If you’re Chinese-American, you may have either experienced or heard about the legendary Love Boat. If you haven’t, you might still want to tune in to Paramount’s new movie, Love in Taipei, premiering on August 10.

‘Love Boat’ is the nickname for a longstanding exchange program designed to teach diaspora kids more about Chinese language and culture. The program’s full name is ‘Overseas Compatriot Youth Taiwan Study Tour’ — but it got its nickname due to its practical reputation as a bit of a hookup summer camp.

The beauty and romance of the study tour were channeled by Chinese-American writer Abigail Hing Wen in her bestselling novel, Loveboat, Taipei. Initially published in 2020, the novel was followed by two more in 2022 and 2023. It follows the journey of self-discovery, both romantically and culturally, of a Chinese-American teenage girl named Ever Wong.

The Paramount+ adaptation follows the love triangle in the book and stars Ashley Liao as Ever, Ross Butler as Rick, and Nico Hiraga as Xavier.

In recent years, Hollywood has witnessed a surge of movies portraying Asian-American stories, showcasing unprecedented diversity in genres and formats.

From blockbusters like Crazy Rich Asians, Marvel’s Shang-Chi, and Disney’s Mulan, to animated films like Pixar’s Turning Red, and even indie masterpieces like Everything Everywhere All at Once, the popularity of Asian-American narratives has also extended to TV series, with recent hits like Netflix’s Beef, and modern-day fantasy American Born Chinese.

However, not all of these films and series have been equally appreciated by Chinese audiences, with much of the disparity stemming from differences between the Chinese and Chinese-American cultural experiences. Given its unique subject matter, there’s hope that Love in Taipei may be one of the rare exceptions to bridge the divide.

Cover image via Paramount+