white and I only wear white clothes. All of my scenes are designed for people to make laugh at me.”

Today a Chinese kid can sit down with his father and watch brave Chinese astronauts save the world. Science fiction allows us to portray a future we want to see, but can also perpetuate hardened world-views. As always, the message is this: the more well-researched content created by a diverse group of writers and directors we have, the brighter our future will look.

Enjoyed this article? Subscribe to get bi-weekly thoughts on Asian American representation and Asian film directly to your inbox.

Further Reading:

Chloe Gong: TECHNO-ORIENTALISM IN SCIENCE FICTION

Pew Research: U.S. Views of China Turn Sharply Negative Amid Trade Tensions

Variety: China Issues Guidelines on Developing a Sci-Fi Film Sector

NYT: How Chinese Sci Fi Conquered America

The rules:

* Modern: The player has to have played professionally in the last 20 years.

* Professional: The player must have competed as a professional athlete. as of August 2020

* Diverse: Each team must have at least one athlete who competed in a team sport and one athlete who competed in an individual sport.

Now, let’s get to know our GMs:

Picking first is… Sean Niu! To the surprise of no one, the author and owner of this draft has given himself the first overall pick, putting himself in pole position to dictate the message and direction of this creative exercise.

In second is… Kamala Harris! Fast off of her nomination as the first Asian American Vice President candidate, she continues her momentum by participating in this incredibly important and popular event. What a week it’s been for Kamala as she looks to charm the Asian American voters and kick Trump out of office.

Finally, our third participant is…my god, is that Bruce Lee? Somehow Bruce, the most celebrated Asian American athlete of all time has made a surprise appearance from the hereafter for this draft! Incredible! I’m sure the athletes will be eager to be drafted by Bruce and be mentored by this legend of legends.

Now that we’ve met our GMs, let’s get right into the draft.

1st Round

Sean: With the number one overall pick of the Electric Dreams Modern Asian American Athlete draft…. I’m picking my fellow Taiwanese-American, NBA point guard Jeremy Lin. What else did you expect? I’m a little biased, but Jeremy Lin checks all the boxes. 10 years on, Linsanity is still the most electric and feel good stretch of play involving an Asian American athlete. But before the euphoria, Jeremy was already breaking barriers as the first modern Asian American NBA player (shout out to Wat Misaka) whose journey to NBA success included overcoming well-documented racial abuse. Andrew and I praised him in Episode 21 for not only overcoming racial stereotypes but also embracing the mantle as an Asian American icon. No matter how much love he might get from our community, responsibly repping Asian America surely was an added responsibility that most NBA players don’t encounter when they’re trying to prove they belong in the League. Although not as dominant in his sport as later picks, Jeremy still carved out an excellent career as a constantly dangerous offensive weapon and on the ball threat, and his effort was recently rewarded when he became the first Asian American NBA champion. Finally, his Chinese heritage and breakthrough in one of the fastest growing global sports means he is one of the most impactful stars on this list. Combining all these factors, I’m thrilled to pick him first overall. (Jeremy also formed the first Asian American starting backcourt in NBA history when he played with Jordan Clarkson on the Lakers)

Kamala: Well, in that case, I am delighted to pick my fellow bi-racial superstar, Thai-American golfer Tiger Woods! Honestly I’m surprised he fell to me at second. The #1 overall pick in Dave Chappelle’s Race Draft, he’s a steal at #2. We all know he’s the modern golf GOAT, and with a Masters win last year his redemption arc is virtually complete. I really don’t think I need to say more about Tiger. His game and legacy speaks for itself.

Bruce: Good choice Kamala. Greatness should be recognized. Like Tiger, my pick is also one of the greatest at his sport. He also made the wise choice to pursue a career in film as well. I pick Samoan-American wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

…What? The judges are telling me wrestling isn’t a sport anymore? What the hell is the WWF? Actors? That’s ridiculous. No problem. I can be like water. I will change my pick to Chinese-American figure skater Michelle Kwan, the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history. Unfortunate she never won a Gold, but she dominated figure skating for over a decade. Her later involvement in politics as a public policy ambassador bridging ages, genders, and nationalities is an added dimension that I want in all my great Asian American athletes.

2nd Round

With the first pick of the second round, I’m choosing Samoan American NFL safety Troy Polamalu. One of the greatest defensive players of his generation, 2x champion, a true fearsome warrior and icon for one of the most storied franchises in America’s most popular sport. He also commercialized his hair in one one of the most memorable commercial series starring a football player.

Kamala: Thank you Bruce for letting this pick drop to me, as I’m delighted to choose Japanese American tennis player Naomi Osaka. Don’t worry. I checked with the judges. Even though she gave up her US citizenship to play for Japan in 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she deserves to be here. Naomi grew up in a multicultural household in New York speaking 3 languages, you can’t get more American than that. Although she’s only 22 she already has 2 grand slams and is the first Asian American to hold the #1 rank in singles. A quick browse through her Twitter feed easily lets you know she speaks her own damn mind and is constantly advocating for female empowerment and racial justice.

Sean: Kamala, I think you got a steal there. hopefully the future is full of global citizen stars like Naomi. I’m going to follow your pick with another young star—Korean American snowboarder Chloe Kim. Chloe is the youngest woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal in snowboarding and first halfpipe champion in all 4 major events. She’s only 20, continues to rack up firsts for women in snowboarding feats, and is set up to be a young GOAT in her sport.

