Will ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ face backlash with Chinese viewers over racism claims?

Ahead of next week’s release of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” calls for a boycott are growing as critics say the film depicts a Chinese character with a racist stereotype. According to Chinese media outlets on Wednesday, the character at the center of the film’s racism controversy is Qin Zhou, played by Chinese American actor Helen J. Shen. The character, who appears as an assistant to Andrea Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway, drew backlash from Chinese netizens in that the name resembles “ching chong,” a racist slur historically used in the West to mock Chinese people. “‘Ching chong’ is a symbolic racist slur historically used in the West to ridicule Chinese immigrant workers in the 19th century,” wrote Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily News. “It implies contempt and discomfort towards Chinese accents and intonation.” Qin Zhou’s portrayal in the film also drew criticism. She is depicted in checkered shirts and glasses, openly criticizing her superior in public and behaving in a self-important manner. Criticisms arose that the character reinforces a Western stereotype in that Chinese people e

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