You probably recognize Ke Huy Quan as the Oscar-winning star of Everything Everywhere All At Once, a distinction he earned in 2023. In his upcoming role in the action-comedy film Love Hurts, set to be released on February 7 2025, the eminent actor channels his inner action hero (think Jackie Chan meets the suburban realtor vibe). Quan is not simply stepping into a leading role; he trained hard to perform his own stunts, demonstrating his commitment to the project.
In this film, Quan portrays Marvin Gable, an ex-criminal-turned-realtor whose life spirals into chaos when he receives a mysterious envelope from Rose (played by Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose), a former partner-in-crime he left for dead years before. Her return forcibly drags the realtor back into a treacherous world filled with ruthless hitmen, which means he must confront his haunting past and the choices that still shape his life.
Joining Quan and DeBose in a diverse and impressive cast is Hong Kong-American actor Daniel Wu as Marvin’s crime lord brother, Knuckles, who is on the hunt for him. Alongside this trio, the film features notable actors such as Sean Astin (who starred in The Lord of the Rings), Mustafa Shakir (Luke Cage), and Rhys Darby (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) — a dynamic ensemble that promises to bring excitement to the film.
Critics are eager to see how Quan’s portrayal challenges traditional action hero stereotypes. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor expressed his own initial confusion to his unexpected casting. “I go, ‘Wait, why are they [producers Kelly McCormick, David Leitch and Guy Danella of 87North Productions] offering me this? I’m nothing like this.’ I even told them, ‘You guys should be calling Jason Statham.’”
However, after meeting with the producers, Quan realized that the film called for “a different kind of action star” — one he described as unafraid of being vulnerable and who “doesn’t look like a badass until the situation is called for.” This potentially fresher take on action-comedy aims to resonate with audiences who appreciate more relatable and complex characters.
To bring this vision to life, the film’s director Jonathan Eusebio, draws on his wealth of experience as a seasoned stunt coordinator known for his work on films like Deadpool 2, John Wick and 300. Eusebio was inspired by Quan’s genuine happiness and gratitude after winning the Oscar, noting how he has a remarkable ability to uplift those around him. This led Eusebio to see parallels between Quan and the character Marvin, feeling that Quan was a right fit for the role.
Quan (left) and director Eusebio (right) on the movie set. Image courtesy Universal Pictures.
The director also praised Quan’s dedication, stating, “We had him training for months before we even got into production. He’s so good. He knows what moves work for him.” He added, “You’re seeing him making his comeback; he’s very uplifting, his speeches are the best. I already knew about his background doing stunt work in Hong Kong, so I knew how physically capable he was.”
Following a few roles as a young adult in the 1990s, Quan took an acting hiatus for nearly 20 years. During this time, he worked as a stunt choreographer on films like X-Men (2000) and served as an assistant director on legendary filmmaker Wong Kar-wai’s romance sci-fi 2046 (2004).
This upcoming movie is shaping up to be a significant entry in the action-comedy genre, combining thrilling action with heartfelt storytelling. With Quan and Eusebio leading the charge, Love Hurts has the potential to captivate audiences and further establish its leading man’s status as a versatile actor ready for a new chapter in his career.
The US presidential election is set for a nail-biting conclusion, with many polls showing Kamala Harris and Donald Trump at a dead heat. But one Chinese artist thinks he might have special insight into the upcoming results. His source of information? Campaign merchandise made in Yiwu, a manufacturing hub in Eastern China’s Zhejiang province.
Last weekend, artist Dong Dawei opened “Yiwu’s Choice of World” at C5CNM, a small experimental project space located within Beijing’s 798 Art District. The Beijing-based artist’s project references what’s referred to as the “Yiwu Index.” Sometimes called “the world capital of small commodities,” Yiwu is the source for much of America’s election merchandise. As such, some commentators believe that monitoring orders for campaign merchandise in Yiwu can give you advance notice of American election results.
