The movie "Crazy Rich Asians" is a delightful rom com. I would like to start by congratulating legendary star Michelle Yeoh and newbie Henry Golding for their brilliant performances. Yeoh beautifully accomplished the difficult task of making the audience sympathetic to Eleanor's station in old money Singapore. Despite the uproar over casting Golding as Nick because of his biracial ethnicity, I think he's a perfect choice. I've a cousin who's Peranakan Chinese who looks rather like Nick. In the hawker-centre scene, Golding seamlessly pulled off ordering an array of delectable foods in different dialects and Malay, which would have been difficult for an American-Chinese actor to accomplish.
For a film that is set in Singapore, it however lacks a certain sensibility to what Singapore is all about. Beginning the movie with the Napoleon quote "Let China sleep, for when she wakes, she will wake the world" is disconcerting. What, I ask, does that have to do with Singapore or the storyline? The quote is immediately followed by the scene of the Young family buying up a London hotel. Aren't the Youngs Singaporeans and not Chinese from China?
While the majority of Singaporeans are of Chinese descent, those whose ancestors came from China generations ago have little affinity to China. Growing up on the cusp of Singapore's independence, I was taught that we're first of all Singaporeans, and our ties to our respective ethnicities secondary. The majority of us went to English stream schools, studying Mandarin as our second language. We prefer curry puffs to dumplings. Singaporean Chinese happily adopt Western and Malay cultures while still holding on to aspects of Chinese traditions, being unabashedly proud of that heritage. China is not our motherland, nor Chinese our mother tongue. We're taught from young that we may be hua ren but we are definitely not zhong guo ren!
I would also differ with Peik Lin's summation of the wealth in Singapore. It was not mostly brought over from China. The wealthy in Singapore made their fortunes by settling in a country with a stable, lawful governance to foster their expansive enterprises.
Additionally, I am baffled by the director's decision not to highlight Singapore's ethnic diversity. The Young family's circle of friends could have been more diverse. My family certainly have good friends and even family members from different ethnic groups. I would think that in Nick's generation, diversity would play an even bigger role. At the very least, they could have cast wealthy Malays, Indians, Eurasians and internationals at the grandmother's soirée and the wedding. What a missed opportunity to bring in even richer, equally gorgeous fashions, especially the sarong kebaya to the haute couture-packed festivities.
I end with a quote from the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, before his trip to China in April, 2018: "...Chinese tourists visit Singapore precisely because we are not another Chinese city. They find Singapore a fascinating multiracial and multi-religious country with different cultures and ways of life. Different ethnic groups and religious faiths co-exist side by side, harmoniously. We hope that when Chinese tourists visit us, they can see and appreciate how Singapore is unique, and how our multi-racial national identity influences our place in the world and relations with other countries."
