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bantha_fodderLast year, I was wandering around online, and discovered that there are people who exist who don't think that Cho Chang is Chinese. This was before the casting of Katie Leung as Cho (which I think, as a move, confirms Cho as being canonically Chinese, so now hopefully the debate has ended). AND I discovered that there are people who, not only do they not think of her, or not really like her, but that actively hate her. There are hate listings.
The Cho that I see when I read the books or read fic is so Chinese that this has never been an issue for me. And now I'm going to talk about her, both in canon and in fanon. Because as you all know, my love for Cho Chang knows no bounds.
The Problem with Cho #1: Her Name
Chang is fairly clearly supposed to be a Chinese name. Cho is more problematic. Cho is maybe Korean. It's definitely not Mandarin, although it's close to 秋 (qiu), even ignoring tones. I like it as a transliteration to 秋, mostly because it means 'autumn,' and that's a nice meaning for a name. Not the most traditional, but whatever. I don't think it's Cantonese, although my Cantonese is not fabulous. Cantonese is, however, the most likely, because she's clearly not a recent migrant (recent = before 1990), and the majority of migration to Britain before that was from Guangzhou, so.
(OMG, WATCH ME WANK)
Obviously, her family could still be (ages ago) from some other province, as there were small percentages of migrants from other provinces, but my knowledge doesn't extend that far, so I shall be quiet on this diverted topic now.
Also, I've seen some speculation that 'Cho' is meant to be a mutated version of 'chou,' as a slander (slut, I think), but I don't know how I feel about this theory. That is to say, I'm not sure of the validity of 'Cho' as mutilation of 'chou,' but I doubt JKR picked it for the reason of its possible translated meaning.
In summary: Cho isn't really a Chinese name, but I think we, as readers, are meant to assume it is.
Which leads us to The Problem with Cho #2: JKR
As is clear from her non-sensical name, Cho is being written by someone who, in terms of 'being Chinese,' doesn't know where she's going. It's like JKR's 'magic gene.' It sounds like a good idea at the time, and gives the reader a vague, nebulous idea to work with/remember, but doesn't hold up under extended analysis.
As a result, we can't expect to ever hear about Cho's difficulties being a Chinese girl in a school where just about everyone else is European/Caucacian (please note my use of 'ALMOST' - I acknowledge that JKR has written at least a handful of other characters of non-European descent).
The Problem with Cho #3: On being Chinese
Cho is Chinese, okay? And on a day to day basis, she probably didn't think about it. She probably didn't walk around the halls of Hogwarts going, "oh, you're different to me," or whatever. But she was coming to terms with all sorts of things, and one of those things would have been the reconciliation between her home life and her life at Hogwarts, and the cultural difference.
I'm not saying, when she was at home she spoke Chinese and prayed to the spirits and ate rice for every meal. Living in GB for at least the majority of her life (as assumed by her love of that Welsh Quidditch team since she was six) means it was not a huge jolt. But I bet there were days when she craved things she couldn't have, desserts and meals that we never hear mentioned in the books. I bet she wanted to celebrate Chinese New Year or Moon Festival, and couldn't.
And she had to reconcile that slight feeling of dislocation and disassociation, with all the people around her.
The Problem with Cho #4: She's a teenager
And yes, everyone around her was feeling similarly dislocated. This is because they're all teenagers. Cho is still a teenager. She's still learning about who she is, and about life and the people around her.
Clearly, she does not have the Muggle --> Wizarding World problem. That transition is clearly a difficult one, but she doesn't have to make it. She does have to deal with the child --> teenager --> adult transition, and I have made a radical assumption: we have not identified any other Chinese people at Hogwarts. Therefore, as minimal a role as her Chinese heritage may play in her day to day life, she is surrounded by people who don't get it.
So she has to combine all of these feelings into one tiny person.
The Problem with Cho #5: FANDOM
Dear Fandom;
Do you know why you suck? Because you totally hate Cho, and you shouldn't. So she's pretty and popular and smart. So she cries, and she doesn't make Harry happy. You know what? They're teenagers. It happens.
Also, you should stop trying to Mary Sue yourself into Harry's life. When she upsets him, he upsets her right back, and he doesn't run off into your arms. OMG.
With Love,
Pen
PS. WHAT IS UP WITH THE HATE LISTINGS?
