Wu Assassins takes place in San Francisco’s Chinatown. There is a large population of Chinese people all around San Francisco, not just in Chinatown but for audiences not familiar with San Francisco, this is a convenient location for the show to be set. The opening of the first episode is reminiscent of old school Chinese kung fu movies (something along the lines of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). The fight scene is focused around martial arts rather than shooting guns. It also takes on the vibe of old school Chinese kung fu movies by incorporating spiritual beliefs about Earth elements. Our protagonist, Kai, at one point in the episode, is presented the power of 1,000 monks. These 1,000 monks once sacrificed themselves to stop the corrupted warlords way back when. When Kai is confronted by these monks, the alley way he is in shifts and he is transported into a mystical world. The mystical world plays on traditional legends that are a part of Chinese culture.
As the episode continues, we meet more characters in a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant is not what many people might consider your "typical" Chinese restaurant. Many times people associate Chinese restaurants with cheap take out, but this one is more luxurious looking. You can tell by the way the food is plated, the way the customers are dressed, the dark interior lighting, the full bar. The customers that are dining are a mix of different races too. Most of the staff are Chinese or Asian, both on the floor and in the kitchen. Another time we see Chinese food making an appearance in the show is at the food truck, "Street Fusion." I'm very happy to see that the show took on the aspect of food. It can be difficult to introduce White audiences to ethnic food that they are not familiar with (in real life and through TV). None of the food that they present on the show are things like orange chicken, which is not at all authentic Chinese food. They purposely choose to offer food that is much more authentic, both at the restaurant and at the food truck. 
Kai and his friend are from different classes. We learn that Kai's parents are more recent immigrants while his friend's family has lived in San Francisco for a few generations. Kai works hard and values the effort it takes to get the things that he wants in life. We see him working at the restaurant even when he wan't originally scheduled, we see him working in the food truck, but his friend is never seen working. We later learn that his friend, Lewis, despite the nice suits, the Lamborghini, and big talk, is a car thief for a gang. Kai's friend wants to buy him his own food truck saying, "I got plenty of money... it'll be the envy of all food truck owners out there," but Kai adamantly refuses. The two have another conversation where Kai says, “you live like a king but I never see you working I live like a dog and all I do is work,” Lewis replies, “you think that if you don't work like a dog you're never gonna get anywhere. You gotta un- Confucius that brain of yours.” This just goes to show the difference in values that people of different classes have when it comes to hard work and money spent, regardless of race.
Race comes up again when we see Chinese gangsters holding rival gang members captive. The head Chinese gang member dresses in three piece suit with tie clip and pocket square. His two sidekicks are in baseball hats, tees and jackets, and gold chains. This reinforces the idea that the way individuals are dressed directly correlates to their position in society. As the scene plays out, the head member talks about Little Pete, the first Chinese millionaire in the US, and the first to refuse to carry papers required by the Geary Act. The gang members that are being held captive are two black men.
The tattooed criminals are seen stripped down to their underwear, handcuffed to chairs in a shipping container. In this scene we learn of an ongoing territory war between a Chinese gang and a Russian gang. This brings me back to being annoyed that they chose Chinatown as the location for the show. If you're more familiar with San Francisco, you would know that there are actually large Chinese and Russian populations that live in other parts of the city, like in the Sunset district. I understand the decision aesthetically speaking, but it's not very accurate.
Hi Sara,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your post and how this show covers different aspects of race, specifically Asian. Normally we see Asians in the media as the martial arts, kung fu, nerds, etc. their roles are limited. I appreciate that they are showed in a different light and play on different stereotypes and tropes, like the Asian gangsters. As someone whose parents are immigrants I can relate to the characters you've mentioned. Some people have it all, some people have to work for it, whether it's moral/ethical is another question.