Third Round

To start the third round I’m following Bruce’s cue and taking Troy’s former teammate, Korean American NFL wide receiver Hines Ward. Hines is the first and only Asian-American to win the Super Bowl MVP— meaning he was the best player in the most important sporting event in America. Talk about having an impact on the field. Hines leveraged his success and fame into advocating for acceptance of foreigners in Korea— especially mixed race individuals like himself. Barack Obama also appointed him on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders… a commission that I didn’t know existed…but that’s cool! Who knew the mid 00s Steelers was Asia America’s team?

Kamala: Not me! Always been a Niners fan. I’m also going to use this opportunity to pick from another of my favorite teams and choose Filipino American MLB pitcher Tim Lincecum. I’ll never forget the 3 World Series championships he brought to San Francisco and his dominant run that earned him multiple Cy Young awards while I was attorney general.

Bruce: Baseball is still America’s pastime right?…. right? Well at least it looks like martial arts and combat sports have taken off in America. I’m pleased to take the first martial artist off the board by choosing Korean-American mixed martial artist BJ Penn. BJ caught my eye with his reputation as a quick learner— he earned his black belt in BJJ in only 3 years and then quickly became the first American to gold medal at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. More famously he later established himself as one of the best lightweight fighters in the world and one of the only fighters to win titles in multiple weight classes. He was one of the initial inductees of the Modern Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. Great to see another Asian American excel at martial arts.

Fourth Round

For my fourth pick, I’m going back to dominant athletes on ice and picking Japanese-American inline skater Apollo Ohno. He is the youngest skater to win a World Cup event title, the first American to win a World Cup overall title, and is the most decorated athlete in Winter Olympics history. Bar none. Picking one of the greatest athletes in the Olympics in round 4 seems like a steal to me, and a big W for Asian Americans. Apollo continued to extend his presence in the American eye by competing and winning the 4th season of Dancing with the Stars. I have a soft spot for multi-disciplinary excellence.

Kamala: Bruce, a lot has changed in the last 40 years. Football is America’s pastime now, and it’s time for me to pick an athlete from our most loved sport… and I select Chinese-American NFL safety Patrick Chung. He’s played a key role in pass defense of the most consistently dominant team in American sports of the last 20 years… the New England Patriots. Patrick has helped the Patriots win 3 of the last 6 Super Bowls…and I. pick. winners.

Sean: Asian Americans appear to dominate at football and ice skating. That makes a lot of sense. I’m going to continue the run of famous Asian-American football stars because 1. It really is our favorite sport by a wide margin and 2. It’s the pinnacle of testosterone-fueled masculinity. Our successful presence in the NFL across multiple positions is a direct middle finger to the meek Asian male stereotype. With a nod to Korean-American Kyler Murray, Tongan-American Haloti Ngata, Vietnamese-American Dat Nguyen, and Chinese-American Taylor Rapp, I’m going to pick Samoan-American NFL quarterback Marcus Mariota simply because Quarterback is THE alpha dog position in football, and arguably across all sports. To be a successful quarterback in today’s NFL you have to be athletic, skilled, and also charismatic as hell to earn the respect of your team. Quarterbacks are also the most famous players in the NFL and often the only recognizable faces for the casual fan. While Kyler has a higher ceiling, Marcus has a longer track record— including success in the playoffs— while matching Kyler’s college achievements by winning his own Heisman. Even if Mariota’s career has sputtered recently, he’s still young enough to make a resurgence. When Asian Americans bring up NFL players, they often cite Dat—maybe that’s because Dat is very visibly East Asian while you can tell the other guys are mixed race or are Pacific Islanders. A hall of fame-level asian af-looking hall of fame-level quarterback would truly shatter the stereotype: Marcus doesn’t quite check the box, but he is progress.

Fifth Round

And with my last pick, I’m going to pick our first soccer star. This was not an easy choice— but I’m picking Chinese-American MLS forward Brian Ching. I really wanted to pick our first Vietnamese-American Lee Nguyen here, and Lee did have a greater regular season peak, (having scored the most goals from a midfielder and named 1 of 3 finalists for the 2014 MLS MVP award) but Brian is a veritable MLS legend. His club success far exceeds Lee’s, winning 3 MLS Cups and being named MVP for one of those championships. Brian is also the all time leading scorer for the Houston Dynamo. Equally as important is Brian’s international record, where he has represented the USMNT in the World Cup and scored in qualifiers. He’s the only Asian American drafted so far that has represented America in a “team” sport. (Unless you want to count the Ryder Cup) Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, and is a sport where our perceived shortcomings (namely height) shouldn’t hinder how scouts evaluate Asian Americans. An Asian-American soccer star helping Pulisic lead the USMNT to real international success would be a dream come true.

Kamala: With the final pick for Team Kamala, I’m going with a woman who pushed the gender boundaries of her sport—Korean-American golfer Michelle Wie. While Korean ladies from South Korea dominate the LPGA and have accumulated more accolades than Michelle, many cite her as inspiration for her willingness to challenge in the PGA tour. She never reached her projected ceiling, but still won a major in 2014 and deserves to be recognized for helping other women dream bigger.

Bruce: And to finish my team, I’m picking an athlete from another untouched sport: Chinese-American swimmer Nathan Adrian. Not only is he a decorated warrior in the pool, winning 5 gold medals across 3 Olympics as an anchor for the men’s relay team, but he also has overcome great adversity in his fight with testicular cancer. After his diagnosis, he went on to win more medals in the World Championships and plans to qualify for Tokyo.