In summary: so few people like Cho. And you should.
Why I Love Cho:
Because, as little as we know about her, she's just like anyone else. There are people who like her, and there are people who don't. She has friends she's really close to, and ex-boyfriends, and weird adventures at school. She's unsure of herself, but tries to speak up when she really cares. And she has misunderstandings and accidents.
And, okay, she's pretty and popular but I think those aren't reasons to hate a character, I think those are part of who she is.
So, that isn't a lot (of reasons), but it's enough for me.
Cho, Online:
Harry Potter and Cho Chang: Exotified Asian Women and Invisible Filipinos. I have a lot of issues with this article, but at the same time I found it very interesting.
Cho at the HP Lexicon.
From HP4GU: EvilCho as fanon staple.
An interview with Katie about Cho, and a brief discussion of that article.
A Question: I've seen some people say that Cho doesn't ping on their radar. And my question is: why not? Why doesn't Cho interest you?
Cho as Main Character in Fanfic:
Oral History by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
acadine. It contains possibly my favourite line of written text ever, Only at Hogwarts, they joke, would history actually be taught by a dead white European man, and the comments contain some great chit-chat.
How It Feels to Face a Dragon, bybowdlerized. The flow is just beautiful, and Cho is so lovely and she's not perfect, but she's just brilliant and Bow is just brilliant.
Cho as Secondary Character in Fanfic:
The Paradigm of Uncertainty by Lori. Cho here is a sort of bitchy foil that propels Hermione into investigating about Harry's life.
And this is common. Most fics that acknowledge Cho as a secondary character (and I apologise for only giving one example) demonise her, and turn her into this horrible, bitchy caricature.
This is the last thing, I promise:
I wrote something about Cho just the other day. It is basically my attempt to channel my thoughts from this essay into a fiction form: Out from Under. Because we learn so many tiny tidbits about Cho: her loyalty to Marietta; her difficulty in getting over Cedric; her jealousy over Hermione and Harry: and this is my attempt to reconcile what we know with who I think she is.
Okay, the end.
The Cho that I see when I read the books or read fic is so Chinese that this has never been an issue for me. And now I'm going to talk about her, both in canon and in fanon. Because as you all know, my love for Cho Chang knows no bounds.
The Problem with Cho #1: Her Name
Chang is fairly clearly supposed to be a Chinese name. Cho is more problematic. Cho is maybe Korean. It's definitely not Mandarin, although it's close to 秋 (qiu), even ignoring tones. I like it as a transliteration to 秋, mostly because it means 'autumn,' and that's a nice meaning for a name. Not the most traditional, but whatever. I don't think it's Cantonese, although my Cantonese is not fabulous. Cantonese is, however, the most likely, because she's clearly not a recent migrant (recent = before 1990), and the majority of migration to Britain before that was from Guangzhou, so.
(OMG, WATCH ME WANK)
Obviously, her family could still be (ages ago) from some other province, as there were small percentages of migrants from other provinces, but my knowledge doesn't extend that far, so I shall be quiet on this diverted topic now.
Also, I've seen some speculation that 'Cho' is meant to be a mutated version of 'chou,' as a slander (slut, I think), but I don't know how I feel about this theory. That is to say, I'm not sure of the validity of 'Cho' as mutilation of 'chou,' but I doubt JKR picked it for the reason of its possible translated meaning.
In summary: Cho isn't really a Chinese name, but I think we, as readers, are meant to assume it is.
Which leads us to The Problem with Cho #2: JKR
As is clear from her non-sensical name, Cho is being written by someone who, in terms of 'being Chinese,' doesn't know where she's going. It's like JKR's 'magic gene.' It sounds like a good idea at the time, and gives the reader a vague, nebulous idea to work with/remember, but doesn't hold up under extended analysis.
As a result, we can't expect to ever hear about Cho's difficulties being a Chinese girl in a school where just about everyone else is European/Caucacian (please note my use of 'ALMOST' - I acknowledge that JKR has written at least a handful of other characters of non-European descent).
The Problem with Cho #3: On being Chinese
Cho is Chinese, okay? And on a day to day basis, she probably didn't think about it. She probably didn't walk around the halls of Hogwarts going, "oh, you're different to me," or whatever. But she was coming to terms with all sorts of things, and one of those things would have been the reconciliation between her home life and her life at Hogwarts, and the cultural difference.
