Techno-Orientalism : Imagining Asia in Speculative Fiction, History, and Media by David S. Roh, Betsy Huang, Greta A. Niu, 2015

Whenever I saw Hong Kong or any other East-Asian city represented in Western media I always got excited, it was brief validation that the places that shaped my early years were worthy of being in blockbuster films. Recently I noticed these cities were condemned to playing the role of supporting actor, employed to set the scene as either hyper-technological or intellectually primitive. From the the indistinguishable Japanese and Chinese neon signs in Scott Ridley’s Blade Runner (1982/2017) that could easily have been inspired by either Mong Kok’s night markets or Tokyo’s crowded sidewalks, to the lantern-lit dragon decorated pagodas in James Bond’s interpretation of Macau in Sky Fall (2012), Techno-Orientalism explores the West's fascination with showcasing Asia as a futuristic dystopia. In examining the nameless, cold, robot-like citizens that inhabit the realm of speculative fiction films, Techno-Orientalism explores an industry that has posited itself as the perfect breeding ground for Yellow Peril and East-Asian anxiety by dismantling stereotypes such as Dr. Fu Manchu and his “cruel cunning of an entire Eastern Race...with all the resources of science past and present.” Through fourteen original essays, Techno-Orientalism provides an insightful reflection on the tropes that Western media falls back on when expressing concerns regarding East-Asia’s growing cultural influence.