Image Courtesy C5CNM.
The “Yiwu Index” famously predicted Trump’s unexpected victory in 2016. Though sales in Yiwu failed to forecast Biden’s victory in 2020, as the press release for Dong’s project mentions, the index is thought to have anticipated Biden’s July withdrawal from the race in favor of Kamala Harris.
Against this anxiety-ridden backdrop, Dong has collected found images and Yiwu-made campaign merchandise, presenting these materials in the form of an art project arranged in C5CNM’s small space. (We mean really small — you might need to enter the doorway sideways.)
It’s somewhat jarring to see Make America Great Again hats and shirts alongside a rainbow flag-referencing Harris banner, and thought-provoking to be reminded that all of these items were made in the same city, likely as part of the same supply chains. After election results begin to filter in at the end of the day on Tuesday, November 5, visitors to the space will be able to compare and contrast Dong’s gleanings with the actual vote tallies.
Image courtesy C5CNM.
For the artist, the “Yiwu Index” illustrates the impracticality of economic decoupling between China and America, despite what some political forces in either country may hope for. Though Yiwu’s manufacturers and traders don’t get a vote in the US presidential election, they conversely play a role in it. And of course, the election results have the potential to impact the entire world.
This project marks a slight departure for Dong, who has born in Dalian in 1981 and studied at École nationale supérieure d’art de Bourges in France. Though his practice generally has a conceptual bent, it has taken varied forms, from colorful, abstract marker drawings, to interventions in Western landscape painting. His recent exhibition, “Metaphors We Live By,” which was on view at Beijing’s Tong Gallery+Projects in August and September, covered territory closer to that of “Yiwu’s Choice of World,” adopting imagery from pop culture and referencing Chinese manufacturing. In one piece, Yanjiao, a town in Hebei province bordering Beijing’s suburbs, is added to a list of cultural capitals written on a t-shirt: New York, London, and Paris.
Image courtesy C5CNM.
“Yiwu’s Choice of World” is on display at C5CNM until December 1, and is accessible any time of the day via an electronic lock combination. So if you’re in China and want to experience the election across the time difference, or — depending on the results — need to have a late night cry at some point over the next few weeks, it could be the perfect spot. That is, the next best place after Yiwu.
Hulu’s Interior Chinatown offers a powerful adaptation of Charles Yu’s 2020 novel of the same title, narrating the story of Willis Wu, an Asian American man cast to the sidelines in Hollywood and life. The recently released trailer has stirred up excitement, offering audiences a first look at this compelling series that breaks stereotypes and reshapes perceptions of identity. Acclaimed New Zealand director Taika Waititi is among the show’s executive producers, and directs the first episode. The show features emerging Asian heritage actors including Jimmy O. Yang and Ronny Chieng.
Interior Chinatown is framed by Black & White, a fictional TV police procedural that is used to cleverly critique Hollywood and American television’s reliance on stereotypes. The fictional show stars a Black and a White lead detective, while Asian characters like Willis Wu (played by Jimmy O. Yang) are relegated to minor roles such as “Background Oriental Male.” This setup highlights how Hollywood often confines Asian actors to sidelined, clichéd parts, contrasting them with the more prominent roles Black and White actors typically receive, even if these roles also play on stereotypes.
Within Black & White, Willis dreams of being more than a mere “Background Oriental Male,” aspiring to play “Kung Fu Guy” — a role he hopes will finally bring him recognition. The show captures Willis’ journey into the spotlight when he accidentally witnesses a crime, setting off a chain of revelations about his family and Chinatown’s hidden history.
Yu, who is also the series creator, was inspired to write Interior Chinatown to challenge the stereotypical portrayal of Asians in the media. “Growing up… I was a heavy, heavy consumer of television as a kid,” he recalls via UC Berkeley News, explaining that both the invisibility and stereotyped portrayals of Asians in television deeply affected him. He crafted the novel in a screenplay format to mimic the feeling of confinement that many Asian Americans face on screen and in real life. Reflecting on the story, Yu hopes readers feel the absurdity and sadness of being reduced to a stereotype, yet also find moments of humor in the irony of it.