I'm not saying, when she was at home she spoke Chinese and prayed to the spirits and ate rice for every meal. Living in GB for at least the majority of her life (as assumed by her love of that Welsh Quidditch team since she was six) means it was not a huge jolt. But I bet there were days when she craved things she couldn't have, desserts and meals that we never hear mentioned in the books. I bet she wanted to celebrate Chinese New Year or Moon Festival, and couldn't.
And she had to reconcile that slight feeling of dislocation and disassociation, with all the people around her.
The Problem with Cho #4: She's a teenager
And yes, everyone around her was feeling similarly dislocated. This is because they're all teenagers. Cho is still a teenager. She's still learning about who she is, and about life and the people around her.
Clearly, she does not have the Muggle --> Wizarding World problem. That transition is clearly a difficult one, but she doesn't have to make it. She does have to deal with the child --> teenager --> adult transition, and I have made a radical assumption: we have not identified any other Chinese people at Hogwarts. Therefore, as minimal a role as her Chinese heritage may play in her day to day life, she is surrounded by people who don't get it.
So she has to combine all of these feelings into one tiny person.
The Problem with Cho #5: FANDOM
Dear Fandom;
Do you know why you suck? Because you totally hate Cho, and you shouldn't. So she's pretty and popular and smart. So she cries, and she doesn't make Harry happy. You know what? They're teenagers. It happens.
Also, you should stop trying to Mary Sue yourself into Harry's life. When she upsets him, he upsets her right back, and he doesn't run off into your arms. OMG.
With Love,
Pen
PS. WHAT IS UP WITH THE HATE LISTINGS?
In summary: so few people like Cho. And you should.
Why I Love Cho:
Because, as little as we know about her, she's just like anyone else. There are people who like her, and there are people who don't. She has friends she's really close to, and ex-boyfriends, and weird adventures at school. She's unsure of herself, but tries to speak up when she really cares. And she has misunderstandings and accidents.
And, okay, she's pretty and popular but I think those aren't reasons to hate a character, I think those are part of who she is.
So, that isn't a lot (of reasons), but it's enough for me.
Cho, Online:
Harry Potter and Cho Chang: Exotified Asian Women and Invisible Filipinos. I have a lot of issues with this article, but at the same time I found it very interesting.
Cho at the HP Lexicon.
From HP4GU: EvilCho as fanon staple.
An interview with Katie about Cho, and a brief discussion of that article.
A Question: I've seen some people say that Cho doesn't ping on their radar. And my question is: why not? Why doesn't Cho interest you?
Cho as Main Character in Fanfic:
Oral History by
acadine. It contains possibly my favourite line of written text ever, Only at Hogwarts, they joke, would history actually be taught by a dead white European man, and the comments contain some great chit-chat.How It Feels to Face a Dragon, by
bowdlerized. The flow is just beautiful, and Cho is so lovely and she's not perfect, but she's just brilliant and Bow is just brilliant.Cho as Secondary Character in Fanfic:
The Paradigm of Uncertainty by Lori. Cho here is a sort of bitchy foil that propels Hermione into investigating about Harry's life.
And this is common. Most fics that acknowledge Cho as a secondary character (and I apologise for only giving one example) demonise her, and turn her into this horrible, bitchy caricature.
This is the last thing, I promise:
I wrote something about Cho just the other day. It is basically my attempt to channel my thoughts from this essay into a fiction form: Out from Under. Because we learn so many tiny tidbits about Cho: her loyalty to Marietta; her difficulty in getting over Cedric; her jealousy over Hermione and Harry: and this is my attempt to reconcile what we know with who I think she is.
Okay, the end.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 07:40 am (UTC)I'm not in HP fandom, but what I have seen of the Cho hate disturbs me.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 07:43 am (UTC)But I totally already knew that.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 07:43 am (UTC)Um. That's all. Basically just, "Word."
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:20 pm (UTC)Giny gets a similar hate at times, I think.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 07:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:21 pm (UTC)Although of course you are far too busy writing about HOT PILOTS to do so.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 08:28 am (UTC)Also, I feel that I once read that Cho means "butterfly" in Japanese or something. But I have also seen a meaning given for Chinese, and I don't remember what it was. Alas, earwax!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:23 pm (UTC)Because you are NOT CRAZY OMG.