Well, there you have it folks. The First Electric Dreams Asian American Athlete draft is over. Let’s see the teams and hear from our GMs:

Team Sean:Jeremy Lin, Chloe Kim, Hines Ward, Marcus Mariota, Brian Ching

My team has legends, new superstars, and most importantly—Asian faces in some of the most important positions in American sports: NBA guards and NFL quarterbacks.

Team Kamala: Tiger Woods, Naomi Osaka, Tim Lincecum, Patrick Chung, Michelle Wie

My team features people from all over Asia and the world— as well as activists and trail blazers fighting gender boundaries as well as Asian stereotypes. Oh did I mention I have Tiger Woods?

Team Bruce: Michelle Kwan, Troy Polamalu, BJ Penn, Apollo Ohno, Nathan Adrian

My team dominates on ice, on the field, in the arena, and in the water. Everyone of my selections is or will be in the hall of fame of their sport. What better way to celebrate Asian American greatness than to show we can succeed in any environment?

Honorable Mentions that just missed the cut: Johnny Chan (Poker), Johnny Damon (MLB), Rickie Fowler (PGA), Cung Le (MMA), Nathan Chen (Figure Skating), Shibutani Twins (Figure Skating), Tua Tagovailoa (College Football), Justin Wong (eSports)

Who do you think won?

Vote here

Which would you choose?

http://misterjius.com/

https://www.yanksing.com/

https://rnglounge.com/

https://www.haidilao.com/en/index/index.html

Depending on your demographic and mood, you probably came to wildly different decisions. Each website represents a different ownership mindset and business model. Compared to other popular food-discovery platforms like Yelp or Instagram, your standard restaurant website gives the restaurateur creative freedom to put their best foot forward for their desired clientele.

Taste the Nation sprung from Padma’s work as an ACLU ambassador on immigration, and the human embodiment of “effortlessly charismatic” doesn’t hide that her show focuses as much on the stories of the minorities behind the wok as it does glamorizing the dishes they serve. In this episode, Padma and her guests thoughtfully chose an eclectic mix of restaurants that represent the different personas within Chinese America and the varying visions they have for Chinese American cuisine.

In Episode 20, Akshay and Eric join me in revisiting Padma’s adventure through Chinatown. After giving our own recommendations for the best SF Chinatown (and adjacent) restaurants, we asked each other: where does Chinese Food’s future lie in America?

Mister Jiu’s and Yank Sing are both run by young owners: Brandon Jew and Vera Chan-Waller, but one is a maverick chef and rising star in the hip culinary world while the other is an heiress to a multi-generational culinary kingdom. Accordingly, they have pushed Chinese Food in completely different directions.

Mister Jiu’s: Brandon Jew unabashedly molds his restaurant and menu to help his trendy, in-the-know customers associate Chinese food (and specifically, Chinese Bay Area food) with quality over value. Brandon is close to hitting IG Foodie BINGO by proudly displaying his Michelin star and James Beard nominations (catnip to the #foodporn crowd) while draping his take out in Millennial Pink.

“When people say, ‘Why is this so expensive?’ I’d like if they thought about that for Italian food or French food,” he said. “The sophistication of Chinese food is just as high.

“It’s like, I’m sure you’re not complaining about the price of the agnolotti that was last night’s roast that’s ground up,” he continued. “A leftover dumpling that’s basically served back to you.”

Yank Sing: Vera Chan-Waller was groomed from youth to be the 3rd generation owner of her family’s dim sum dynasty. Her father (Henry Chan) not only passed down hugely successful restaurants but also a determination to "uplift the vision of dim sum."

Henry’s vision in 2005:

Henry Chan realized that to succeed, Yank Sing should set itself apart from other dim sum restaurants. He thought it needed to become a restaurant that appealed to middle-class "Americans," not just Chinese and adventurous Caucasians. And that meant moving out of Chinatown, where he says cutthroat competition was keeping food quality low and bathrooms filthy.

Vera has certainly displayed this vision on her website. A luxurious close-up shot of a xiao long bao and elegantly displayed tagline promises “Contemporary & Traditional Dim Sum.” Note: “Contemporary” takes precedent over “Traditional.”

Both restaurants are trying to re-imagine Chinese American cuisine as something more than Chop Suey and dumplings— something Americans would open more of their hearts and wallets to enjoy. Brandon and Vera aren’t alone. The next generation of ABC restaurateurs all over the nation are aiming their sights higher and asking more from their clientele.

These ambitions are important, but selfishly I wonder: where does that leave the food? At [41:13] of the pod, we start listing our favorite SF Chinatown restaurants, including at least one from Padma’s show. None of us picked Yank Sing and Mister Jiu’s. Our unanimous winner was R&G Lounge because at the end of the day, the most delicious dish wins out. Authentic Cantonese flavors mattered more than interesting new takes on old classics or kitschy Instagram posts about old family memories.

R&G Lounge: Judging by its matter-of-fact early 00s webfront (and having eaten there many times) Kinson Wong, the owner who founded the restaurant in 1985 (he likes to say R&G stands for “Real Good”) still calls the shots and focuses on his dishes instead of his digital presence. Without looking into their finances, I would guess that R&G is able to stand toe to toe with the other two on a solid combination of delicious food, prime real estate, and healthy word of mouth.

Other hole in the wall places that focus on preserving a corner of culinary tradition might not be so lucky. In New York, pod favorite 88 Lan Zhou Handmade Noodles just announced they are closing permanently. Even in a pre-COVID world, they stood on shaky ground compared to the wildly successful Xi’an Famous Foods. The Veras and Brandons are pushing American consumers to expect something more, (or perhaps something different) from Chinese restaurants. And most don’t have the budget or the savvy to appeal to broader groups outside of Henry Chan’s “Chinese and adventurous Caucasians.”

