Dragon Boys
Encyclopedia
Dragon Boys is a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC) miniseries
starring Eric Tsang
, Byron Mann
, Lawrence Chou
, Tzi Ma
, Lauren Lee Smith
, Steph Song
, Darryl Quon, Christina Ma, Jean Yoon
, Simon Wong and Chang Tseng . It aired on CBC on January 7 and 8 of 2007.
organized gangs, set mostly in Vancouver
and Richmond, British Columbia
, Canada
. One of them involves an Asian-Canadian Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) officer, Tommy Jiang (played by Mann), who is seeking to bring down two Asian gangsters named Willie the Duck and Movie Star (played by Tsang and Chou, respectively), in the process risking losing everything, including his marriage, as he goes deeper into the criminal organization. Eventually, the final showdown occurs between Movie Star and Jiang.
Another story focuses on the Wahs, an immigrant family from China
. The parents in that family (played by real life husband and wife Tzi Ma and Christina Ma) are concerned about their son Jason (played by Wong), who is constantly the victim of racial
bullying. Jason soon receives help, but from a Chinese-Canadian youth with gang connections. They attempt a robbery but fail, and Jason is forced to flee for his life while his father Henry tries to save him.
The third story is about an illegal Cambodia
n immigrant named Chavy Pahn (Steph Song) who comes to Vancouver to seek a modelling career but is instead trapped in Canada with no friends, no passport and a $30,000 debt. Forced into prostitution
at a senior gang member's wife's massage parlour because she cannot pay her debts, she seeks the help of a gang-enforcer (Quon), who befriends her, as means of escape.
In addition, the series' writer Ian Weir immersed himself in Asian Canadian and Asian American culture before writing the script. He also worked with some in the Chinese community during the script's writing, checking to see what worked and what didn't. This resulted in some of the tongue-in-cheek
references made about Chinese stereotypes by some of the characters, such as Jiang, in the miniseries.
However, the viewership numbers fell short of expectations on the first night, with approximately 383,000 viewers. It did slightly better on the finale the next night, with 391,000 viewers.
implications. Some Chinese Canadian film and television personnel even threatened to boycott the miniseries. This led to the producers hiring several prominent Asian Canadians in the community to look over the script to filter out what could be insulting.
One of the changes made to accommodate Asian Canadians more was the omission of the character of a Caucasian police chief; it was decided that going with a white boss would be counter-productive to the story, and a senior Asian Canadian officer was added instead to add complexity to the script. Another change that was made took previously submissive and weak Asian female characters in the miniseries and making them outspoken and stronger. More Asian characters were also added to the protagonists' side, so not all the "bad guys" are Asian.
Despite the content of the miniseries, the writer and the director are both Caucasian. Steph Song (who plays Chavy Pahn) found that to be an advantage, in contrast to the alleged racism accusations made by the Chinese Canadian community before it aired. Song claimed that if the miniseries was written and directed by Chinese Canadians, there would be too much sympathy on the part of the Asian characters, and that the "truth" about the Asian drug dealing industry would not have been exposed in an adequate manner.
, Richmond
and Langley, British Columbia
area, but takes place in Richmond, a city famous for its Golden Village
Asian district on No. 3 Road, as well as its large Asian community which makes up 60 percent of the city's population.
Some scenes were shot at one of the malls within the Golden Village, Parker Place
. Because of the area's high concentration of Asian Canadians, Eric Tsang (a very well known actor in Hong Kong films) was mobbed by fans who recognized him.
Partly due to the setting of the miniseries, some of the songs on the series' soundtrack were performed by Asian Canadian musicians from Richmond.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(CBC) miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
starring Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang Chi-wai , MH is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio series on TVB over the course of 10 years.-Biography:Due to his popularity, he is often the MC in events organized by TVB, and is nicknamed "the Prize Master"...
, Byron Mann
Byron Mann
Byron Mann is an actor who has made films in both Hollywood and Asia. He is perhaps best known for his performance as Ryu in Street Fighter.-Biography:...
, Lawrence Chou
Lawrence Chou
-Music:Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, Chou developed a strong passion for music since he was a little kid. With his exceptional vocal talent, Chou won numerous singing contests in Vancouver and eventually earned a record deal with BMG in 1998...