I heard about that 'butterfly' one as well, but there isn't really an equivalent to 'cho' in Japanese. I guess there's chyo, maybe, but hmm.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 09:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 09:31 am (UTC)周张 is not entirely implausible to me.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 09:49 am (UTC)It seems fairly accepted across fandom that Cho is Chinese. I mean, a Chinese is cast as Cho, not that movies are determinates of canon. But, for the longest time I've had trouble accepting that she's Chinese and not Korean. For the exact observation you made: Cho is a Korean female given name, and a fairly common one too.
In Cantonese, it would be something closer to "Tsou," with more of an "ow" sound as in "how." IPA [a] and [u], if you're phonetically inclined. Admittedly, that's a bit closer to "Cho" than 秋's Mandarin counterpart, but it's really not "Cho" at all.
Chang is also a fairly common Korean last name. I know Korean Changs. Hence my belief that Cho's a Korean, which apparently is wrong.
BUT...
Culturally, Cho kind of "needs" to be Chinese. JKR's Hogwarts is fairly representative of British boarding schools. Just as there are a handful of Indian students there (India as Britain's prized colonial jewel, historically), it makes sense that there would be one or two Chinese students there, because Hong Kong was a British colony up until 8 years ago.
For upper middle class parents, it was fairly common to send their kids off to boarding schools in England. The perception is that they'll get a better education, will learn better English (the key to a successful career), and might have the chance of gaining British citizenship (rather than the colonial territory passport or the current BNO and SAR protectorate passports) if they stay long enough.
My own cousin was shipped off to England to study. All by himself. At the age of 11. Currently a post-grad student applying for British citizenship. I'm always amazed that he survived mentally intact.
So it's socially astute of JKR to include a Chinese character. It makes much more sense than including a Korean character. So socioeconomically, Cho "should" be Chinese.
The ethnic identity point can go either way. Colonial kids sent off to England can be eager to acculturate, so much so that they prefer to discard their Asian heritage in order to adopt a new identity. I've spent enough time in Hong Kong to know that "崇洋" (worshipping the West) is a social/cultural mindset, and parents who send their children off to England would be among the sticklers to the "West is the best" worldview.
On the other hand, if Cho was born and raised in England, then there really isn't too much of a cultural tension if she sees herself as part of the culture. Different but integrated, this seems to be the motto of American Born Chinese (at least the ones that I know).
I agree completely that she's a teenager and has teenaged issues to deal with. We can't be sure about how much of the growing up includes her internalizing her Asian identity (some people don't encounter a ethnic identity crisis until well into their twenties). But as far as fandom goes, it's completely fair for someone to focus on Cho's (exploration of) identity as part of her internal struggle.
lol, I ended up rambling way more than I intended. This is just a close issue to me, seeing friends of mine shipped off to England when I was in elementary school, and escaping a similar fate only because my mom's a U.S. citizen and prefers to bring me over to America. And on top of that, knowing Korean "Cho" and "Changs" ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 03:49 pm (UTC)I'm not all that familiar with Asian cultures. But if "Chang" is a Chinese last name, and "Cho" is a Korean first name, couldn't it be that her father is Chinese and her mother is Korean (and therefore she is named after someone on that side of the family)? Perhaps it's a stretch, but it would explain the mismatch of names. In a kinda "explain after it happens" way.
This post was great. I've never understood why people hate Cho.
(no subject)
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Date: 2005-10-29 09:57 am (UTC)I've never really thought much of Cho, probably because I've read Goblet of Fire once and it's not my favorite book. Also, I avoid all spoilers for the upcoming movie (including all pictures - really, since I know the plot, I have no desire to see what the movie looks like until I actually see the movie) so I simply haven't thought about her in awhile.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:34 pm (UTC)And it's cool when people don't think about Cho. I latched onto Cho because she was clearly an Asian character, and there are so few Asian characters. I just hate it when people, uh, hate Cho.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 10:37 am (UTC)I don't hate Cho, but I can't really relate to her and that's why she's not one of my favorites. I'd never really thought about Cho to be honest, to me she was just one of the many secondary characters. However, I'm starting to like her more and more because many who dislikes her use such strange arguments.
