For the average person, the lives of the uber-rich, elite, upper echelons of society can seem fascinating and completely alien — even when geography would typically make one assume more similarities than differences. After all, someone sharing a 2-bedroom apartment with three roommates in a four-story walk up in Brooklyn, likely could not fathom what it might be like to be someone who owns a penthouse in the upper-east side, despite living in the same city and sharing the same streets with those who do.
Because of this sense of “so close, yet so far away”, the lives of the famous and the filthy rich have been one of the most popular topics literature (both fiction and non-) since the Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians began to tell stories of gods, kings, and the odd peasant who ended up in over their head (and usually worse off). These days, social media and reality television have replaced myths, plays, and even books to become the new way most “Have-nots” feed their instinctual curiosity about the goings-on of the “Haves“.
In 2013, Kevin Kwan, an internationally best-selling Singaporean novelist, wrote Crazy Rich Asians the first book in what would become an award-winning trilogy and blockbuster movie. Crazy Rich Asians is a satirical rom-com about an American-born Chinese woman who accidentally finds her self in a serious relationship with the heir-apparent to one of the largest, oldest, and most mysterious fortunes in Asia. What made Kwan’s book so compelling for most non-asian westerners, was the introduction of another aspect to the lives of the affluent whom we all love to analyse so much; culture. Though most people are familiar with the lives of celebrities and other public figures in their own countries, seldom do most people consider how things are different for those in other countries and of different cultures. Kwan’s novel was simultaneously entertaining and full of real information based on Kwan’s own research and personal experiences.
For the very first time, westerners were exposed to the elites of Asia, which Kwan’s book depicted as being in many ways similar and in many ways far more extreme than anything most people had ever conceived of. Following the meteoric rise in popularity of Kwan’s series and the accompanying movie, audiences and journalists alike began to look more deeply into the culture of the so-called “real crazy rich asians“.
I think a large part of the fascination was also that Kwan’s book came out at a time when people in the west were already starting to pay more attention to asian cultures and popular media; with KPop, K-dramas, Chinese dramas, and Japanese manga/anime gaining more mainstream popularity on streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu. Similarly, many asian and Asian-American filmmakers and actors (like Sandra Oh of Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve, Bong Joon-Ho of Okja and recently Parasite) gaining global recognition, and shows like Fresh-off the Boat gaining popularity and offering greater representation to asian communities.
For those who may not have read the books or watched the movie, Crazy Rich Asians, and its sequels China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems, are definitely worth checking out.
Hi, Celina. Way to pick the sequel, rather than the well-known novel by Kevin Kwan, now turned movie. The first image you chose perfectly illustrates the upper echelon of society you describe. Last semester, I took AED 225: Diversity, Pedagogy, and Visual Culture. One of the greatest tidbits on information I learned was that if one is going to explore a different culture than their own, he/she should make sure the author has authentic, biological ties to such culture and material. It is comforting to know that this novel is written by a Singaporean, but we must always keep in mind that scripts are embellished and stereotyped. What generalizations did you see in this novel and complimentary film that may be harmful or perpetuate stereotypes for the Asian, rich culture? Is there something in particular that you feel Kwan did well? I look forward to reading your next blog posts!
I remember when Crazy Rich Asians came out and how excited my best friend (whose Vietnamese) was because there was finally going to be a movie that showcased something more similar to her culture. She has a seriously love of Kpop, anime, and K-dramas, but most of that came from Asian countries and was not as main stream here in the United States. When she finally went and saw the movie, I remember saying how good it was and that there was finally a movie that more accurately represented her culture.