When a movie presents tragic history in a comedic way, it goes beyond entertainment to convey profound meaning. Detective Chinatown 1900 is one such cinematic endeavor.

Set in San Francisco in 1900, the film follows detectives Qin Fu and Ah Gui as they investigate the murder of an American woman in Chinatown. Starring Chow Yun-fat, Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran, this fourth installment of the Detective Chinatown franchise premiered during the Spring Festival holiday, quickly capturing public attention.

Praising the movie for its seamless blend of mystery and humor, Georges Chamchoum, an Emmy Award-winning film director and producer, says that the film effectively employs over-the-top acting and comedic elements to depict the harsh realities of historical racism.

"I believe the story resonates with a broad audience, including American viewers, as it vividly portrays the racism of that era," Chamchoum told China Daily at a recent special screening hosted by the Asian World Film Festival in Culver City in the United States.

Co-directed by Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo, the film explores issues of race, immigration and national identity. Despite the invaluable contribution of Chinese immigrants to the development of the US during the Gold Rush, and the construction of the Pacific Railway, they faced discrimination and were even labeled the "yellow peril", and the subject of derogatory rumors. The film highlights the rhetoric surrounding the Chinese Exclusion Act and its exploitation by one of the film's characters, a mayoral candidate named Grant, who attempts to frame Chinese laborers in order to drive them out of the US.

Although the film treats these serious historical themes with a touch of caricature, its subtext regarding racial discrimination remains "significant", according to Chamchoum.

For Chow, the role of Bai Xuanling was a long-awaited opportunity. Speaking to Chinese media, the actor said that he had been offered a similar role in the 1990s when he first arrived in Hollywood seeking opportunities. The late director King Hu had given him the script for The Battle of Ono, a film about Chinese laborers building American railways during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). However, Hu died before the project could be realized.

Three decades later, Chow finally found his dream role in Detective Chinatown 1900. The film dramatically portrays the real-life injustices suffered by Chinese immigrants through its fictitious plot in which San Francisco elites fabricate a "Chinese Jack the Ripper" to justify dismantling Chinatown.

One of the most powerful scenes in the film has Chow's character Bai delivering a passionate courtroom monologue in English. Facing an all-American jury, he exposes the discrimination endured by Chinese immigrants, despite their critical role in the growth of the US. The moment has been widely discussed for its emotional impact and historical significance.

"I think a lot of Americans didn't know this history before, but the film brings it back to life and explains it to younger audiences, and I was so proud of those Chinese workers," Miriam Ajibekova, an audience member, told China Daily.

Detective Chinatown 1900 is more than just an action-comedy mystery; it is a cultural bridge between China and the US, according to Chamchoum. Chen who studied in Hollywood has successfully merged Chinese and American cultural elements in the Detective Chinatown series through international collaborations. The latest installment features Hollywood actor John Cusack in the role of mayoral candidate Grant.

The film's composer, Nathan Wang, a University of Southern California-trained musician born in the US, shared his experiences of working on the film after the special screening. "We recorded the pipa (a four-stringed lute), guzheng (plucked zither), and erhu (a two-stringed fiddle) here in LA and layered them with Western orchestration," says the composer, who worked with German film composer Hans Zimmer on Kung Fu Panda 3.

Wang adds that he took pride in writing a score that blends Western orchestral elements with traditional Chinese instruments.

The film was shot in Shandong province at the Laoling Film Studio in Laoling county-level city, Dezhou, where a replica of 1900s San Francisco Chinatown was built. Covering a 200,000-square-meter area, the set took seven months to complete, adding to the film's authenticity.

"The production value is incredible," Chamchoum says, expressing hope for further collaborations between Chinese and American filmmakers.

Detective Chinatown 1900 is among the flagship Chinese films released internationally during Spring Festival, China's most profitable box-office period. The film opened to 460 million yuan ($64 million) on its first day, Jan 29, the first day of Chinese New Year, and grossed 3.4 billion yuan in early March. The three preceding films in the franchise amassed over 8.74 billion yuan before the latest installment.

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