I think all the hatred fandom feels for Cho is rather scary. But, what I think is more scary is people actively hating Katie Leung for playing Cho. Katie seems like such a lovely girl and I think people are absolutely insane for hating her because she plays an unloved character! Besides, I haven't seen Ralph Fiennes being hated for playing Voldemort.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2005-10-29 02:51 pm (UTC)Truth is, it's okay not to like Cho. But the hating is ridiculous and points more to jealousy than any sort of reason. For her ordinary girlness, I love Cho. So... CHO LOVE!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:39 pm (UTC)Umbridge, now. *g*
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 03:02 pm (UTC)She's not totally to be pitied: she's good enough to be on the Quidditch team, and she's also in Ravenclaw, so she's clearly no dimwit.
And I think the girl playing her in the movie is stunning, but that's another story!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:42 pm (UTC)One of the things I find really annoying about HP fandom is the way the characters are written, because so often they don't read as teenagers. Even the really great stories are sometimes nothing more than great stories, because the characters are a little too mature. I know there were a lot of complaints about CapslockHarry, but he was a fifteen year old. We should be grateful he got over it so quickly, really, but it was perfectly in character for him to get all angsty and emo.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 03:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:45 pm (UTC)And it's also why my list of reasons to like Cho is so short. There aren't many reasons to like her, but there aren't many to hate her either, so why do so many more hate her than like her?
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 03:53 pm (UTC)That was an interesting read!
To be honest, after I first read OotP, I was in the "Cho? whatever. *shrugs*" camp. But lately I've been thinking more about Cedric (omgiknow), and incidentally, about his relationship with Cho. I mean she was the person he would miss the most in that second task! That doesn't count for nothing. They must have been pretty close. So I thought about her, and wrote (about) her, and enjoyed it.
And well, people who hate Katie Leung are just seekritly (or not so secretly) jealous of her because she gets to hang around Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Pattinson. Boo.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:47 pm (UTC)I am certainly jealous of Katie Leung for hanging out with Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Pattinson.
Where did you write about Cho?
(no subject)
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Date: 2005-10-29 04:10 pm (UTC)1. I'm not particularly fond of Cho as she seems... self-centered, a bit, a lot, at times... and I'm definitely not fond of the Harry/Cho pairing. However, if the story was ABOUT her, or if I was considering writing a story about her, or reading a story about her, etc, I'm sure I'd like her. But seeing her from the POV of Harry seems to... not make me like her. She gets annoying to me. But, your article convinced me not to so much "hate" her as to know that well.. I dislike her, but, I'm sure I'd like her if I wasn't such an adamant shipper.
2. Saw your Prison Break icon, had to mention that I love it.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:51 pm (UTC)I love Prison Break. It is fabulous.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 04:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 04:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 04:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 04:57 pm (UTC)I've always been a big fan of Cho, that's why I founded
(no subject)
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Date: 2005-10-29 05:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:56 pm (UTC)Whilst you are here, I want to mention how much you inspire me to think about who I am and why I am (re: the colour of my skin and the formation of my ancestry) through your posts and your activities. So. Yeah.
OMG I am too random for words.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 05:14 pm (UTC)It's interesting what you mentioned about culture inside the home versus culture at Hogwarts. Wizards seem to come from all over the world, yet JKR has never really written at all about the cultural differences that might imply. Plus...I dunno, I guess I have issues a lot of the time with the way people of color are portrayed in the text. They always seem to lose out in a way. But anyway, very insightful piece. Glad I stopped by. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 06:01 pm (UTC)OMG, I have now 100% diverted from my own essay topic. I suck.
In summation: I wish characters of colour were written better in the text, but we can't have everything and I guess that's what fanfiction is for.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 07:55 pm (UTC)And OMG. People didn't know Cho was (or was supposed to be) Chinese? How does one miss/deny that?
Bottom line: Why hate Cho? She is understandable in every respect. No she is not miraculous, no, she isn't the unexpected heroine of the HP series. But she isn't supposed to be. She's supposed to be a realistic person, despite fantastical surroundings. No reason to hate her just because she doesn't save the day. That's Harry's job. Not everyone can be the big shiny hero.
from the snitch
Date: 2005-10-29 09:45 pm (UTC)I don't like Cho. But I dislike haters so much more. As you say, hate is a word we ascribe to Voldemort/Petigrew/LeStrange. To people who have set out to make others miserable. Cho is just a young girl, going through such changes, experiencing pain no-one should have to at such a tender age. I don't deny her her pain, her loss, or the transition she faces in OoTP.