Taiwanese American writer Charles Yu pictured with the cover of his 2020 book Interior Chinatown. Image via UC Berkeley News.
The Hulu series adaptation, with Taika Waititi directing the pilot, remains faithful to this vision, blending dark comedy with introspection, capturing the balance of satire and emotional depth he sought to achieve. According to The Illuminerdi, the adaptation “promises to retain the book’s humor and heart while adding a fresh, visual dimension to its layered story.”
Alongside Yang and Chieng, the cast also includes Chloe Bennet, and Diana Lin, adding depth to this unique narrative. Waititi’s involvement adds an edgy, comedic style that complements Yu’s satire, pushing viewers to reflect on stereotypes and the quest for personal identity. The trailer teases dynamic scenes where Willis Wu navigates his dual roles — both on the fictional set of Black & White and in his own life — filled with humor, tension, and the emotional depth that promises a thought-provoking journey for audiences. The ten-episode series releases November 19, and is set to resonate with anyone who has felt confined by societal roles, especially within Asian communities in the U.S.
This adaptation of Interior Chinatown is more than a simple book-to-screen project — it contributes to the growing importance for authentic Asian representation in media. It challenges stereotypes while exploring the journey to self-discovery in a world that often reduces people to fixed roles.
After a year-long hiatus, this fall stand-up comedians were finally back on Chinese television to battle it out — who’s the funniest of them all? While viewers were eager to crown the annual “humor king,” the queens took the spotlight on stage in two shows.
Major streaming platforms iQiYi and Tencent have each launched their own stand-up competition shows, The King of Stand-up Comedy (喜剧之王单口季 Xǐ jù zhī wáng dān kǒu jì) and Stand-up Comedians and their Friends (脱口秀和Ta的朋友们, Tuō kǒu xiù hé ta de péng yǒu men), respectively. Last year, the industry came to a stand still with no online presence for stand-up comedy performances. Instead, many comedians focused on performing to live audiences offline. As comedians came out of hibernation this year, so has a strong contingent of female comedians.
In years prior, the number of female comedians on these shows could be counted on one hand. Among them, the comedian and writer Yang Li was battered online for instigating gender conflicts after delivering her penetrating critique of men who are “average but confident.”
Yang was certainly a trailblazer for many female comedians. This year, the women came out swinging with their own perspectives on society, unafraid to criticize the societal norms that have long favored male voices.
“Daughters have to do extra work”
One newcomer who goes by the stage name Echo, performed a set on the Tencent show Stand-up Comedians and their Friends discussing her family’s preference for boys over girls. Echo shared that she is one of four children, including three sisters and a youngest brother.
“In my family, two types of children don’t get beat, those with good grades and the son,” said Echo. “So in my family, the daughters have to work extra hard to be like the son, who does nothing at all.”
Caicai, another comedian on Stand-up Comedians and their Friends who also made her online debut this year, talked about “period shaming” in her set. She recounted an incident where she ordered menstruation pads through a delivery app, only for the delivery guy to have zero experience with period products and be ashamed of discussing menstruation in public.
Seasoned comic and newlywed Xiao Lu went on stage on the iQiYi show King of Stand-up Comedy dressed in her wedding gown, delivering a set satirizing her husband’s laid-back attitude during the wedding planning process.
In total, there were 27 women competing in the two shows, making up one-third of the contestants. At their finales, Stand-up Comedians and their Friends had eight remaining contestants, with Shan He being the last remaining female contestant; The King of Stand-up Comedy had two female comedians, Xiao Lu and Tang Xiangyu, in its roster of final ten contestants. On The King of Stand-up Comedy, Xiao Lu came in second and was the highest ranking female comedian between the two shows. Alas, both competitions crowned their annual kings.