, Tzi Ma
Tzi Ma
Tzi Ma is a Chinese American actor who has made numerous appearances in American films and TV series.-Life and career:Ma was born in Hong Kong...
, Lauren Lee Smith
Lauren Lee Smith
-Early life:Lauren attended Henry James Cambie Secondary School. Smith was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The stepdaughter of a documentary filmmaker, Lauren travelled around the world with her family. When she was 14, her family moved to Los Angeles, California...
, Steph Song
Steph Song
Steph Song is a Malaysian-born actress raised in Canada and Australia. She was voted Sexiest Woman in the world by Asian readers of FHM magazine...
, Darryl Quon, Christina Ma, Jean Yoon
Jean Yoon
Jean Yoon is a Canadian actress, poet and playwright, based in Toronto.Her best-known role internationally was flight attendant Betty Ong in The Path to 9/11. Her other film and television roles have included A Brighter Moon, Waking the Dead, Forget Me Never, Dragon Boys, In the Company of Spies...
, Simon Wong and Chang Tseng . It aired on CBC on January 7 and 8 of 2007.
Synopsis
The film focuses on several stories about Asian CanadianAsian Canadian
This is a list of Canadians of Asian ancestry. Asian Canadians comprise the largest visible minority in Canada, at 11% of the Canadian population.- Ethnicity :List of Asian Canadian Demographies according to the 2006 Census- Notable Asian Canadians :...
organized gangs, set mostly in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. One of them involves an Asian-Canadian Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) officer, Tommy Jiang (played by Mann), who is seeking to bring down two Asian gangsters named Willie the Duck and Movie Star (played by Tsang and Chou, respectively), in the process risking losing everything, including his marriage, as he goes deeper into the criminal organization. Eventually, the final showdown occurs between Movie Star and Jiang.
Another story focuses on the Wahs, an immigrant family from China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The parents in that family (played by real life husband and wife Tzi Ma and Christina Ma) are concerned about their son Jason (played by Wong), who is constantly the victim of racial
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
bullying. Jason soon receives help, but from a Chinese-Canadian youth with gang connections. They attempt a robbery but fail, and Jason is forced to flee for his life while his father Henry tries to save him.
The third story is about an illegal Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n immigrant named Chavy Pahn (Steph Song) who comes to Vancouver to seek a modelling career but is instead trapped in Canada with no friends, no passport and a $30,000 debt. Forced into prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
at a senior gang member's wife's massage parlour because she cannot pay her debts, she seeks the help of a gang-enforcer (Quon), who befriends her, as means of escape.
Non-triad members
- Tommy Jiang, Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal Canadian Mounted PoliceThe Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) detective played by Byron MannByron MannByron Mann is an actor who has made films in both Hollywood and Asia. He is perhaps best known for his performance as Ryu in Street Fighter.-Biography:... - Chavy Pahn played by Steph SongSteph SongSteph Song is a Malaysian-born actress raised in Canada and Australia. She was voted Sexiest Woman in the world by Asian readers of FHM magazine...
- Jason Wah played by Simon Wong
- Henry Wah played by Tzi MaTzi MaTzi Ma is a Chinese American actor who has made numerous appearances in American films and TV series.-Life and career:Ma was born in Hong Kong...
- Mae Wah played by Christina Ma
- Mr. Yen played by Chang Tseng
- Mrs. Yen played by Chiu-Lin Tam
- Kath played by Lauren Lee SmithLauren Lee Smith-Early life:Lauren attended Henry James Cambie Secondary School. Smith was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The stepdaughter of a documentary filmmaker, Lauren travelled around the world with her family. When she was 14, her family moved to Los Angeles, California...
- Jaz played by Kaaren de ZilvaKaaren de ZilvaKaaren de Zilva is an English-born Canadian actress who has had roles in Juno, Da Vinci's Inquest, Da Vinci's City Hall, Mimzy and Hellraiser: Hellseeker.-Life and career:...
Triad members
- William Lok ("Willie the Duck") played by Eric TsangEric TsangEric Tsang Chi-wai , MH is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio series on TVB over the course of 10 years.-Biography:Due to his popularity, he is often the MC in events organized by TVB, and is nicknamed "the Prize Master"...
- Belinda Lok played by Jean YoonJean YoonJean Yoon is a Canadian actress, poet and playwright, based in Toronto.Her best-known role internationally was flight attendant Betty Ong in The Path to 9/11. Her other film and television roles have included A Brighter Moon, Waking the Dead, Forget Me Never, Dragon Boys, In the Company of Spies...
- Sorrows played by Darryl Quon
- Movie Star played by Lawrence ChouLawrence Chou-Music:Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, Chou developed a strong passion for music since he was a little kid. With his exceptional vocal talent, Chou won numerous singing contests in Vancouver and eventually earned a record deal with BMG in 1998...
- Fat Ass played by Michael AdamthwaiteMichael AdamthwaiteMichael David Adamthwaite is a Canadian voice actor. He is credited with providing the voice for many characters in various anime series...
- Uncle Three played by Greg Chan
- Colin Lee Yuen played by Rick Sam
Pre-filming preparation and research
Before filming for the miniseries began, Mann spent several weeks with Richmond's RCMP detectives to prepare for the role. Besides that, a year was spent researching Asian Canadian gangs in the Vancouver area, in cooperation with the RCMP.In addition, the series' writer Ian Weir immersed himself in Asian Canadian and Asian American culture before writing the script. He also worked with some in the Chinese community during the script's writing, checking to see what worked and what didn't. This resulted in some of the tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
references made about Chinese stereotypes by some of the characters, such as Jiang, in the miniseries.
Critical response and viewership
The critical response for Dragon Boys have been overwhelmingly positive, in large part due to its depth and realism resulting from the performances of the internationally based cast from Hong Kong, Canada and the United States. According to CBC executives, the producers of the miniseries have been given permission to start a sequel to Dragon Boys. The writers have already started writing the script, and the production is hoping to start filming in the fall of 2007.However, the viewership numbers fell short of expectations on the first night, with approximately 383,000 viewers. It did slightly better on the finale the next night, with 391,000 viewers.
Controversy and community involvement
Before the miniseries aired, there was concern from the Chinese Canadian community about possible backlash from other communities; the villains in the miniseries are predominantly Asian Canadian, leading to possibly racistRacism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
implications. Some Chinese Canadian film and television personnel even threatened to boycott the miniseries. This led to the producers hiring several prominent Asian Canadians in the community to look over the script to filter out what could be insulting.
One of the changes made to accommodate Asian Canadians more was the omission of the character of a Caucasian police chief; it was decided that going with a white boss would be counter-productive to the story, and a senior Asian Canadian officer was added instead to add complexity to the script. Another change that was made took previously submissive and weak Asian female characters in the miniseries and making them outspoken and stronger. More Asian characters were also added to the protagonists' side, so not all the "bad guys" are Asian.
Despite the content of the miniseries, the writer and the director are both Caucasian. Steph Song (who plays Chavy Pahn) found that to be an advantage, in contrast to the alleged racism accusations made by the Chinese Canadian community before it aired. Song claimed that if the miniseries was written and directed by Chinese Canadians, there would be too much sympathy on the part of the Asian characters, and that the "truth" about the Asian drug dealing industry would not have been exposed in an adequate manner.
Filming locations
The film was filmed in the VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Richmond
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
and Langley, British Columbia
Langley, British Columbia (district municipality)
The Township of Langley is a district municipality immediately east of the City of Surrey in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It extends south from the Fraser River to the U.S. border, and west of the City of Abbotsford...
area, but takes place in Richmond, a city famous for its Golden Village
Golden Village (Richmond, British Columbia)
Golden Village is a commercial district of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada best known for its high concentration of Asian-themed shopping malls. It is the home to the second-largest Asian community in North America....
Asian district on No. 3 Road, as well as its large Asian community which makes up 60 percent of the city's population.
Some scenes were shot at one of the malls within the Golden Village, Parker Place
Parker Place
Parker Place is a shopping mall in Richmond, British Columbia. It is located on No. 3 Road, in the middle of Richmond's Golden Village, the main Asian district...
. Because of the area's high concentration of Asian Canadians, Eric Tsang (a very well known actor in Hong Kong films) was mobbed by fans who recognized him.
Partly due to the setting of the miniseries, some of the songs on the series' soundtrack were performed by Asian Canadian musicians from Richmond.