Support your local favorites

However, Henry might have overlooked a new wave of Chinese immigrants that were starting to enter the country right as he made that statement. These immigrants from mainland China were wealthier than previous generations and came in large enough numbers to create their own digital communities like Amy Duan’s Chi Huo and attract successful Chinese chains like HaiDiLiao to establish multiple branches in the US.

HaiDiLiao: The multi-national’s website is fitting for a company of its scale. Knowing that you’ve probably reached the website through other marketing channels, HaiDiLiao tries to offer the most inoffensive stylistic choices possible, focusing on providing you with efficient information on its soup bases and dishes rather than selling you on the experience. With Corporate Social Responsibility and Investor Relations more accessible than meat cuts, you would not be blamed for wondering if you’ve stumbled upon the website of a Chinese cellphone provider.

While HaiDiLiao might be on the top end of businesses benefiting from these new Chinese immigrants wanting a taste of home, smaller mom and pop shops might be able to double down on traditional flavors desired by the Chinese community to stay in business.

In a perfect world, traditional flavors and “uplifted” new takes coexist in delicious harmony. In practice, flavor often gets deprioritized for presentation and marketing. Whichever path the owner of the next Lan Zhou or Kingdom of Dumpling chooses, they should know that the IG Foodie crowd is here to stay— #foodporn close up shots and witty marketing quips are now table stakes. How do we make sure the classic flavors many of us love aren’t left behind? Maybe its time for some enterprising Asian-American MBAs to roll up their sleeves and make sure the old traditions can keep up with the New Vanguard. For the rest of us, make sure to support your local favorites—a little extra love can go a long way.

Further Reading:

Padma talks about her new show with Domino

The best damn guide to Chinese Food in the Bay

SF Gate article on Yank Sing's dim sum dynasty

LA Times: Fancy Chinese food is here to stay — and it’s about time

In Episode 19, my guests Stephanie Cheng and Michael Yap debate this choice as we revisit Infernal Affairs— a movie that has as much to say about self-agency and destiny as it does about subterfuge and the criminal underworld. Both protagonists' character arcs climax when they take decisive actions towards the future of their identity. Andy Lau's character proactively sets events in motion to erase his corrupt past, while Tony Leung makes the difficult decision to remain true to his values at the cost of his legal reputation.

To show how deeply ingrained filial piety is in Asian identity, the movie only grants our moles agency over their sense of self after literally killing their father figures. It’s a dramatic move, but the movie's message is not far off. In the podcast we center our conversation and debate different approaches to integrating our parents expectations as a core element of our identity.

“Asians don’t believe in therapy, but we believe in ghosts” -Stephanie Cheng

Stephanie strongly encourages separating ones identity from parental expectation. She believes that rejection gives you the freedom to fail and to craft an identity more suited to operating in our world of constant uncertainty. Michael stands on the other side: returning to Hong Kong after spending his youth abroad and finding fulfillment leaning into family expectations and tradition. Both of my friends have enjoyed success and happiness in their own right— demonstrating that everyone’s story requires personal examination and constant reflection.

Personally, my struggle with family tradition has led me to question the very tribes I identify with. Growing up, my parents interspersed nuggets of Chinese wisdom between efforts to give me a Hallmark American Life. These pieces of advice were usually told through idioms that my Chinese Lit major of a mother would always admonish me for not remembering. However there was one message they would never let me forget: you are, and always will be, Chinese.

This is why Billi’s father pushing back on the “always Chinese” label felt so important

Recently, I've grappled with how much that label means to me. I see a future where Chinese identity is associated with concepts incongruous with my own values. At the same time, Diasporic identity in this context feels weak and almost meaningless. To explain further, I’d like to share an excerpt from a book I am writing. The format is addressed to my (imaginary) future child:

Dear Child,

To Be Chinese

The story of China matters to us in the macro sense, and the story of Taiwan matters to us in the micro sense. Understanding the story of China (along with an equally important understanding of the history of minorities in America) will help you answer questions such as: Where did my values come from? How did my family get here? The story of Taiwan will answer other questions: What were my grandparents like? Where will I find kindred spirits?

For the first 20-odd years of my life, Taiwan was the simple answer to the oft-asked question: “Where is your family from?” (The real answer is that we were from Orange County) I knew my grandparents were from China, but I didn’t understand the careful nuances that might distinguish two Taiwanese citizens of Han Chinese descent. Now, the short answer is still Taiwan, but I always feel the urge to follow it up with a brief history lesson: without China you’re not painting the full picture.

Our family’s path through China and Taiwan matter, and they are sequential acts to the same story. There is no proper delineation. However I want to focus on China first for a couple of reasons: 1) practically speaking, I want to trace our roots back as far as possible and 2) because I believe there will be a tremendous shift in the perception of Chinese identity from when I write this to when you read it.

What does it mean to be Chinese? What are true Chinese values? I, nor anyone else can give you a definitive answer. But the question of Chinese identity dearly matters to our family…

….We are part of the wave of Chinese Diaspora born from World War 2 and the Chinese Civil War. Our elders escaped persecution by the Japanese and reeducation by the Communists and fled to Taiwan, America, Canada, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and many other parts of the world where they had the freedom to teach us what they believed it meant to be Chinese. But will any of it matter to the rest of the world compared to the money and power of 1.5 billion Mainland Chinese who say otherwise? They share a closer set of values and history underneath a single flag, while the rest of us remain fragmented as we assimilate into other cultures. I want to advise you to not let what the world thinks influence what you believe, but I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t tell you it will impact your life.