On the Tencent show, the rules require comedians to challenge each other to one-on-one battles. To avoid the fast elimination of female comedians on the show, the women actively decided to only challenge their male counterparts.
Though voting audience members for these shows are in fact mostly women , it still felt like the odds were stacked against the female contestants, who were mostly eliminated early. Are women just not funny? That’s what our implicit bias seems to be telling us.
Watching Chinese comedy from New York
Rachel47, who goes by 47 on stage, is a Chinese female comedian based in New York and cofounder and chief producer at the Chinese-language comedy club CrazyLaugh. At the beginning of her career in comedy, 47 (Sì qī) recalls a period where she felt discouraged when there was voting during open mics, and she would consistently come second to a rotating group of mostly male comedians.
47 knows that the setback can partially be attributed to her lack of experience at the time, and as she continues to hone her craft, she has become one of the most popular comedians at CrazyLaugh. On the other hand, these preferences are largely determined by the expectations of audience members who are used to male-dominated perspectives in comedy. When 47 went home to China to visit, she heard about the all female stand up show 三好姐妹 (Sān hǎo jiě mèi), which inspired her to produce the first all female Chinese language comedy show in New York, “May, I love myself 我爱我” (Wǒ ài wǒ).
Chinese-language comedy club CrazyLaugh showing their support for 47. Image courtesy 47.
“There’s bias towards female comedians,” said 47. “Society does not expect women to be charming and funny, society thinks girls are happy-go-lucky, which means we’ve been naturally designated as an audience member.”
Even for female audience members, hearing a male comedian talk about their lives sounds and feels like comedy. Whereas female comedians must do the extra leg work and justify to listeners that their perspectives are equally important — and funny.
Still, 47 has never hesitated at talking about things that she cares about, which is why she set out to do comedy in the first place. Recently, 47 had her first comedy special at the popular New York comedy club, the Stand NYC, where she talked about an instance where she was harassed by a male restaurant owner.
47 performing at the Stand NYC. Image courtesy 47.
Immediately following the harassment incident, 47 knew she wanted more girls to hear about her experience, so she returned home to write down the material and performed it at an open-mic that same night. When another comedian questioned whether 47 should give further consideration before turning the incident into material for comedy, 47 said she was confident in the value and urgency for sharing her experience with audiences.
“I want to say things to girls that society is not telling us. I want to use my experiences to inform other girls and hopefully inspire further reflection,” said 47. “Let girls know that there are other girls who are willing to talk about these things publicly and it’s not shameful.”
Speaking from the heart
After first performing this segment, 47 said many fans who are young girls messaged her privately to thank her for speaking out. As 47 says, she is never attempting to meet the mainstream taste in comedy or deliberately positioning herself in a niche market. Rather she’s speaking from her heart and meeting her audiences along the way. In those moments, as a daughter and mother, she realizes the importance of giving voice to less represented perspectives on a mainstream platform.
As female comedians have a larger presence within China, they are also organizing all female comedy sets beyond the popular stand-up comedy competitions on streaming platforms. The offline stand-up show 三好姐妹 (Sān hǎo jiě mèi) features a roster of all female Chinese comedians. The podcast 小fool人 (Xiǎo fool rén) is another space created by female comedians to share their stories.
On Tencent’s show, comedian Bu Jingyan jokes that people find her onstage persona too fierce. Image via Kai Wei Ying Hua Ji.
Offline, all-female shows are selling out performance spaces and attracting like-minded audiences. Yet back on streaming platforms, female comedians are facing the scrutiny of audience members and netizens alike. And many of these topics addressed by this year’s female contestants are by no means lighthearted.
On iQiYi’s The King of Stand-up, comedian Tang Xiangyu said her family is urging her to get married, satirizing her family’s perspective that daughters are never part of their original families and rather belong to their husband’s.
