I recently picked up a book at the library called "We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story," the autobiography of Simu Liu, star of one of the newer Marvel movies, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. I didn't actually watch Shang-Chi because there are just too many superhero movies and I have no background to base any nostalgia for Shang-Chi like I have for X-Men, Spider-Man, and Pokemon, but Simu's story really captivated me, and as usual I got sucked in, swapping an hour of encyclopedia time for an hour of Simu's story.
Actually, more like reading about Simu's parents' story, who immigrated from China's Harbin province and endured years of not understanding the English language, not having any money and working for $4 an hour at the local Chinese restaurant, and having to care for an infant/toddler child while putting themselves through graduate school (which required a scholarship since they didn't have money to pay, so they went to some schools that most people never heard of). And that's AFTER enduring tough conditions during the Cultural Revolution in China of Mao forcing citizens to forgo education in favor of working in fields and factories to understand the austerity of livelihood. Basically, the story of my parents too, and I'm sure thousands/maybe millions of Chinese immigrants who came over to America/Canada during that same time window. Instead of Sky Harbor Airport (Phoenix) and Pearson International Airport (Toronto) where Simu's parents went, my parents went to O'Hare Airport and settled in Chicago. Instead of getting lucky with living in a 90-year-old landlord, my parents found a spot in the rough part of downtown Chicago where bullets could sometimes be heard going off at night. Instead of working at a Chinese restaurant and making deliveries to colleges like Simu's parents......well, my dad did actually work at a Chinese restaurant washing dishes in Chicago's Chinatown and making deliveries. Simu Liu's 2 years younger than I am, but I feel like we could have been friends as kids growing up in an English-speaking land, our parents speaking in Mandarin nd reminiscing about the old days in China. Really a nice touch for him to devote the first 6 chapters or so of his book to talking about his parents' upbringing and "the day he was conceived," a little TMI but indicative of the happy days in his parent's lives being few and far between that the one day they could relax and "eat KFC" was so memorable. It's not lost on me that when my parents were the age that I am now, they had already arrived in a completely new land where they didn't speak the language well, had to adapt on the fly while raising a child and also taking graduate classes. And this is all without the INTERNET! How'd they do it? My parents definitely went through tougher times than I did.
Kinda makes me wonder if those tough experiences are necessary to fully enjoy one's later success (and that's if you're lucky and get to experience success!) And that's where Simu started his own story. I used to hold a grudge against my dad for being really mean back when I was a kid and not being understanding when I was late from cross-country practice or something else....but now I think about all the times I get upset at someone else, and it's usually something stressing me out in my own life, and not feeling good about myself; I can only imagine that's what made my parents have bad days when dealing with me. Certainly something to remember if (and when!) MJ become parents to avoid transferring our own tensions onto the child, but the story of Simu Liu's parents made me think about my own parents in a new light. I guess that's why we need diversity in the work force, in our leaders, in our heroes (well, at least kids do, but even sometimes a 35-year-old does too): people can draw inspiration and relate to what others have been through that had the same background, so I appreciate Simu Liu for making it to the top and telling his story for all to hear. (He also made some great points about not associating all Chinese people with the negative stereotypes that all Chinese people sometimes get lumped with.) Maybe I'll see Shang-Chi after all!
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