Luisa Tam

My Hong Kong | The first Chinese Marvel superhero, Shang-Chi, is great, but Hollywood must push more Chinese and Hong Kong stories and talent

First Marvel superhero film with a lead who’s Chinese, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is a start but Hollywood needs to do more to represent Asians

Studios should not focus only on making money from China, and should stop using Hong Kong just as a pretty backdrop and start featuring our stories and talent

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Marvel fields it first Chinese superhero. Tony Leung (left) and Simu Liu in a still from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Photo: YouTube

Luisa Tam

Published: 11:00am, 24 Apr 2021Updated: 4:25pm, 4 May 2021

With this week’s release of the official trailer of the first Marvel movie that features a superhero of Asian descent, many Asians across the world are collectively rejoicing at what they perceive as a “victory”.

Within two days of its release,the first trailer of the high-octane action film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings had already amassed more than 12 million views on YouTube.

Some internet users are saying it’s about time we saw Asian representation in a big Hollywood franchise. But is it genuine Chinese-Asian representation?

Many movie fans are saying that Marvel Studios rarely disappoints its fans with its high-budget productions. But of course, Marvel wouldn’t accept any failure that would tarnish its international brand.

On the contrary, the studio expects a humongous return on its investment.