The Importance of Marvel’s New Movie, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, In the Asian American Community
By Avery B
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, starring Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, is the newest Marvel movie. It tells the story of Shang-Chi, the son of Wenwu, the leader of the Ten Rings organization. Thousands of years ago, Wenwu discovered the Ten Rings, which granted him mythical powers and immortality. Wenwu decided to use them for evil purposes, founding the Ten Rings in an attempt to conquer the world. Many years later, he attempts to enter the mythical, mysterious village of Tao Lo. There he encounters Ying Li, a guardian of the village. The two battle, but end up falling in love. Wenwu then abandons the Ten Rings to be with Ying Li.
Unfortunately, Wenwu is rejected by the villagers of Tao Lo, so Ying Li chooses to leave her home to be with him. Wenwu attempts to carve out a new life for himself, and he and Ying Li have two children: Shang-Chi and his sister, Xialing. When the two are young children, one of Wenwu’s old enemies comes to their home for revenge, killing Ying Li.
By the start of the movie, Shang-Chi had escaped from his life with the Ten Rings and moved to San Francisco, where he hides from his dad. Shang-Chi works as a valet with his best friend, Katy, who does not know of his past and thinks he is just a regular immigrant from China. However, when one of Shang-Chi’s dad’s minions violently attacks him, he is forced to reveal his secret. His attackers steal a magical pendant that Shang-Chi’s mother gave to him and his sister. Shang-Chi then remembers a mysterious postcard that he presumed was sent by his sister, who escaped the Ten Rings after Shang-Chi abandoned her. Fearing Wenwu will go for Xialing and her pendant next, he, with the help of Katy, goes to search for her.
This movie is very significant in the AAPI community, as it is Marvel’s first centering on an Asian superhero. After the huge success of Crazy Rich Asians, there has been a small increase in Asian American movies, including Always be my Maybe and the live-action adaptation of Mulan, with Shang- Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings being the newest movie on this list. This comes at a time where the number of hate crimes against the AAPI community has skyrocketed. Many people blame Asians, especially Chinese people, for COVID-19. This incorrect racist idea can be extremely dangerous because one will then wrongly fear Asians. Some people avoid Asians because they think we have COVID-19, while others take more drastic measures, severely injuring or even murdering us. Hopefully, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will combat this racist idea, as it portrays Asians in a positive light.
Often, movies featuring Asian Americans as central characters revolve around martial arts. According to an article adapted by Newsela, the nonprofit Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change held a study in which they asked people to name a famous Asian American. 42% of the people polled could not name a single famous Asian person, and among the ones who could, the most popular responses were Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is similar to these movies in that it is loosely related to martial arts. However, that is not the main focus of the story, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings displays many aspects of Asian culture without being offensive. While this movie may not be perfect, it is still a big step in seeing Asian-Americans having better representation in Hollywood.
Originally published 10/2021
