White House Hosts Special Screening of ‘American Born Chinese’ For AANHPI Heritage Month
On May 8, in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, President Biden hosted a special screening of American Born Chinese. The screening was part of the largest AANHPI celebration ever held at the White House and was hosted in partnership with The Asian American Foundation (TAAF).
American Born Chinese is a series based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel by the same name that tells the story of Jin Wang (Ben Wang), an American teenager who befriends the son of a mythological god, changing his life forever. The story follows Jin Wang’s trials and tribulations of being a teenager in the United States and his battle for his identity.
Academy Award Winner, Ke Huy Quan, opened the celebration by speaking about his experience as an immigrant coming into this country at a young age. He also spoke about the series and said, “This is a show about that very crossroads — between storybook fantasy and real-world struggle. It tells the tale of an immigrant family, with an American son, finding their way, forging their own path, and dealing with all the highs and lows of that difficult journey. It’s about the blending of cultures, influences, and values into a new American identity. And most of all … it’s about family.”
Ke Huy Quan then introduced President Biden, who spoke about the importance of diversity in the United States and highlighted the important contributions the AANHPI community brings to this country. Regarding the series, he said, “When I think about this story, I think about the courage it took for so many of you and your ancestors to start the journey to America and continue the traditions, and native Hawaiians, who’ve been engaged in that process for centuries, to adopt to old traditions anew and tell the ongoing story of America. Stories of possibilities.”
The stars of American Born Chinese attended the White House screening and celebration, including Ben Wang, Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, Daniel Wu, Jimmy Liu, and Sydney Taylor. Yang attended as the author of the novel and executive producer of the series, alongside executive producer and director Destin Daniel Cretton, series creator and showrunner Kelvin Yu, and executive producers Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan, and Erin O’Malley. The stars of the Disney+ Original series Doogie Kamealoha, M.D., Peyton Elizabeth Lee, and Alex Aiono, were also in attendance.
All the episodes of American Born Chinese will premiere on Disney+ on May 24.