My parents still hold out hope that one day China, their homeland, will adopt a democratic system. Their parents were involved in the defense of the Republic of China on the mainland and its establishment on the island of Taiwan, and thus they hold this hope close to their heart as a remembrance of the blood, sweat and tears of their mothers and fathers. However, I do not share the same hope. All the evidence points otherwise. The government censors information, builds technology to monitor and control its people, and cracks down with extreme prejudice on any minority group that wants to speak its mind. If I have to bet, I would wager that by the time you are reading this China will be closer to a police state than a full-fledged democracy. Like true Confucian citizens, my parents think only about the long, long, long term future of China. They don’t care if they are not around to see it. In my Westernized opinion-- what’s the point?

I also believe that as an ancient culture, we are taught to think for the long term-- we are taught to look beyond our own lives: cherish the sacrifices our ancestors made and continue to sacrifice for our children. That mindset definitely influences me to write to you. But I’m not sure I carry the same mindset of sacrifice for your generation as my parents did. By the time you read this, I might have left this identity behind. I chronicle our history for you here, but leave the choice to you.

Earlier in 2020, COVID-19-invoked racism gave us a sharp reminder that we are still viewed as the perpetual other. From the lazy microaggressions pairing COVID-19 articles with unrelated pictures of (Masked!) Asians, to the pre-meditated acts of violence urged on by the President's racist rhetoric, Asian Americans felt they were once again straddling the precipice of societal rejection.

2020 is also a reminder that many Americans can not or do not care to differentiate between Asian ethnicities. Historically, we have tried to create that distinction for the rest of America, voluntarily setting ourselves apart from the "enemy" (which usually meant whichever ethnicity that America was fighting across the Pacific) and self-identifying as the "good Asians" to prevent our families from being placed in internment camps, or investigated for Communist ties. Thus when Asian Americans, freshly reminded of their new tenuous foothold in society, witnessed Hmong American police officer Tou Thao complicit in the murder of George Floyd, many were quick to distance themselves and condemn him.

Condemnation is easy— it does double work in this unfortunate situation by making us feel that we've done our duty as allies to the Black community while joining White Liberal America in Woke Theater. What is not easy is confronting the complicated makeup of the Asian American community and acknowledging the differences in social and economic opportunities that are afforded various Asian subgroups in America.

The first inkling of our collective identity emerged around 1968 when Berkeley students Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka coined the term "Asian American" for their student group the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA). The hope for this umbrella label was strength in numbers— combining our fractured voices into one powerful message. The murder of Vincent Chin in 1982, a Chinese-American murdered because he was mistaken as Japanese, is often cited as a seminal event where the collective Asian American voice first made itself heard in protest.

Today, the Asian American identity encapsulates a much broader set of cultures and experiences than in 1968, or even 1982. American policy such as the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act and Vietnam and Secret Wars drastically diversified the immigrants that constitute the Asian American population.

However, as the portrait of the Asian American immigrant became increasingly varied, we are all generally painted with the same stereotype: that of the highly educated white collar model minority. Already problematic to subgroups that have notable success in education and income per capita, the stereotype is doubly unfair to Asian immigrants who are subject to the same standards of privilege but arrive in America under vastly different circumstances— not with skilled labor or student visas but as refugees escaping war and persecution.

Hmong Americans have faced this double standard—immigrating to America as refugees beginning in the late 70s after their American allies pulled out of the Secret War (a War that was not officially acknowledged by the US government until 20+ years after its conclusion). Settled in vastly different urban environments from their homes in Laos with little cultural context, limited resources, and carrying fresh trauma from the War, they often had to live and work beside the preexisting Black populations in many of these communities. This coexistence has led to a complicated history of race relations.

In Episode 18, I invited my friends Lea Vue and Vang Xiong to share their Hmong American perspective, including how they perceive the space Hmong Americans occupy in the Asian American community and how it relates to George Floyd's murder. We discuss how some Hmong who don't support BLM are vocalizing emotions from personal stories of crimes committed against them by their Black neighbors. We also highlight an increased awareness around anti-blackness and vocal proponents of BLM such as Youa Vang, the mother of Fong Lee, a Hmong teenager murdered by the police in 2006. She is motivated by her memory of Black activists who were some of the loudest voices to march with her in solidarity.

Fong Lee

The movie Lea, Vang, and I chose to revisit was naturally Gran Torino. It's the only movie that features Hmong-Americans with any presence in the American psyche. This IMDB list of "Most Popular Hmong American Movies and TV Shows" says it all. Still, Gran Torino is a movie written by a White man and stars a White man as a savior to a "helpless" Hmong American family from a Hmong gang. Many corners are cut in portraying Hmong culture and traditions in order to fit the script—what I found most blatantly egregious was not bothering to translate most of the Hmong language spoken in the movie.

As pointed out in the paper "Gran Torino’s Boys and Men with Guns: Hmong Perspectives", a lack of careful understanding of Hmong Americans by other Asian Americans quick to beat their own drum extends beyond Tou Thao. The paper highlights that MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans), an institution for monitoring the portrayal of asian stereotypes in film, largely approved of the slapdash portrayals of Hmong culture in their review of the movie and doubled down on their response even when Bee Vang, star of Gran Torino wrote back to protesting the review. If we can't do the work to accurately understand and acknowledge our diverse experiences, how can we expect the same from America at large?

