Skip to main content
Young woman riding a bike in New York
My mother, Haimei, is a Chinese immigrant who spent decades building a life in New York City.
Who is buying dumplings at 3AM?
Middle-age woman watching TV and her daughter leaving the room
Now that her two children are grown and have moved out, all she wants to do these days is cuddle with her dog and watch TV.
I'm headed out now, Mom!
Ok, see ya!
Emily in Paris on TV, and Haimei watching in her living room
Recently she put on Netflix.
Oh? I've always wanted to live in Paris...
Wow! A Chinese girl in Paris? I wish that could've been me...
An Asian character talking to a white character
She was excited to see a Chinese character—when she noticed something she couldn't ignore.
呆在我能看得到你的地方 "Stay where I can see you!"
Haimei calling her daughter
She called me to complain.
Mindy's Mandarin is so bad!
I agree... let me look her up.
Oh, I see. It says she’s played by a Korean actor! No wonder she doesn’t feel Chinese.
Two women watching Kim's Convenience in their apartment
After this, we started noticing a pattern that got us thinking...
Hey is that Simu Liu? Isn't he Chinese?
Yeah, why is he playing a Korean? I wonder...
How Accurately Are Asian Americans Cast in Hollywood?
Data and script by Dorothy Lu
Illustrations and development by Anna Li
Two women watching TV in a living room with two Chinese vases, a fan, and a calendar
Methodology