What I don't like about Cho is the carry on about Hermione, her inability to communicate with Harry (and not so much about Cedric, because Harry didn't know Cedric that well, but just talking to him about her feelings, about how things were so difficult for her and such) and well, her friends. Now don't get me wrong, I understand that she went against Marietta to be part of the D.A, I just think the people we spend our time with says a lot about the person.
Harry didn't help the matter with Cho at all, I relaise this, and I'm not keeping him from blame. They were just on two different sides of the coin, expecially with the rise of Voldemort and the war. It couldn't work. I don't hate Cho at all, I just don't really like her and obviously didn't see the potential for her and Harry (not that your post was significantly on their pairing, but seeing as it's through Harry's eyes I guess it clouds some of my judgement).
Anyway, when it comes down to it, it's really about personal perception. I mean people adore Draco, and ...well ... Half Blood Prince? Hello?
What I think more than anything, is that (as you say) the hating really needs to stop. Hate completely blinds people from exploring people/stories/characters like they should, and like the HP fandom so offers.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-29 09:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 05:28 pm (UTC)You like Dee, right?
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 01:48 am (UTC)I completely agree with you about the Cho hate. She's actually one of my favourite characters in the HP books; she's pretty, athletic, clever and sweet. Yes, she's sweet. Remember when Harry asked her to the Yule Ball? Didn't she seem genuinely sorry? Wasn't she perfectly nice? And back in PoA, when he's leaving the Great Hall to the Quidditch Pitch, and she wishes him good luck? And when she saves him from Filch in OotP?
I don't get it, really, why all these people hate her. So she's unable to deal with Harry. But she's lost her wonderful boyfriend (come on, tell me Cedric isn't good-looking and clever and a perfect gentleman) to a blood-sucking megalomaniac. And she's falling for a boy who was there when he died, just mere months afterwards. And she wants to fight,
but she must be so damned scared, because she's already lost a loved one... Honestly, I'm surprised she's not in Gryffindor. She must be so smart!
But what irks me most is that Cho hate exists since even before OotP! Yes, apparently some people think that her going out with Cedric is reason enough to picture her a Queen Bitch of Hogwarts!
Oh, this poor girl has suffered so much at the hand of H/Hr and extremist H/G shippers... Yes, I love Cho, and I've been a H/C shipper through and through (though now I'm more H/G inclined).
This was a great essay.
~Alya~
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 05:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 06:32 am (UTC)I always had assumed JKR had messed up her Asian lanugages, giving Cho the clearly Chinese last name, Chang, and the Japanese name, Cho. (see: here (http://behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=cho&nmd=n&gender=both&operator=or).
... oh, and that article (the first one) was amusing. "[W]e must look critically at how Asian Americans fit into the picture of the Hogwarts world by looking at Asian roles in previous Harry Potter books." Which is funny, because Asian Americans don't have roles in Harry Potter at all, anyway. ^^;
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 05:37 pm (UTC)The thing about her name is something that I've struggled with, simply because her name is clearly Asian, but it's not clear what her ethnicity is supposed to be. And I ascribe that to a problem with JKR, which of course leads to my entire theory.
OMG, this comment makes no sense because I am listening to this interview with Robert Pattinson, and he sounds stoned, so sorry for making no sense.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 08:11 am (UTC)I've read Oral History before, and loved it [though I'm not Chinese, but am an immigrant.] It's a wonderful portrayal of Cho as a Chinese girl, without being preachy.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 05:34 pm (UTC)I worry that I identify too closely with Cho sometimes, and have constructed her personality through my own. But that doesn't stop me loving her.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 12:15 pm (UTC)I still think Cho is Chinese, though. ;p
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 05:30 pm (UTC)Uh, he knows that's a little weird, right? I'm Chinese too, and I'd never, for example, call all Europeans 'Italian' or anything like that.
I'll admit right now that if JKR ever comes out and says that Cho is Korean, I'll be pretty damn sad.
(no subject)
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From: