We, Deserve to Have a Great Life — Thoughts on Crazy Rich Asians
“China rich is a whole new level.“ by Kevin Kwan
In 2018, when Crazy Rich Asians hit theaters, many of us Chinese international students didn’t grasp the magnitude of the event. We grew up in a place where 90% of the population looked like us, spoke our language at home and school, and studied our cultural knowledge. We came from an uncolonized land but carried the experience of being looked down upon by colonized regions. Most of us didn't understand the pain of being a minority in a colonized land, so we didn’t see why an all-Asian cast in a major Hollywood film was such a big deal. We just took for granted the hard work of overseas Chinese without showing much appreciation for the production or the book.
I remember seeing the book Crazy Rich Asians displayed at Indigo on Granville Street in Vancouver back in 2015, surrounded by handbags, sunglasses, and other bougie items. If you’ve been to Indigo, you know what I’m talking about. I felt a bit angry. I couldn’t believe an Asian writer with the last name Kwan wrote a story with such a title, seemingly reinforcing negative stereotypes about Chinese people in Vancouver.
You have to understand, back then, and even now, many in Canada even the whole world blamed Chinese people for various issues. “Chinese this, Chinese that, Chinese are bad, China is bad, Chinese are buying everything, Chinese are making our lives hard.” They envied the Chinese lifestyle to the point of deep hatred.
So, I was mad that this book might perpetuate the China-hate situation. But one day, after listening to Kevin Kwan’s interview with Q on CBC Radio in 2016, I started to change my mind. He said, “Chinese people didn’t get rich recently. White old money can’t compare with China Rich. I mean, American Rich is only recent, about 200 years, but Chinese have been wealthy for centuries. You can’t compare. Also, the new China Rich is on a whole other level.” He spoke confidently and made sense, but it still didn’t make me read the book.
But now, I know. I’ve learned. Fourteen years of living in North America taught me so much. The moment of anger in the bookshop that day was a self-shame moment. When I was living in Vancouver, I had a narrative: “Me, Chinese, are poor, and we don’t deserve a good life.” I was brainwashed by almost everyone around me—my roommate, classmates, friends, professors, and others—into believing that as a Chinese person, I was destined for poverty and an unremarkable life.
Kevin Kwan’s book was a wake-up call. I first read it during the COVID lockdown in 2020, a vital time for self-learning. The book taught me that Chinese people, no matter where they are, deserve to live a good life and enjoy the quality of life they’ve worked hard for.
Crazy Rich Asians is not just a popular read; it offers deep inward reflection, inner power-seeking, self-learning, and a cute but complex romantic and family story.
It’s way better than most other books. Now, this summer, 2024, as I recover from a broken ankle, I’m rereading the book and rewatching the movie, hoping that one day I can write a story that comforts those who need it.
all copyright reserve @Cordelia Shan
#1000wordsofsummer