In 2020, Asian Americans have a wide variety of immigrant journeys and American stories. This should be a source of strength for our community. Educating ourselves on these experiences and illuminating the different voices in our community not only help us remember our shared fabric but provide us with deeper empathy and be better allies to others struggling to navigate America.

Further Reading

On the Model Minority Myth: The real reasons the U.S. became less racist toward Asian Americans by Jeff Guo (Interviews historian Ellen Wu who’s book The Color of Success I am currently reading and is extremely informative)

Asian Americans Are Still Caught in the Trap of the ‘Model Minority’ Stereotype. And It Creates Inequality for All by Viet Thanh Nguyen

A New History of Being Asian American by Hua Hsu

Gran Torino:

Gran Torino: Next Door A making-of documentary including interviews of the Hmong cast and subtitles for most of the scenes spoken in Hmong

On Hmong America:

The Hmong American community, power, privilege and a place in Asian America by Kimmy Yam

(recommended by Vang):

Black Fear and Distrust In Hmong America by Yia Vue

Inside the Rise of the Hmong Gang Menace Of Destruction (MOD) by Yia Vue

In my wonderful twelve months as an ex-pat in Tokyo, Lost in Translation hardly ever crossed my mind. By 2003 I was already fortunate enough to have visited Japan multiple times. To boil down a centuries-old complicated relationship into a few words: as the son of Taiwanese immigrants I grew up with an appreciation for Japanese craftsmanship and art as well as a constant reminder of the historical atrocities committed by the former Japanese Empire on my ancestors.

I told myself I moved to Japan because of Haruki Murakami, the Setouchi Art Islands and Highballs in smoky claustrophobic jazz lounges. I had studied the language, understood its history, and even spent weeks working with local artists in the remote countryside before business school. I didn't believe I had any similar motivations to the oblivious white Americans played by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. (Let's not pretend we call these characters by anything but their actor's names)

What I didn't tell myself was that Tokyo offered me the same tantalizing escape that Bill and ScarJo craved. Like the two, I was running away from a troubled relationship and a loss of identity. I thought an ocean away from my then-girlfriend and a new life as a legendary Tokyo Insider would quell the existential dread swirling deep within me. I broke up with her via facetime and started slowly putting hundreds of Google Map pins of secret bars, restaurants, and clubs, hoping each discovery would give me the satisfaction I needed.

A year later, I found myself back in California re-watching Lost in Translation for Episode 17 of our podcast. My frequent collaborator Trung Phan wanted to bring his friend Deirdre Bosa on the podcast to talk about our expat experiences up and down the Asian coast. To my surprise, Lost in Translation was the only movie with any cultural presence that fit the bill.

As I texted live thoughts to my friend Stephen, he pointed out how the movie couldn't work without ScarJo's character. While I initially focused on the cynical melancholy and world-weariness expertly played by Bill Murray, I realized that ScarJo's character was so mundane to me because of how superbly she summarized Millennial Existential Dread™. I had seen her pursuit of meaning through the boozy haze of cramped karaoke dens and empty Zen Buddhist temples in a dozen Hollywood characters, if not a million Instagram stories. In 2003, Bill Murray could have had a midlife crisis in any major metropolis in the world, but ScarJo helped us young and impressionable Millenials choose Tokyo as our existential escape.

In other words, Scarlett Johansson made Lost in Translation the perfect millennial sales pitch for Japan.

Tokyo's wonder for Western eyes comes from its homogeneity and unwillingness to cater to Westerners. No other metropolis portals you to another planet while providing first world convenience and safety like Tokyo. That feeling and aesthetic is wonderfully romanticized in the movie. Sophia Coppola fell so in love with her own Tokyo Insider Weekends that she felt compelled to create a post-modern romance about her experience. (Let’s be clear about something: Lost in Translation is a movie about Americans figuring themselves out, thus Japanese culture is not portrayed with nuance through their oblivious eyes.)

Although major efforts were undertaken in the last few years to embrace English as a second language, Tokyo's notoriously slow uptake makes everything feel more difficult. Progress on trivial tasks from understanding an exercise bike to ordering at a restaurant imbues the gaijin with a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Naturally, when you find another lost soul struggling in these foreign waters, you tend to gravitate towards each other.

6 months into my residency in Tokyo and after countless nights stumbling home and watching the sun rise over Shibuya from my apartment window, I realized I had lived dozens of Lost in Translation weekends— meeting new and old friends at chic secret living rooms converted into bars, jumping around small clubs in Dogenzaka, and ending the night with karaoke and ramen. Every other weekend someone's friend would arrive from the West, eager to experience their own magical Tokyo night, contemplating their own existence as they looked out from the taxi into the ever-crowded neon-bathed streets. I had become, for all intents and purposes, Scarlett’s Charlie Brown. I became an expert at showing my lost brethren that they too could fill their emptiness in this photogenic adult playground.

Aziz's girlfriend in Season 1 of Master of None definitely identified with Lost in Translation

Where the movie does feel dated is the inability for these purported "cultured" Americans to take initiative and explore Tokyo on their own. The characters spend a ridiculous amount of the movie moping around in their luxurious Park Hyatt hotel. ScarJo today would have come to the city with a full agenda, dragging her photographer husband to capture her own alluring snapshot of Shibuya Crossing, Golden Gai, and Omoide Yokocho to post on her 5 figure follower Instagram. ScarJo would've never met Bill either, likely relying on Tinder to swipe her loneliness away when her husband is gone “ on assignment”. Of course if they had met today, Bill's jaded self would've seen through ScarJo's slim facade and recognized that her faint ennui masks a lack of depth—he would've dealt with the same b******t from countless other similar girls in LA. But in 2003, ScarJo's proto-manic-pixie-dream-girl was fresh and new.

The secret to Tokyo is this: No one, and certainly not any outsider, will have enough time to with the city for it to lose its luster. But that magical feeling alone won't help you fill the void inside. ScarJo and Bill are haunted by two different voids: Scarlett is paralyzed by choice— shown so many potential lives that she doesn’t know which to choose— while Bill suddenly fears most of those unopened doors are now closed forever.

Looking back, Lost in Translation truly is a coup for Tokyo's tourism. In leaving the ending up for our own interpretation, the movie allowed a generation of dreamers hungry for meaning to fill in their own blanks. Search the back alleys of Shimo-kitazawa, Nakameguro, and Koenji, open a random door to a moody record bar and you can still find some lonely souls trying to find the answers to the questions they left back home.

I found no answers here. Only alcohol and oden.

Further Reading:

Keanu Reeves’ Suntory ad

If you’re curious what the director is telling Bob Harris— this clip has subtitles

What is the Electric Image Express? If you’re here, you probably came from The Electric Image Express, but to refresh your memory: The podcast is a conversation around an Asian-American issue (how we deal with love, family, splintered identity, representation, etc.) framed by revisiting a culturally influential Asian or AAPI movie.

Why did you start this project? Because I care a lot about Asian American representation in media and wanted to celebrate these movies that had a profound impact on my life and the lives of many Asian Americans. Asian American identity does not live in a vacuum of course, and I aim to address other racial issues around living as a minority anywhere in the world.

How does Electric Dreams fit? My goal with Electric Dreams is to provide you with expanded thoughts on 1-2 concepts discussed in the podcast. To get the full experience, listen to the episode first (which I will include at the top) and then read.

What’s an Asian-American movie? For the intention of this podcast and newsletter, my definition of “Asian American Cinema” is pragmatic. Any movie that features Asian American protagonists and/or tells an Asian American story is fair game.

Why should I subscribe? If you enjoyed the podcast, subscribing helps get the podcast and my writing delivered right to your inbox. No need to check Spotify or Apple podcasts. If you enjoy reading rather than listening, my writing will give you a better idea of what to expect before committing 45-60 minutes on an episode. Finally, subscribing is the best way to support my work. :)

In this week’s episode I’m joined by long time animation industry veteran and good friend Stephanie Cheng as we revisit Big Hero 6 and discuss the state of Asian-American representation in animation.

Until the last couple years Asian Americans were faced with little opportunity to see ourselves on screen and even fewer chances to hear our stories. Virtually all Asian American film today tell a story critical to our identity (and rightfully so). Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell reminded us that our western values don’t always fit in our motherland. The Big Sick showed us how to deal with a clash between a love for our culture and our partners. Better Luck Tomorrow pistol whipped the Model Minority Myth right in the face.

Phase 1 Films

If I ran the Asian American film canon like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, our current crop of films would be Phase 1: Our Origin Story. Through these films we familiarize the global audience with AAPI issues and cultural norms. When movie audiences understand Asian Americans as well as they understand Asgardians writers can feel less obligated to wrap the plot around their culture. In Phase 2, our current movies would become one of many genres with Asian American leads and in Asian American worlds. (And dare we strive for a #starringjohncho Phase 3?)

Big Hero 6 gives us a glimpse into Phase 2. It’s not a story that needs an Asian American cast and world, but gives us one anyway. Hiro’s story arc doesn’t involve mastering karate, or resolving an internal clash of cultures. The non-Asian characters pronounce Hiro and Tadashi’s name with ease, don’t balk when given their own Japanese nicknames and Aunt Cass can whip up some fried rice as easily as she serves hot wings. San Fransokyo exists without explanation as a gleaming symbol of optimism to a future of mainstream integration and acceptance of Asian culture. (I spent 30 minutes coming up with other Asian-American cities in this universe. The best I got was Los Angeseoul)

Does it matter that Big Hero 6’s creative leads were all white males? In Episode 5 Eric and I agreed that while it is possible for non-AAPI to tell an AAPI story accurately, in practice it is very very hard. Stephanie believes we need to strive for a future where anyone can feel empowered to tell anyone else’s story. I would certainly be more excited to see non-AAPI minorities given the opportunity, but Big Hero 6’s well-researched execution earns it a lot of leeway.

By sheer luck, Big Hero 6 allows us to start this written portion of our journey on an optimistic foot. Any Asian would take some good ol’ fashioned auspiciousness, but it’s you the dedicated supporter who gives us our real luck. Thank you for your continued encouragement, participation, and feedback. It means the world to us.