King of Stand-up Comedy runner-up Xiao Lu in her wedding dress. Image via Nan Feng Chuang.
The pop-culture commentary account “柳飘飘了吗” said in a video on Bilibili, “As I was laughing, I suddenly began to cry. Why are female comedian’s sets so heavy? Because they are not only talking about their everyday lives, but also about the cruel reality that many women face.”
If heavier topics and female-centric comedy sets are not winning votes, then why are the comedians still choosing to perform them? As a comedian herself, 47 believes that speaking on topics from their own perspective is part of the creative process for any comedian, and it’s only natural that female comedians bring humor to issues that affect them.
As one of the female judges on the Tencent show, Chen Luyu, points out, using language to give voice to a topic is the first step toward progress. On this platform, female comedians are directing our attention to social issues that are rarely discussed elsewhere, and also showing by example that women are able to realize a full spectrum of emotions and vibrant forms beyond society’s expectations. They are sometimes ambitious, sometimes incisive, and at all times, they are being themselves.
Chinese post-punk band Re-TROS recently announced their first European tour dates in years. Following their performance at the Youth+Music Festival in Paris on November 16, the band will travel across the English Channel and play headlining shows in London and Manchester.
Re-TROS, short for “Rebuilding the Rights of Statues” (重塑雕像的权利), formed as a trio in Nanjing before relocating to Beijing, where they emerged as part of the city’s underground music scene, gaining some international attention in the early 2000s. However, the band didn’t truly rise to national prominence until 2020, when they won season two of iQiyi’s reality show The Big Band. Even before this breakthrough, Re-TROS was widely celebrated for their advanced sound techniques and structured compositions. Until earlier this year, it had been seven years since Re-TROS’s last international performances, which took place in North America and Europe in 2017. This spring they returned to North America for a month-long tour.
Re-TROS band members: Drummer Gao Xin (left), vocalist and bassist Liu Min (middle), and guitarist Hua Dong (right). Image via band’s Instagram post.
It was once common for Chinese bands to tour abroad, but the pandemic paused international shows for several years. Now, Chinese music fans abroad are excited by the return of bands like Re-TROS, amongst others. For example, influential Shijiazhuang indie band Omnipotent Youth Society (万能青年旅店) is currently on a North America tour.
Catching a major Chinese band abroad can actually be more affordable than seeing them at home: tickets for Re-TROS’s London show will only set you back 24 GBP (around 32 USD). The cheapest tickets for a Re-TROS show in Beijing over the summer started at 380 RMB (53 USD). Though Re-TROS and other bands do have a following amongst Chinese expats and music fans of all backgrounds overseas, their comparatively lower profile in the West means that their concerts shouldn’t be as affected by the ticket scalping that has recently plagued major music events in China.
For example, the Re-TROS show in Paris will also feature the jazz duo INNOUT, formed by guitarist Xiao Jun and drummer An Yu from the band Mandarin — both prominent figures in China’s rock scene. Back in China, a similar lineup at a festival would likely command high prices, comparable to the up to 699 RMB (around 98 USD) charged for tickets to the 2024 Xiami Music Summer Festival at Aranya in northern China, not to mention travel and accommodation costs.
Re-TROS stands as a preeminent Chinese band on the global stage, known not only for their expert fusion of electronic and post punk elements but also for their high standards in venue selection and stage design. Many fans attribute this rigor to frontman Hua Dong’s international background; he studied German language and literature in Germany, which greatly influenced his precise approach to music.
Interestingly, Hua’s international connections began even earlier — Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was his elementary school classmate in Nanjing. In an interesting twist, this year Hua is bringing his music to the West, while Ye returned to China to play in Haikou.
Tickets for the European shows are nearly sold out. After seven years, Re-TROS is finally returning to meet European audiences. Has the band evolved enough to meet this new challenge? What fresh surprises in stage design and musical composition will they bring to the stage? Fans eagerly await the memorable experience that Re-TROS promises to deliver.
Get your Thai tea ready, it’s time for drama, glamor, and drag spectacle with the return of Drag Race Thailand after a five-year hiatus. The first episode of the show’s third season premiered worldwide on October 16 exclusively on WOW Presents Plus, introducing a cast of eleven fabulous queens.
As the first international spin-off of the iconic RuPaul’s Drag Race, the show’s revival and return in season three comes at the heels of multiple milestones in the “herstory” of Asian drag. This year Taiwanese American Nymphia Wind took the crown as the first East Asian queen to win RuPaul’s Drag Race. Other Asian queens, including Marina Summers, Eva La Queen, and Plastique Tiara, have made splashes in their appearances on international Drag Race stages. Following two seasons of resounding success, Drag Race Philippines is also returning for its third season this year.
Pangina Heals, known to many as the RuPaul of Thailand, is returning as this season’s host after hosting the first two seasons. In the interim, Pangina was certainly busy. She was a competitor on Drag Race UK vs. The World, appeared as a guest judge on the spin-off in the Philippines, and performed in Las Vegas as part of RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! As if all that’s not enough, Pangina also opened four bars in Thailand, including the House of Heals, home to much of Thailand’s emerging drag talent.
With these experiences under her belt, Pangina describes herself as mature, returning to Drag Race Thailand ready to show the world how her drag, fashion, and glam has evolved. This transformation and evolution of the queens each week is part of what makes the Drag Race franchise exciting to watch for audiences, and even for experienced queens, the show’s global platform and viewership challenges their artistry.
“We’ve never had the chance to show the part of us being Thai or what our connection is to drag overseas,” Pangina told RADII. “So I think it’ll be great to see how these queens approach being on Drag Race versus just performing in their home bars and doing drag at home. Going on Drag Race is a huge pressure cooker, you really have to elevate your drag and I think diamonds are formed under pressure.”
Pangina Heals. Image courtesy Drag Race Thailand.
Drag Race Thailand is an unique opportunity for Thai drag queens to bring their culture to an international stage. Drag is a relatively new concept in Thailand, but while Pangina noted that no Thai word exists for the artform, the country has a long history and culture of cabaret performed by transgender women. Lip syncing, an important component of drag and a competitive element on RuPaul’s Drag Race, is also found in Thai cabaret shows. In addition, Thailand is also a major exporter for showgirl costumes around the world.
Pangina for one, is heavily influenced by cabaret culture, having grown up watching cabaret shows. So it follows that Thai culture is sprinkled throughout Drag Race Thailand: in the stage design, costumes, and music. The judges on the show, Art Arya, Gus Setthachai, Metinee Kingpayome, and Niti Chaichitathorn, are also changemakers in the Thai entertainment industry.
“With Thailand, it’s in our blood to perform, it’s in our blood to lip sync, because we’ve seen these performances growing up. It’s been there for decades,” said Pangina. “And so how do we incorporate a sense of cabaret culture onto Drag Race? Not only is the costume, but also the body language of how we perform things has to make a story, and we love to tell stories with our bodies.”
The Queens of Drag Race Thailand. Image courtesy Drag Race Thailand.
Known for its nightlife in general, Bangkok also has a thriving LGBTQ scene in the Silom neighborhood, where drag queens are given a platform to express themselves. Pangina recommends bar hopping on Soi 4, where queens can feel completely safe. For those hoping to experience the energy of Drag Race Thailand for themselves, The House of Heals is hosting viewing parties of the show every Wednesday.
After five years, the Thai queens are certainly ready to bring on their A game and showcase the beauty and power of Asian drag.
“The queens are really hungry. So when there’s an international show like Drag Race, they all want to be on it, and they all are trying to push themselves to be better. So I think you can feel the fire within them,” said Pangina.
Banner image by Haedi Yue.
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