Further Reading:

A History of Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander Characters in Disney Films by Christian Kim

Seeing San Fransokyo: Thoughts on Big Hero 6 by Sean Miura

Links mentioned in this episode:

• If you want to learn more about the music, Mike recommends this video by Cel-Shaded Music Theory

*Think I'm crazy for comparing Akira to MJ? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express
Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Links mentioned in this episode:

• When describing Mo Lei Tau, I reference this extremely detailed breakdown of Chow's humor by Accented Cinema

*Questions? Comments? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express
Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Trung and Eric come on for our first Triple Threat 3-man episode and we switch up the format into a punchy question and answer roundtable and answer 5 big questions:
1: What was Bruce Lee's impact on you growing up? (3:45)
2: What similarities did you see between Bruce's Be Water and Michael Jordan's Last Dance? (16:20)
3: What hot takes have we heard about Bruce's death? (23:39)
4: How legitimate were Bruce Lee's fighting skills? (31:00)
5: And finally, what was his biggest impact for Asian Americans and what would he think of how we're viewed on screen and in society today? (37:36)

NOTES:

• Trung raves about the soundtrack for Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story @ (5:30). You can listen to the full theme song here


• Sean mentions @ (28:47) a Chinese MMA fighter who made it his life mission to expose "fake" tai chi and kung fu masters. His name is Xu Xiaodong (徐晓冬). A brief interview including fight footage is here
  

  ---

  Questions? Comments? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express
  Feedback: Feedback Form

Trung joins us first (4:19) to give his POV as a Canadian-Vietnamese. We start with the protests before moving on to longer term actions (VOTE) (10:00) and why, given all the turmoil in America, he still turns to the country for hope. (13:01) We finish his brief segment with wondering if the current movement needs a clearer end goal. (15:32)

Eric barrels in with a bundle of energy at (22:17) and spits fire in answering 3 questions from me:

1. What do you think about the #blackouttuesday social media movement? (23:05)


2. How does a normal person working a 9-5 keep pace with further education and involvement? (40:27)


3. How have we continued to educate ourselves since Ep. 10? (50:14)

NOTE: Eric wants you to know he is NOT an expert or a professional activist, but is a strongly opinionated curmudgeon who really cares!

Questions? Comments? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express
Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Our conversation starts with our personal experiences talking to our families about traumatic cultural events and how we've approached the conversation around #BlackLivesMatter this month. (20:00) We then discuss how the Rodney King and George Floyd events affected our respective communities (27:00) (fuck #rooftopasians) before opening up on our experiences with the racial slur that doubles as the title for the movie. (37:00)

On the lighter side we give a deserved shout out to the 6th man of the movie Jesus, (51:30) I sharply criticize Justin Chon for his choice of NBA teams to rep in the movie, (58:25) and Andrew wraps it up by explaining his 형 experience compared to Eli and Daniel in the movie. (1:00:57)

Questions? Comments? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express
Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Anupam Sharma, a college friend and British Indian joins us to revisit his favorite comedy--that doubles as one of the few British films to give South Asian and Muslim characters almost all the screen time and dialog. Anupam starts with sharing his British minority's perspective on the US protests over George Floyd's murder (11:10) before sharing his view as a part-time actor/comedian on how comedy and Asian representation has evolved in Britain, and how Indians are portrayed differently in the UK and US over the last 20 years. (39:20) Once we get past the serious bits, we do our best impressions of our fav scenes...including my first desperate attempt at an accent on the pod.(55:11)

Questions? Comments? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express
Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

NOTE: I will be donating $1 for every listener of this episode, and episode #9 (Crazy Rich Asians) and $5 for every feedback form filled out. The donations will be made 50% to the ACLU and 50% to Black Lives Matter I measure streams by unique downloads measured by my RSS provider Zencast and listeners measured by Spotify.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Please e-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or give us a follow on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express
Sean's website: https://sean-niu.squarespace.com/
Feedback for the podcast: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Other resources

• This link includes institutions that need donations, petitions, protest info, and more.[https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/]([Ways you can help BLM)


• [https://chorus.fm/blog/ten-steps-of-non-optical-allyship/](10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship)


• [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/anti-racist-books-and-resources](PenguinRandomHouse: Anti Racist Books and Resources)
  From Eric:


• [shorturl.at/svHMXf](Yellow Power: The Formation of Asian-American Nationalism in the Age of Black Power)


• [shorturl.at/GHIY7r](DemocracyNow!: Was Bay Area Radical, Black Panther Arms Supplier Richard Aoki an Informant for the FBI?)

Note: We recorded this before the protests over the murder of George Floyd escalated. We touch briefly upon representation in this movie (21:52) but we dive deeper in Ep. 10. I will be donating $1 for every listener of this episode, and Ep.10 (Enter the Dragon) and $5 for every feedback form filled out. The donations will be evenly split between the ACLU and Black Lives Matter I measure streams by unique downloads measured by my RSS provider Zencast and listeners measured by Spotify.

Updated thoughts from Shannon: https://www.shannily.com/post/after-thoughts-in-the-aftermath

Questions? Comments? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express
Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Questions? Comments? Requests? Please e-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or give us a follow on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express
Sean's website: https://sean-niu.squarespace.com/
Feedback for the podcast: Feedback Form

Links mentioned in this episode:
A couple books on Vietnam Trung mentions in the episode:
A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
The Best and the Brightest
The Sympathizer

Questions? Comments? Requests? Please e-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or give us a follow on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express
Sean's website: https://sean-niu.squarespace.com/
Feedback for the podcast: Feedback Form

Sean's website: https://sean-niu.squarespace.com/
Feedback for the podcast: Feedback Form

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Roger Ebert at Sundance: https://youtu.be/LSzP9YV3jbc

We get stoned and guess which Kumar line sounds most like Akshay, dive deep into White Castle Fish Nibblers, and praise the universal heroism of the supporting-head-nodding-guy.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Please e-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or give us a follow on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

Questions? Comments? Requests? Please e-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or give us a follow on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Questions? Comments? Requests? Please e-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or give us a follow on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

LINKS: As mentioned, here are some great links to explore more of John Woo's filmmaking

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Ang Lee Interview on the Movie: https://youtu.be/v1CAUKYhfRQ

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm